​​​​​​InterDis 2025, a summer school hosted by ICES and the EU-project Mission Atlantic, brought together 34 early-career scientists for an intensive week of lectures, workshops, and collaboration with 12 expert speakers.

The focus of the week was integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA) as a practical example of how interdisciplinary approaches can support ecosystem-based management (EBM). Participants explored what it takes to work across disciplines and how to bridge science, policy, and society.

InterDis is the brainchild of ICES Strategic Initiative on the Integration of Early Career Scientists (SIIECS), who want to equip the next generation of marine researchers with interdisciplinary skills and cross-institutional networks from the very start of their careers so they can play their part in solving challenges within complex ocean systems. The roots of InterDis go back to 2023, when SIIECS teamed up with EuroMarine Oyster to launch the first edition of the school. That event combined lectures with hands-on activities to train participants in interdisciplinary methods, proposal writing, and network building. 

Building on its success, SIIECS this time joined forces with Mission Atlantic with a focus on integrated ecosystem assessment and its role in tackling today’s most complex ocean challenges.

Here’s what some of the 2025 participants had to say about their experience.

Juliana Quevedo

Pre-doctoral researcher, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)
Juliana saw InterDis as “an opportunity to have a strong introduction to the next steps of my thesis" and a chance to learn from experts and peers alike. She describes the week as “very enriching," taking away insights into “stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinarity, communicating science to decision-makers, and tools like methodologies and R packages." For Juliana, the week confirmed the value of different perspectives: “That's the whole idea of interdisciplinarity, to come together and agree on how to approach a marine-related challenge, taking into account all parts."​

"All in all, InterDis has paved the way for me to communicate science more effectively, leading to advice or even policy."

Frazer McEnhill

Master’s student, University of Western Australia.
Frazer joined InterDis “to broaden my perspective on marine science and to engage with a diverse range of researchers from disciplines outside my own.” He says he learned “new frameworks for approaching research, how to identify and build systems to investigate problems by considering not only ecological factors but also the social, economic, and policy dimensions involved.” Working with other disciplines reinforced that “marine science challenges cannot be solved by purely scientific solutions within a single field” and showed him the power of integrated, innovative approaches.

"I now more clearly appreciate that integrating diverse viewpoints, methods, and data can generate more innovative, realistic, and impactful solutions to complex problems. "

Natalie Pramuk

Marine scientist, Oceana.
"From representative stakeholder engagement, modelling, and delivering advice to decision-makers, there is so much to take from this week​." For Natalie, InterDis provided the context she was seeking beyond methods, biology, and ecology. 

“I wanted to take part to better understand the processes needed to make a real-world impact." She highlights learning about integrated ecosystem assessments and ecosystem-based management, stressing that issues like climate change and overfishing “are inherently transdisciplinary, and the teams tasked with resolving them should be equally diverse. There is space for everyone at the table, and we need more scientists in policy and policymakers/economists in environmental science."

Meutia Safira Fakhraini

Independent Consultant, Indonesia.
Meutia joined InterDis because she aspires “to become a Transformative Scientist" and valued how the programme “brings people from diverse backgrounds on the same boat." She emphasizes that “sustainable oceans are not a mission impossible" and underlined the importance of risk assessments and clear communication. For her, the experience reinforced that “as long as we give ourselves permission to question and learn, we will freshen up our perspectives on any challenges."
"To achieve sustainable oceans, we need to first open the door of common understanding—whether engaging with fellow scientists, a room full of politicians, or local fishermen!"

Raman Deep Kaur
Master's student​, University of Milano-Bicocca. 
Raman came to InterDis with a multidisciplinary background spanning physics, geology, and marine science. She wanted to learn how to manage oceans more holistically, and found her key takeaway in the role of integrated ecosystem assessments: “including stakeholders and gathering qualitative input from communities such as fishers ensures data reflects all dimensions of the system. In my research and career, I aim to strengthen this science-society interface and make conservation outcomes more grounded and inclusive." She also noted that learning about the policy perspective was especially eye-opening and "highlighted the importance of framing scientific advice in ways that are clear, relevant, and actionable for decision-makers.”

Rounding up another InterDis

InterDis 25 showcased how early-career scientists are ready to think differently, collaborate widely, and carry integrated approaches into the future of marine science.​