Science Committee Chair
Jörn Schmidt
The Chair of SCICOM is based at our Secretariat in Copenhagen, Denmark. As Chair, Jörn works with committee members, the Secretariat, and the network to strengthen the relevance, influence, and impact of the organization's science.
Jörn is a specialist in inter- and transdisciplinary work with experience in immunological laboratory work, zooplankton ecology, fish larvae ecology, fisheries assessment and management, and ecological-economic modelling. He is currently working on marine socio-ecological systems and concepts of sustainability in the ocean. He seeks to improve communication between science, policy, stakeholders, and the general public. Jörn was a recent (2015–2019) co-chair of ICES Strategic Initiative on the Human Dimension.
Email, Profile, Google Scholar, ResearchGate
Andy is a Principal Scientist and marine benthic ecologist at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). He has research interests in the assessment and management of the effects of human activities, especially marine aggregate extraction and bottom fishing activities, on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). He works closely with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) and North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) where he provides scientific advice on area-based fishery management measures to protect high seas biodiversity and the assessment of significant adverse impacts on VMEs. He is currently Chair of the Working Group Integrated Assessment of the North Sea (WGINOSE).
Email, Google Scholar
Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt, Aquaculture Steering Group
Ann-Lisbeth is a senior scientist at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Bergen, Norway. Her scientific work related to aquaculture focuses on assessing chemotherapeutants applied in salmon farming combating sea lice and effects on a range of non-target species. The outcomes of this research are implemented in the IMR's annual risk assessment of the environmental effects of Norwegian aquaculture. Ann-Lisbeth has some previous experience in aquaculture in developing countries, and she has also worked with sea ranching and stock enhancement.
Email; ResearchGate
Debbi Pedreschi, Integrated Ecosystem Assessments Steering Group
Debbi is a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Marine Institute in Galway, Ireland. Her role is in progressing the ecosystems approach to fisheries management through developing innovative fisheries management and integrated ecosystem assessment. Her scientific work focuses on understanding marine socio-ecological systems and involves working with stakeholders to learn from their knowledge and experience. The outcomes of her research are intended to advance understanding and application of integrated ecosystem assessment as a tool for ecosystem-based management and advice.
She is co-Chair of the Working Group on Ecosystem Assessment of Western European Shelf Seas (WGEAWESS).
Email, Google Scholar, Linked In, ORCiD, ResearchGate
Jens Rasmussen, Data Science and Technology Steering Group
Jens is Scientific Data Manager at Marine Scotland, Aberdeen, Scotland. His role is to help safeguard, integrate, and make use of data from research, monitoring and advice both nationally and internationally. His work focuses on making data flow efficiently from field collection to publication. Jens has previously worked as a Zooplankton Ecologist at the Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen.
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Joël Vigneau, Ecosystem Observation Steering Group
Joël is a senior fisheries scientist at the Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER) in Normandy, France. Joel is currently the scientific coordinator for both the French fisheries monitoring programme and Ifremer data preparation team in response to data calls. He is also the fisheries scientist helping the French Administration manage the bilateral agreement between Canada and France for the fishing rights given to the French islands of St-Pierre et Miquelon in the Canadian EEZ.
He has a strong background in international collaborative science both in data collection and data quality and in stock assessment in several international bodies, where he has often served as chair of expert groups. Recently, he chaired ICES Planning Group on Data Needs for Assessment and Advice (PGDATA), which worked in bridging the world of data collectors with the end-users and also worked on the ICES quality assurance framework.
Email; ResearchGate
Jonathan White, Fisheries Resources Steering Group
Based in Galway, west coast of Ireland, Jonathan jointly manages the Demersal Stock Assessment team, part of Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services at the Marine Institute. He undertakes an oversight of demersal fish-stock assessments and Nephrops surveys within the institute.
Jonathan's interests focus on understanding and assessing the status of natural aquatic resources, with expertise in aquatic ecology, statistics, stock assessment and translation of science into objective resource management. Prior to demersal fisheries, he worked on Atlantic salmon stock assessments, marine habitat mapping, oceanography and data management, initially working on lake and river ecology.
Email; Researchgate
Steven Degraer, Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics Steering Group
Steven is a Senior Scientist and Team Leader at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, and the Belgian member of ICES Science Committee. He coordinates the work of the Marine Ecology and Management team, with an emphasis on maximising the team's scientific impact and steering its role in providing marine ecosystem management advice. His research interests include marine nature conservation and sustainable use of resources, covering rocky shore fauna and non-indigenous species, marine mammals and seabirds, and the effects of underwater sound. Steven has previously worked at Ghent University in Belgium, where he now maintains a role as visiting professor.
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National members and Operational Group Chairs
Anders Nielsen, Training Group Chair
Anders is a Professor (mso) at the
Technical University of Denmark, National Institute for Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua) in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is the research coordinator for the statistics group at DTU Aqua. His scientific work focuses on developing statistically rigorous tools for marine science in particular for fish stock assessment. Anders has previously worked at the University of Hawaii developing models and software for geolocating archival-tagged marine creatures.
Andreas Kannen, Germany
Andreas is a research scientist at Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute of Coastal Systems – Analysis and Modelling, Germany. He is a member of the division on Human Dimensions of Coastal Areas and has conducted research related to marine use patterns, use conflicts, offshore wind farm development and maritime spatial planning. As a social scientist, his interests focus on the socio-cultural and institutional perspective, looking at the role of the various human actors, institutions, policies, planning processes and governance structures that form the marine and coastal environment. Andreas holds several policy advisory positions and is engaged with ICES since 2006, including chairing WGMPCZM from 2011 to 2016.
Email; Bio; Research Gate
Antonina dos Santos, Portugal
Antonina is Senior Scientist at the Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) in Lisbon, Portugal. Her role is to lead plankton and oceanography research and to provide advice on ecosystem health and biodiversity for Portuguese marine areas. Her scientific work focuses on how critical connections in the complex life cycles of marine invertebrates regulate population dynamics in oceanic and coastal communities. Her research intends to advance understanding and application of ecosystem-based management. Antonina has previously worked as Director of the Department of Sea and Marine Resources at IPMA.
Email; Google Scholar; Research Gate
Artūras Razinkovas-Baziukas, Lithuania
Artūras is a Chief Scientist and professor at the Marine Research Institute based in Klaipėda. His scientific work focuses on estuarine systems, especially lagoons covering the process-based and statistical modelling of ecosystems and their ecosystem services. The outcomes of his research are intended to advance understanding and application of ecosystem-based management. Artūras has also served as a national representative for the European Marine Board and is a former president of the Baltic Marine Biologist organization.
Email; Google Scholar; Baltic Lagoon Network
Brian MacKenzie, Denmark
Brian is a Professor of Marine Fish Population Ecology at the Technical University of Denmark, National Institute for Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua) in Copenhagen, Denmark. He conducts research into the dynamics of marine fish populations in response to human and natural perturbations, teaches and supervises graduate students, and provides advice to public and private organizations. His scientific work focuses on identifying and quantifying impacts of climate change/variability, fishing and eutrophication on marine populations and ecosystems. Results contribute to ecosystem-based approaches to management and stock assessment. Brian is a recent (2012-2015) co-chair of ICES-PICES Strategic Initiative on Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems (SICCME).
Email; Google Scholar
Dariuz Fey, Poland
Dariusz is Chief Scientist at the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Gdynia, Poland. His role is to lead research on the early life history of fish and to provide advice on human impacts on the status of ecosystems. His scientific work focuses on the ecology of larval and juvenile fish and otolith microstructure analysis. The outcomes of the research find application in the environmental impact assessment of different human activities. Dariusz has previously worked as visiting scientist at the University of Hawaii and as a National Research Council post-doc at the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory in the United States.
Email; ResearchGate
Ellen Kenchington, Canada
Ellen is a senior scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography based in Dartmouth. Her role is to provide scientific advice on issues related to benthic species and habitats both nationally and internationally. Her research focuses on the benthic ecology of the continental shelf and slopes, impacts of fishing on benthic communities, and population genetics of marine organisms. The outcomes of her research contribute to the identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), ecologically or biologically significant areas (EBSAs), marine protected area selection and design, and sustainable fishing practices.
Email; Research Gate
Evan Howell, USA
Evan Howell is the Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology, Maryland, USA. His role is to advocate and ensure a sound scientific basis for the organization's science programmes, resource conservation and management decisions, and to coordinate with other senior leadership to guide the study and adoption of rapidly evolving technological and scientific capabilities. Evan has previously worked as an oceanographer in the central Pacific Ocean region studying the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and higher trophic level species. Evan comes to ICES after a long career in PICES and brings interests in ecosystem dynamics, climate change, and the principles of open data and open science.
Email; Google Scholar
Francis O’Beirn, Ireland
Francis is a Team Leader in the Marine Environment and Food Safety Service Area and is based at the
Marine Institute headquarters in Galway. He is chiefly responsible for aquaculture advisory and monitoring services and risk assessment of licenced activities in Natura Sites. Francis is interested in habitat restoration and monitoring anthropogenic impacts on marine (benthic) habitats and species. Currently, he is a member of the
Working Group on Marine Benthal and Renewable Energy Developments (WGMBRED).
Henrik works as a Senior Research Scientist at the Marine Research Centre, Finnish Environment Institute. He has a background in marine ecology, with experience from the Baltic Sea, the Barents Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. Currently, his work includes monitoring and assessment of the marine environment, with a main focus on benthic habitats. His interests include the facilitation of data- and science-based decision support in marine environmental management.
Email; Google Scholar
Hrönn Egilsdottir, Iceland
Hrönn is the head of the Environmental Division at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) in Iceland. Through her management role, she works with a variety of subjects such as environmental change, water-framework directive, phytoplankton research, and aquaculture impacts.
Her scientific work mainly focuses on the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on different marine species, biodiversity, and ecosystems. She has also studied shallow- and deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems.
Between completing her PhD on ocean acidification impact in 2017 and her current role, she worked as a benthic ecologist at the MFRI.
Email; Researchgate
Ivars Putnis, Latvia
Bio coming soon
John Pinnegar, United Kingdom
John is a Principal Scientist and lead advisor on climate change at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Director of the Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas (CCSUS), a joint initiative between Cefas and the University of East Anglia, and also Director of the International Marine Climate Change Centre (iMC3) at Cefas. His role includes strategic planning of research goals and initiatives, as well as managing a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to provide ad-hoc advice on climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation.
John's research interests include the impacts of climate change on fish and fisheries, climate change risk assessment techniques as well as marine food webs and fisheries modelling. John is a lead author of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment report. John was previously co-chair of the ICES/PICES Strategic Initiative on Climate Change in Marine Ecosystems (SICCME), he served as Honorary Secretary to the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) from 2013 to 2018.
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Google Scholar;
CEFAS bio Jos Schilder, The Netherlands
Jos Schilder currently holds a position as an advisor with the Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat). In this capacity, he is tasked with bridging the gap between policy-makers and the scientific community. He is a delegate to OSPAR bodies concerned with biodiversity and ocean acidification (BDC, ICG-COBAM, ICG-OA) and the EU-Marine Strategy Framework Directive working group on good environmental status (WG-GES). He has a background in freshwater (palaeo)ecology and climate sciences, having done research on lake food web dynamics, stable isotope ecology and lacustrine greenhouse gas dynamics.
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Lena Bergström, Sweden
Lena is an associate professor at the Department of Aquatic Resources at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU Aqua) and is based at the Institute for Coastal Research, Öregrund. Her key role is to lead research on marine ecosystem analyses to develop management advice in support of the ecosystem approach.
Her scientific work covers fish and aquatic food webs, the development of indicators and assessment methods, cumulative impact assessment, offshore wind farms, ecosystem services and assessment of ecological-socioeconomic interactions. One of her central roles is as an advisor in relation to the Marine Strategy Framework and the Baltic Sea Action Plan. Lena has previously worked as a researcher at Stockholm University, the Swedish Board of Fisheries and as a project coordinator at HELCOM. She has previously co-chaired ICES/HELCOM Working Group on Integrated Assessments of the Baltic Sea (WGIAB).
Email; Website; ResearchGate
Lidia Yebra, Spain
Lidia is Senior Scientist at the Oceanographic Centre of Málaga (IEO-CSIC) in Fuengirola, Spain. She leads zooplankton research and provides advice on pelagic ecosystem status for Spanish Mediterranean marine areas. Her research focuses on the effect of eutrophication on coastal plankton production and the energy transfer within the pelagic trophic web (from primary producers to fish larvae). The outcomes of her research advance our understanding of the links between plankton dynamics and fisheries.
Currently, Lidia is co-chair of the Working Group of Zooplankton Ecology (WGZE) and a member of the Working Group of Integrated Morphological and Molecular Taxonomy (WGIMT).
Email; Google Scholar; ResearchGate; OceanExpert profile; Blog
Mehis Rohtla, Estonia
Mehis is an associate professor at Estonian Marine Institute and is based in Tartu. His main role is to provide scientific advice on issues related to fish migration and recruitment but also on the potential effects of offshore wind farms on fish.
Mehis' scientific work focuses on fish migratory ecology and recruitment studies by using different otolith microchemistry and biotelemetry methods. He is also involved with various environmental impact assessments and fish surveys conducted in the Estonian coastal sea. The outcomes of his research are mainly intended to provide advice to national governmental and public organizations on fish management and conservation.
Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Norway
Bio coming soon
Nils Olav Handegard, Science Impact and Publication Group Chair
Nils Olav is a Principal Scientist at the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway. His role is to conduct and lead research and data infrastructure projects to assess uncertainty and increase transparency in advisory processes at IMR. His main research interests focus on how various acoustic sensors can be used to observe marine organisms including data processing and large-scale observation systems. Nils Olav has previously worked at Princeton University, the University of Washington and the Alaska Fisheries Science Centre in the United States. Nils Olav is Chair of the Science Impact and Publication Group.
Email; Profile; Researcher ID
Pierre Petitgas, France
Pierre is the Director of the research unit "Ecology and models for fisheries" at the L'Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER) laboratory in Nantes. He is a specialist in mapping spatial distributions of fish populations and their spatial relationships with abiotic and biotic environments. This research includes developing spatially explicit models coupling fish bioenergetics, demographics and distribution with physical and lower trophic models, as well as other tools needed to develop spatially explicit ocean management plans to address multiple objectives at regional scales. Pierre is also the French Delegate to ICES Council.
Email; Profile
Sjur Ringheim Lid, Data and Information Group Chair
Sjur is the head of Digital Development at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway. His role is to lead software development processes to facilitate marine science. His main interests focus on efficient and automated data collection, data availability and the development of digital systems that make scientific work easier.
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