J Murray Roberts is a Professor of Applied Marine Biology & Ecology at the University of Edinburgh, where he founded the Changing Oceans research group and chairs the Joint Working Group between St Abbs Marine Station and the University. He led the EU Atlantic research programs ATLAS and iAtlantic and in 2022, was appointed Sargasso Sea Commissioner and a member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council. His research focuses on deep-sea cold-water corals and marine ecosystems. Roberts has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and the textbook ‘Cold-water Corals.’ He contributes to IPCC Reports, with fieldwork across the UK, Norway, Ireland, the U.S., Cape Verde, and the Pitcairn Islands. Previously, he directed Heriot-Watt University’s Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology.

Jesse Cleary is a Geographer in the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL) at Duke University with a background in GIS and Remote Sensing and interests in marine spatial ecology, data science and marine spatial planning. Duke MGEL is a founding partner of the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and operates OBIS-SEAMAP, the OBIS node focused on marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, sharks and rays. MGEL also helped found the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean project (MiCO) with a global team of collaborators. Jesse has been involved in a range of projects to provide data and spatial analysis to support spatial planning both inside the US EEZ and in ABNJ. He led the data development and participatory mapping efforts for nine of the regional workshops to describe Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) for the Convention on Biological Diversity. His current work focuses on how global databases and important area processes intersect to improve marine spatial planning and support BBNJ implementation.

Angel Perez is a Professor at University of “Vale do Itajaí”, southern Brazil, acting in the Oceanography Program. He started his research career as a cephalopod and fish population biologist, leading for 10 years (2000 – 2009) a national deep-sea fisheries research and management program. In 2006 he expanded his research interests to include diversity patterns and ecology of deep-sea environments of the South Atlantic participating in the international projects: MAR – ECO (Census of Marine Life), Brazil-Japan Iata-Piuna Expedition (JAMSTEC- IOUSP – BGS), the consortium iAtlantic: Integrated Assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and Time (EC – H2020), the EAF-Nansen project (IMR – FAO) and the Around Africa Expedition (Ocean X – OceanQuest). Angel authored over 20 papers on deep-sea biodiversity, ecology and fisheries, and participated in consultation process for development of the FAO International Guidelines for Management of Deep-sea fisheries in the High Seas and the Strategic Management Plan for the Atlantic (SEMPIA). In 2026, he will be the chief-PI on an expedition to the Romanche Fracture Zone, on board the RV Falkor (too) (Schmidt Ocean Institute).

Alex Rogers is a marine ecologist who is interested in how biodiversity is distributed in the ocean, especially in the deep sea and on deep tropical coral reefs. He is also interested in human impacts on the ocean and how to manage human activities to mitigate or reduce degradation of marine ecosystems. His work has taken him to the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans and to the Caribbean investigating coral reef ecosystems, both in shallow water and the deep sea, seamounts and deep-sea hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps. Alex has worked with governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations on human impacts, especially those from deep-sea fishing and climate change, and on the development of policy solutions to such problems. Alex published the book The Deep: The Hidden Wonders of the Ocean and How to Protect Them.

Ana Sequiera is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) leading pioneering research in the field of marine megafauna movement and conservation. She is the Research Director of MegaMove, and a Fenner Medallist by the Australian Academy of Science. She develops models to better understand the marine environment, with a focus on marine spatial planning and conservation specializing in the movement ecology of marine megafauna (such as sharks, whales, seals, and polar bears). Ana has secured multiple prestigious fellowships and grants, including from the European Commission (under H2020 framework), the Australian Research Council, and from globally renowned philanthropies such as Pew Marine Fellowship from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Her passion is the conservation of marine megafauna and she works with hundreds of researchers from around the world to achieve this goal.

Andrei Polejack (he/his) is the Director for Research and Innovation at INPO – Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Oceânicas (the Brazilian National Institute for Ocean Research). PhD in Maritime Affairs from the World Maritime University, Sweden and MSc. in Evolutionary Ecology from Universidade de Brasília, Brasil, formerly acted as the Coordinator for Ocean, Antarctica and Geosciences at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Interested in Ocean Science Diplomacy as a field of study and theoretically passionate about post- and de-colonial reasoning applied to international relations and its many ways of linking with ocean science.

Sonia Angélica Jurado Caicedo is a lawyer with a master’s degree in International Affairs from Universidad Externado de Colombia. Since 2016, she has worked at the intersection of international affairs, environmental multilateralism, ocean governance, and sustainable development. She currently serves as Project Coordinator of the SARGADOM Thermal Dome initiative, which she joined in May 2023, leading efforts to strengthen science–policy collaboration for the conservation of high-seas ecosystems. As a consultant, she advises governments, NGOs, and international organizations in designing conservation and marine management policies for areas beyond national jurisdiction. From 2016 to 2023, she worked at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she led the country’s international ocean and environmental affairs agenda in regional and global forums. Her leadership contributed to the development of national public policies on marine conservation and elevated ocean issues on both national and international agendas.

Luciana Fernandes Coelho holds a PhD in Maritime Affairs from the World Maritime University, a Master of Science in Environment, Politics & Society from the University College London, a Master of Laws from the University of Brasilia, and an LLB from Dom Bosco University, Brazil. She has experience as a Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), Programme Coordinator for the DOALOS/Norad Programmes of Assistance for Strengthening the Strategic Capacity of Developing States in Ocean Governance and the Law of the Sea for Sustainable Ocean Economies, and an advocacy analyst for Oceana in Brazil. She served as legal adviser for the Brazilian delegation during the BBNJ treaty intergovernmental conference.

Marcel Jaspars is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen where he leads the Marine Biodiscovery Centre which focuses on marine resources for novel pharmaceuticals, and to investigate fundamental questions in marine chemical ecology and biosynthesis. Marcel has been active at national and international levels to develop the science, its applications/industrial uptake and associated policy involved in marine biodiscovery and biotechnology. He provides scientific advice to the UK, EU and UN for global policy processes on ocean conservation and digital sequence information via reports, papers and taking part in discussion meetings.

Dr. Rodríguez Chaves has more than twenty years of experience working with environmental non-governmental organizations. Currently she is part of the Ocean Program within the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA); and a senior postdoctoral fellow in the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute.

Charlotte Salpin is a Senior Legal Officer at the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, where she has worked for 20 years. She currently heads the cluster providing the interim secretariat for the BBNJ Agreement and also dealing with the protection and preservation of the marine environment, marine scientific research and sustainable development issues. A former Senior Legal Officer at the International Seabed Authority, she started her UN career at the Law Division of the United Nations Environment Programme. Charlotte has followed the BBNJ process since its inception in 2004 and currently serves as the Secretary of the Preparatory Commission to prepare for the entry into force of the Agreement. Charlotte holds an advanced postgraduate university degree in public international law from Paris University (Panthéon-Assas) and an LLM in environmental law from London University (School of Oriental and African Studies).

Dr. Vousden is an Honorary Professor of Ocean Governance at Rhodes University, South Africa, and former Chairperson of GESAMP, an expert advisory body to the United Nations on marine environmental issues. With a 38-year career in various governmental and U.N. roles related to environmental management, he has developed and applied advanced monitoring, analysis techniques, and innovative management and governance mechanisms, especially for global oceans and coasts. Dr. Vousden has also provided expertise to numerous global marine ecosystem management and ocean governance initiatives. His current work focuses on management and stewardship of marine ecosystems in international waters.

Lisa Levin is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. She is a deep sea scientist who studies the ecology of seafloor ecosystems and how they are modified by humans and climate change. She brings science to policy makers through the Deep-Ocean Stewardship initiative, authorship on multiple IPCC reports, and engagement with the Global Ocean Oxygen Network.

Juliano Palacios Abrantes is a marine scientist interested in how climate change is affecting the oceans, and the management and conservation of marine fisheries that straddle international boundaries. He is particularly committed to supporting evidence-based decision-making, especially in Latin American countries. Currently, he holds a position as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries of The University of British Columbia.

Regina R. Rodrigues is an Associate Professor of Physical Oceanography and Climate, with a PhD in Physical Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island (USA). She is the co-chair of the WCRP Lighthouse Activity “My Climate Risk”, CLIVAR Atlantic Region Panel and Marine Heatwaves Research Focus. She served as review editor of IPCC-SRCCL and is currently author of IPCC-AR7 (Chapter on extreme events). She is a member of the editorial board of Nature’s Communication Earth & Environment. She is a permanent member of the Brazilian Interministerial Committee for Climate Change and chair of the subsection on Climate Disasters of Rede CLIMA.

Marinez Scherer holds a PhD in Marine Sciences and is an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the coordinator of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Laboratory. She serves as the Ocean Special Envoy for COP30 and acts as Brazil’s focal point and co-chair of the Working Group on Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management, IOC/UNESCO. She is a specialist in Coastal and Marine Management, with extensive experience in technical advisory and capacity building in several countries across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. She also co-leads the Cono Sur Regional Training Centre of the Ocean Teachers Global Academy (OTGA).

Carina Costa de Oliveira: Associate Professor of International and Environmental Law at the Law Faculty, University of Brasília, Brazil.Coordinator of the Research group on Law, Natural Resources and Sustainability (Gern-UnB). Research areas: Public and Private International Law, Environmental Law, Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Resources.

Catherine Tinker: President and Founder, Tinker Institute on International Law and Organizations; UN representative of NGO based in NYC on international and environmental law. Distinguished Fellow/Adjunct Professor, Seton Hall University, School of Diplomacy and International Relations; Visiting Professor, UFRGS-PPGD Law Faculty, Porto Alegre, Brazil - Fulbright US Scholar 2024. Member, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL). Research areas: Public international and environmental law, conservation and sustainable use of fresh water and the marine environment.

Lowri Mai Griffiths is a senior legal and policy leader with over 20 years’ experience shaping the UK’s international approach to ocean governance. As Head of the Ocean Policy Unit at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, she led the UK’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and served as Head of Delegation for the negotiation of the BBNJ Agreement. Lowri works at the intersection of law, science, policy and international cooperation, with a long‑standing commitment to evidence‑based policymaking and sustainable ocean governance.

Viktoria Varga Lencses is a Senior Fishery Officer at FAO, leading the GEF funded Common Oceans Program to support sustainable fisheries and biodiversity governance in ABNJ, including strengthened monitoring, compliance, and ecosystem based approaches. She works with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, governments, scientists, and other stakeholders to advance science based management and its practical application. She has 25 years of international experience, including at the European Commission, where she negotiated fisheries for the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and guided EU maritime and fisheries programs.

Maitê Schmitz currently works as Senior Legal Advisor at the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly. A career diplomat from Brazil, she was Head of the Division of Sea, Antarctica and Outer Space at the Brazilian MFA, when she followed negotiations of the BBNJ Agreement. She holds a law degree from UFRGS, an LLM from Harvard Law School, and a master's degree and PhD in International Relations from UnB.

Pascale Ricard is a research fellow at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in the International, European, and Comparative Law Laboratory (DICE, UMR 7318) in Aix-en-Provence (Aix-Marseille Université). Her main work focuses on international law of the sea, international environmental law, and more specifically on ways to protect marine biodiversity in the face of major current threats. Her Ph.D thesis, completed at Paris 1 University and published in 2019, was entitled "Biodiversity conservation in international maritime areas. A challenge for international law." As part of her postdoctoral studies at the University of Angers, her research focused on analyzing the legal regime applicable to disputed maritime areas. She conduct several research projects related to the protection of biodiversity in the deep sea, marine protected areas, and the relationship between climate change and maritime law. She also co-lead the interdisciplinary teaching programme "Sustainable International Ocean Governance", as well as the CNRS's collective scientific expertise on the responsible use of rare earths. Author of numerous articles, reports, and other scientific contributions, Pascale Ricard has carried out study and research missions for various organizations and institutions (International Coral Reef Initiative, International Center forComparative Environmental Law, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, etc.). She teaches law of the sea and international environmental law.

Lea-Anne Henry is a deep-sea scientist with expertise in seamount ecology and the cumulative impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on deep-sea ecosystems. She has >20 years working at the national and international science-policy interface, translating science into action through marine spatial planning and leading to describing and establishing marine protected areas, vulnerable marine ecosystems, ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, and important shark and ray and marine mammal areas. She is a Co-Director and the Scientific Director of Mara Consultants Ltd.

Julian Barbière is head of the Marine Policy and Regional Coordination Section at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. Educated as an environmental scientist, he has approximately 25 years of experience at the international level in the field of ocean sustainability, ocean governance, science/policy interface, and the development of technical cooperation in the field of ocean science. Playing a critical role in the development of several UN initiatives such as the preparation phase of the World Ocean Assessment, the technical framework leading to SDG14, or a global initiative in marine spatial planning that has inspired many nations to move towards ecosystem-based management approaches. Since 2017, he has been spearheading the development and coordination of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), also acting as the Decade Global Coordinator.

Prof. Segen Estefen is the Director-General of the National Institute for Ocean Research. Professor Emeritus of Ocean Structures and Subsea Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Coordinator of the Offshore Renewable Energy Group at COPPE. Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Member of the National Academy of Engineering. PhD Imperial College London. Award of Excellence Nobuo Oguri from the Brazilian Society of Naval Architecture. Lobo Carneiro Award of Academic Excellence - UFRJ. Tamandaré Medal from the Brazilian Navy. Member of the 111 Project Innovation from China Foreign Experts Affairs. Fellow Society for Underwater Technology (UK). Fellow American Society of Mechanical Engineers (USA).

Christine Gaebel is a Research Associate with the Nippon Foundation–University of Edinburgh Ocean Voices Programme and Co-Lead of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative’s BBNJ Working Group. She holds degrees spanning law, human rights, and marine systems and policies, and recently completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where she examined the use of science and knowledge under the BBNJ Agreement. Her interdisciplinary research explores the interfaces among science, policy, and society in multilateral environmental agreements, with a particular focus on ocean governance and equity. Christine has engaged with the BBNJ negotiations since 2019 and has published on the Agreement’s Scientific and Technical Body and Clearing-House Mechanism.

Dr Carl O’Brien CBE is a Chartered Statistician (CStat), Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS) and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (FIMarEST). He is President of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and before this was Chief Fisheries Science Adviser to the UK Government for fifteen (15) years and was based at the Lowestoft Laboratory of the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) where he is now an emeritus researcher.

David Obura chairs the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES, 2023-2026), is a Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa, a knowledge organization supporting sustainability of coral reef and marine systems in the Western Indian Ocean, and is on the Earth Commission (2019-2026). After 30 years of research on coral reef vulnerability to climate change and their importance to society, his focus is now on linking local to global challenges to help society pivot towards a safe and just future.

Leandra Gonçalves is an assistant professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), with over 15 years of experience in coastal and marine governance, focusing on the science-policy interface and gender issues in the ocean. A biologist with a PhD in International Relations and a postdoctoral degree from USP's Oceanographic Institute. Leandra has served as a Lead Author for UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook 6 and the IPBES Nexus Report. She also collaborates with WEBLUE - Gender Equity for Ocean, a UN-endorsed initiative under the Decade of Ocean Science.

Mariana Caldeira is a Brazilian biologist and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on ocean governance and the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, with particular attention to stakeholder consultation processes for ABMTs. She is also dedicated to understanding how the integration of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities can strengthen decision-making processes under the BBNJ Agreement and inform better decisions for conservation.

Fran Humphries is an Associate Professor at Griffith University, Australia, specialising in biodiversity law, law of the sea and intellectual property. She has led large projects on governance of genetic resources, digital sequence information and associated traditional knowledge for governments, NGOs and United Nations organisations. She was on the International Council of Environmental Law delegation during the BBNJ treaty intergovernmental conferences and preparatory commission meetings. She recently led an open access practical guide on the BBNJ Agreement's marine genetic resource obligations: F. Humphries (Ed.) (2025) Decoding marine genetic resource governance under the BBNJ Agreement. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-72100-7.

Ghazali Ohorella is an Indigenous diplomat for the Alifuru people from Maluku with 20 years of experience in global Indigenous diplomacy. Based in Geneva, he specializes in navigating complex international processes, including those of the WHO, UNFCCC, Human Rights Council, and the BBNJ Treaty. Serving as the BBNJ Advisor for the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), he advocates on behalf of an organization representing over 100 affiliated Indigenous Peoples from the Arctic, North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. In this role, Ghazali champions the essential integration of Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, advocating for the recognition of their inherent rights and ensuring their full and effective participation in global ocean governance.

Yara Rodrigues holds a PhD in Molecular Biosciences and serves as Executive Board Member of the Sea Institute of Cabo Verde (IMar). She directs research coordination, international partnerships, and strategic project management, advancing evidence-based public policies, promoting marine technology transfer, and leading capacity-building initiatives across the Global South to strengthen sustainable ocean governance and drive the Blue Economy.

Marjo Vierros is the Director of Coastal Policy and Humanities Research, a Vancouver-based consultancy specialising in interdisciplinary and policy-relevant ocean research. She also holds the roles of Research Advisor at Ocean Voices Programme, and researcher at the University of Helsinki. Marjo has worked in international in ocean policy and marine biodiversity research for over thirty years, including for United Nations agencies, research organisations and NGOs. Her work covers topics related to marine biocultural diversity, linking community knowledge to global processes, capacity building, and sustainable development. She has participated in the BBNJ process since the beginning.

Júlia Schütz Veiga is an ocean governance and law of the sea consultant, known for her expertise in the BBNJ Agreement and marine technology transfer. Her research focuses on how international legal structures allocate power, access, and benefits in the global ocean, emphasising equitable implementation and the link between legal design and practice.

Sahan Abeysekara is lead of Environmental Policy & Strategy at Lloyd’s Register. He is an ex-sea farer and Marine Engineer by profession. Sahan represent IACS at IMO for marine biosafety. He is a Fellow at the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and the Engineering Council.

Brittany Croll serves as the BBNJ/RFMO Coordinator with Pew Charitable Trusts leading an initiative to prepare the regional fisheries management organizations for implementation of the BBNJ Agreement. She brings extensive experience in ocean and climate policy coordination and international engagement. Prior to Pew, she spent more than a decade at NOAA, serving on U.S. climate science delegations, building international partnerships and capacity‑building programs, and supporting marine resource restoration. Most recently at the U.S. Institute of Peace, she examined how climate and energy decisions influence global peace and security.

Dani Diz is an Associate Professor at the Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University, specialised in international ocean governance. Dani has over 25 years of experience in the field of environmental law and oceans governance, with her main research area focusing on international marine biodiversity law and policy. She regularly participates as an expert at UN meetings related to the law of the sea, marine biodiversity, and fisheries, and conducts policy and legal studies related to marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to UN agencies, government institutions and civil society.

Nicola Ferri holds a PhD in International Law and currently serves as Senior Legal and Compliance Adviser at the GFCM. International lawyer with strong specialisation in ocean governance and over twenty years of professional experience in major global organisations and fora. His areas of expertise include blue economy (at international, regional and national levels), design and implementation of capacity-building projects and application of monitoring, control and surveillance technologies. Furthermore, he has deep familiarity with the BBNJ Agreement and the work of the GEF under the International Waters focal area. Dr Ferri has authored several peer-reviewed publications on various international law topics.

Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli is an independent international ocean expert. She worked for the United Nations for more than 32 years, including as Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) and Head of the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA). Since her retirement she has been engaged in a number of ocean-related activities, including as facilitator of the ICDP BBNJ Informal Dialogues, and as a member of the International Law Association Committee on the Protection of People at Sea.

Dr. Amber Hartman Scholz is a microbiologist and Head of the Science Policy & Internationalization Department at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig, Germany. She leads international science policy research with an emphasis on access and benefit sharing and digital sequence information. She co-founded the DSI Scientific Network and the German Nagoya Protocol Hub and is engaged leads Observer delegations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Health Organization, the High Seas Treaty and the FAO Plant Treaty. She held previous science policy posts in the California State Senate and the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy during the Obama administration. She holds a PhD in Biology from the Johns Hopkins University.

Janaína Bumbeer is a Biologist with a Master’s and a PhD in Ecology and Conservation, currently pursuing an MBA in Management and Leadership. With over 15 years in the Third Sector, she leads the Ocean Agenda at Fundação Grupo Boticário, focusing on Sustainability and Marine Conservation. Janaína is dedicated to translating international collaboration into tangible local impact, bridging science and public policy to address global Climate and Biodiversity challenges through practical, community-engaged solutions.

Adnan Awad has been working in the field of ocean conservation and sustainable development for international organizations over the past 25 years, and joined UNDP as the Head of the Global Ocean and Water program in 2023. His career has focused on strengthening ocean governance frameworks, improving technical support for policy reform and practical applications for capacity development initiatives. Adnan was born in Seattle and attended the University of Washington where he studied marine biology as an undergraduate. He has a MSc in Conservation Biology and a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Cape Town.

Alberto Pacheco Capella is the Chief of the Regional Seas Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He leads the world’s largest legal and institutional framework for the protection and sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment, coordinating 18 Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans that unite more than 146 countries through the Regional Seas Programme. His role focuses on strengthening governance frameworks, advancing regional cooperation, and ensuring that ocean action contributes directly to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Global Framework on Chemicals, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With over 18 years of service at UNEP, Alberto has held leadership and advisory positions at the global, regional, and national levels.

Andrew Hume is the International Waters Focal Area Coordinator at the Global Environment Facility Secretariat, focusing on addressing transboundary marine and freshwater issues. Andrew also leads on the GEF’s programming for oceans and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement. Andrew is a published marine scientist with over 15 years of experience working on marine ecology research, conservation, and international development. He has a BA and MSc from the University of Virginia and a PhD from Stanford University.

Claire Jolly oversees OECD research and analysis on the economics and innovation dimensions of two important frontier domains: the ocean and the space environment. Many economic activities, as well as much science and innovation, are linked to the exploration and sustainable uses of the ocean and of the space environment. Claire Jolly has experience in business and policy analysis, supporting decision-making and strategic planning in public and private organisations. She had authored over sixty publications focusing on the evolutions and economic impacts of science and technology-intensive sectors. Her background is in international economics (Univ. Versailles, Cornell University) and aerospace engineering (ENSTA; ISU). She is also an alumna of executive programmes from the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN) and of the Singularity University.

Angelique Pouponneau is a Seychellois lawyer and ocean advocate who serves as Lead Negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States on ocean issues. She has been engaged in the BBNJ negotiations since 2018, representing both Seychelles and AOSIS and currently co-chairs the informal BBNJ Finance Advisory Group. With a PhD and LLM in Environmental Law and more than a decade of experience as a practitioner across small island developing States in the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Ocean, she brings deep expertise in ocean governance and climate action. Previously, Angelique served as CEO of the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust and as Chief of Staff to the UN Secretary-General's Climate Action Team.

Torsten Thiele is an international expert in ocean governance and sustainable blue finance, drawing on over 20 years experience in project and infrastructure finance with leading financial institutions and a decade of ocean research and practice. He participated in the High Seas treaty negotiations as IUCN observer and is Co-Chair of the independent expert advisory group on the BBNJ financial mechanism. He is Founder of Global Ocean Trust and Honorary Fellow at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK.

Janice Trotte-Duhá (she/her) is the Director of Infrastructure and Operations of the National Institute for Ocean Research (INPO). She holds a degree in Oceanography from Dalhousie University, Canada, and has performed several activities in Brazil, at the Interministerial Commission for Sea Resources (CIRM); the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, on which occasion INPO has been conceived; and at different branches of the Brazilian Navy, for many decades.

At the international scenario, she has been seconded by the Government of Brazil to the IOC/UNESCO Office in Paris for three years, while GOOS initial activities were starting in Brazil. Her target at INPO is to contribute with research and infrastructure in flagship projects, such as Data Infrastructure, Instrumentation Centre, Digital Twin and modelling of the South Atlantic Ocean, National Deep-Sea Programme, all of them requiring a blend of domain knowledge, technical skills, international networking, and strategic involvement on ongoing or emerging initiatives.

Robert Blasiak is an Associate Professor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, where he has led research programs on ocean stewardship, marine biotechnology / marine genetic resources, and financial risks of climate change impacts on seafood production. He is particularly interested in understanding the dynamics of the Anthropocene Ocean, including trends of industrialization, emergence of novel actors and coalitions, and transdisciplinary science in these contexts. His current work focuses on the peacebuilding potential of ocean science collaboration.

Arianna Broggiato holds a PhD in international law and LLM in Environmental Law. She has specialised on the issue of access and benefit sharing to genetic resources, with a focus on marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction; and has been working in this field in the last 16 years, focusing on bridging the gaps between science and policy, and raising awareness about the different technical aspects. She joined the European Commission (DG MARE) in 2018 to work in the EU team negotiating the international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Dr. Claudio Chiarolla is Legal Officer at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, currently supporting the CGIAR Genebanks Accelerator, based at the Alliance Nairobi Regional Office. He previously served in various capacities at the FAO, WIPO, UNDP, and at the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. He has also advised the Chair of the G77+China and supported the team of Independent International Legal Advocates (IILA) on BBNJ issues, in the context of the negotiations leading to the adoption of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) under UNCLOS. Dr. Chiarolla holds a PhD from Queen Mary University of London where he specialized in international and comparative patent law.

Bupe Mwambingu is Partnerships Manager at Basecamp Research UK, a biotechnology commercial entity with a foundational DSI database tailored for AI and the largest commercial biodiscovery programme globally, with partners in 28 countries. She leads on biodiscovery research partnerships aligned with Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) frameworks, including the BBNJ Treaty, Nagoya Protocol, and Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, advancing ethical and equitable collaborations with governments, conservation agencies, research institutions, and local communities to promote inclusive science equity and sustainable life-sciences innovation. She is concurrently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cape Town, examining barriers to equitable partnerships in bioinnovation research partnerships.

Henry de Novion is the Director of the Brazilian Genetic Heritage Department, at the Ministry of Environment, Executive Secretary of the Brazilian National Competent Authority on Access and Benefit Sharing (CGEN), and Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Benefit Sharing Fund.

Ms Manoela Pessoa De Miranda is the Secretary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. She holds a PhD in Biology and a Master's degree in Agriculture and has 20 years of experience within the United Nations system. She began her international career as a Programme Officer at the Joint Division of FAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Austria. She then moved to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Canada, where she served as Secretary of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and Head of the Biosafety and Biosecurity Unit. Her career has also taken her to Samoa and Geneva, further strengthening her commitment to biodiversity and sustainable development.

Hugo Sarmento is a Professor at the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar, Brazil). He studies the ocean microbiome, a vast community of microscopic life that dominates marine life, nutrient cycles, and helps regulate Earth’s climate. His research asks how microbial diversity and interactions change across the ocean, and what that means for ecosystem health in a changing ocean. He contributed to the Tara Oceans expedition and AtlantECO (Eu funded project), using modern sequencing tools to link Ocean microbiome diversity to environmental change and to inform fair, evidence-based discussions on Marine Genetic Resources, access, and benefit-sharing.