The Science Team

Carl Folke is a systems thinker in integrative science for sustainability. He has broken new interdisciplinary ground across the natural and social sciences and contributed to the development of new areas of research, concepts and approaches that have spread in science, education, policy and practice and more recently into the business community. His major research focus is on social-ecological systems and resilience thinking and he is recognised as a leader in these research areas worldwide. He is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.

Henrik Österblom has a PhD in marine ecology from Stockholm University, where he is professor of environmental science. He is chair of the Natural Capital Partnership Committee, Stanford University, chairman of the SeaBOS fundraising foundation and board member of Race for the Baltic fundraising foundation. He has served as theme leader, deputy science director and science director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre between 2007 and 2022. Starting from 2023, he is leading the Anthropocene Laboratory at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Frida’s research focuses on understanding the role of corporate stewardship and government accountability in the global ocean. The starting point of her research is to untangle ownership, relations and governance systems facilitating transhipments at sea as well as government and corporate activities inside Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. Frida holds a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences with a major in Geography and a Master’s degree in Development Studies. Before joining the SRC she has worked in the NGO sector and has been involved in several corporate sustainability commitments covering entire supply chains of seafood and led multiple science-based ship expeditions to the polar regions. Frida is currently actively involved in Task Force II on advancing the protection of endangered species.

Robert Blasiak is a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, where he focuses on aspects of international cooperation, the sustainable management of ocean resources, and ocean stewardship. He is Lead Scientist of the Keystone Dialogues Project in its current grant phase (2022-2025) and leading the collaboration across the scientific institutions as they engage with the SeaBOS member companies and secretariat. His recent research has dealt with marine biotechnology and the equitable use of marine genetic resources. He is a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo, where he received his PhD in 2015. He previously worked with the Satoyama Initiative at the United Nations University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Nippon Foundation NEREUS Program. He currently co-leads the “Human Ocean” research theme at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, is a member of the expert group of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and the scientific and expert committee of the Ocean & Climate Platform.

Patrik evaluated the environmental consequences of Asian aquaculture imports to the European Union as part of his PhD, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). His current research interests are related to identifying and promoting more sustainable aquatic food production, antibiotic use in aquaculture, inequalities in value chains for aquatic food products and environmental footprinting. As part of this research, Patrik spends much of his time visiting different actors in Asia and Africa. Apart from SeaBOS, he helps build the HESTIA.earth environmental benchmarking platform for food commodities, and is a junior principal investigator of the 'Inequality and the Biosphere’ project that seeks to evaluate how SeaBOS and RSPO influences inequality among stakeholders in Indonesia. Patrik is affiliated with SRC, the Beijer Institute, and Leiden University. He currently acts as science team focal point for the Keystone Project on antimicrobial resistance.

Kara employs an inter- and transdisciplinary approach including social and ecological fieldwork and modelling to study the dynamics of marine social-ecological systems. She works on issues related to the production and distribution of marine ecosystem services, the identification and mapping of cultural services, and the design of policies to support sustainable and equitable ocean management. Pellowe has a background in both the natural and social sciences with a BSc in Environmental Science from Cornell University (USA), an MSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University (USA), and an MA in Sociology from Brown University. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine (USA).

Program director of the Sustainable Seafood Program at Beijer Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and senior researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre. Max is a systems/marine ecologist working with a broad range of sustainability and governance issues related to aquaculture and coastal and marine ecosystems. Sustainable seafood utilisation being addressed out from a broader global sustainability perspective – embracing both equity and poverty. His research has involved a transdisciplinary perspective on sustainable use of input resources with impacts on marine conservation policies and aquaculture practices of today. He has been a pioneer in contributing to global development of integrated aquaculture techniques and instrumental in FAOs work on the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA). Advisor for a number of organisations and committees and has established strong links with a wide range of academic and non-academic organisations around the world. Recent work addresses the global food portfolio and the role seafood can play. Dr. Troell has provided scientific support in particular to Task Force III on antimicrobial resistance.

Oskar Nyberg holds a MSc in marine biology from Stockholm University with experience of working with environmental aspects of antibiotic use in Vietnamese aquaculture. His doctoral studies entails interdisciplinary studies on sustainable aquaculture development and how to evaluate the consequences of antibiotic use in aquaculture in Asia and Africa. His work includes analysing aquaculture production strategies, genetic methods to quantify presence of antibiotic resistant genes in bacterial populations, and developing modelling approaches for capturing environmental impacts of antibiotics emitted throughout the aquaculture value chain. He is engaged with the Antimicrobial Assessment on Global Aquaculture Production (AGAP) workshop series hosted by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. Oskar is affiliated with SRC, and plays a key role in the Keystone Project on antimicrobial resistance.

Karolin A. Johansson has served as Marshal of the Court to HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and worked as Sherpa to HRH in Her role as an Advocate to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has a background as Political advisor and Press secretary to several ministers in the Swedish Government. She has also worked as an editorial writer, crisis consultant and strategic advisor. Johansson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Uppsala University.

Cora joined the Stockholm Resilience Centre as project coordinator in September 2023. She has experience coordinating complex projects and creating high-value events across a wide range of contexts, from planning conference logistics to chairing university climate student groups. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from the University of Cambridge and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from Uppsala University, and has previously worked both as a communications intern and research assistant at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Cora has also worked as a trainee at the European Parliament in Luxembourg and for various branches of the University of Cambridge’s language-learning services. She has a passion for impactful communication, bridging between science and policy, and bringing people together to foster transformative change.

Elizabeth Selig’s work focuses on the intersection of environmental and social sustainability in marine ecosystems. Her current research includes understanding social-ecological feedbacks in ocean health, marine resource conflicts, and patterns in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and labor abuses in fisheries. Her Ph.D. in Ecology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill focused on how global climate change may affect coral reef health and which management strategies can be useful for mitigating coral loss. She has more than 10 years of experience working with international non-governmental organizations including Conservation International, where she was the Senior Director of Marine Science. She has also worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the World Resources Institute. She is part of the core team behind the Blue Food Assessment, an international scientific assessment of the contribution of aquatic foods to human nutrition and environmental impacts, with a focus on equity and environmental vulnerability of production. She was a lead author on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment and is part of the International Science Advisory Council for the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Dr. Selig contributes to the Keystone Project on West Coast Africa, as well as to Task Force I on reducing IUU fishing and eliminating modern slavery.

Colette seeks to understand how socio-ecological systems respond to change, and co-create equitable and sustainable strategies to optimize resilience. She draws on over 25 years of international experience focused on managing biodiversity risk and achieving positive outcomes across society, the economy and the environment. As part of the Center for Ocean Solutions she leads and actively engages in the development and implementation of activities around: oceans & food, sustainable ocean economies, small-scale fisheries & technology, and curbing illegal fishing. Colette holds a BSc in Biology and Environmental Sciences from McGill University, an MSc in Tropical Coastal Management from the University of Newcastle-uponTyne and a PhD in Geography from the University of British Columbia. In an effort to co-create pragmatic solutions to ocean challenges, Colette has worked in academia, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations and engaged widely with local communities and the private sector. Beyond contributing to Task Force I on reducing IUU fishing and eliminating modern slavery, Colette currently acts as science team focal point for the Keystone Project on West Coast Africa.

Shin’s research focuses on solving pressing ocean issues through a data-driven approach, while applying novel technologies that enable the unprecedented collection of data. Before joining Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions as a data research scientist, he had postdoctoral training at the University of Cambridge (UK), Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (Germany), and New York University, conducting interdisciplinary research encompassing behavioral and social sciences. He received a PhD in Marine Science at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jean-Baptiste's research focuses on the interlinked social, economic and ecological challenges that shape the new global ocean context. Initially trained as an ecologist, Jean-Baptiste has embraced inter and trans-disciplinary approaches over the course of his PhD with a particular attention to the ocean economy and the role of industry. His work ranges from indicators for effective coral reef management to the global seafood industry, the role of the financial sector, and the potential for transformative cross-sectoral ocean action. Jouffray has a background in natural science with a BSc in biology of organisms, populations, and ecosystems from University Paul-Sabatier (France), an MSc in ecology from Stockholm University (Sweden), and a PhD in sustainability science from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University and Global Economic Dynamics and Biosphere Programme at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He recently joined the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (USA) as a Wallenberg Postdoctoral Fellow.

Nobuyuki Yagi is a Professor at the University of Tokyo and Member of the Science Council of Japan. His area of study includes socio-economic aspects on small-scale fishery and marketing analysis on food products. He received his MBA from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, and his PhD from the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Japan. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the IIFET (International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade) from 2014 to 2018 and an expert of the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) at its group on values from 2014 to 2018. He also served as a member of Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) Program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) from 2019 to 2023. He was awarded the Royal Order of Sahametrei, Commander class, from the Royal Government of Cambodia in 2019 for his contributions on rural development studies in Cambodia. He also received a Certificate of an Honorary Citizen from the Government of Jeju Special Self-governing Province, Korea, in 2023.

As an academic accountant, Jan seeks to understand how organisations respond to societal demands for them to address social and environmental issues. Responses include how organisations adopt different internal control measures to identify and address negative impacts as well as how organisations present their performance in their external reporting. Jan also has an extensive track record in providing advice to governments on sustainable development issues, providing oversight for interdisciplinary research engagements focusing on sustainable development and working alongside companies who are seeking to become biosphere stewards. Jan co-ordinates the organisational science inputs to the SeaBOS project and is an active contributor to the work within Task Force I on reducing IUU fishing and eliminating modern slavery.

Salah, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, attained his PhD in accounting from Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia in 2023. With over a decade of experience in teaching, training, and research, Salah excelled as an accounting lecturer in Egypt and Malaysia. His commitment to advancing knowledge is evident through his current involvement in the SeaBOS research project, showcasing his dedication to sustainable business practices. Salah's research delves into integrated reporting, sustainability accounting, SDGs performance, and corporate governance, resulting in multiple publications. Beyond academia, he actively contributes to international conferences and collaborates on diverse research projects, embodying a passion for fostering transparency and accountability.

Vanessa is broadly interested in the ecological and social sustainability of fisheries and their interactions with apex predators. She has studied marine megafauna behaviour, endangered and protected species bycatch, shark fishing livelihoods, fisher safety and (in)decent labour, and marine protected areas in Australia, Indonesia, Palau, and Ghana. She has worked for the Australian and Palauan governments and with various NGOs in the Pacific region. She serves on the Independent Review Panel for the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) program of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group. Vanessa has a BSc in Marine Biology from James Cook University, and an Honours and PhD from Murdoch University Perth. After a postdoc with the Pacific Community (SPC) in New Caledonia, and another with the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, her current research asks how social dimensions of seafood production can be better accounted for in public and private procurement policies. She currently contributes her expertise to the work of Task Force II on advancing protection of endangered species.

Madlen is an Associate Professor in Accounting at EDHEC Business School, working in the area of social and environmental accounting and focusing in particular on sustainability performance measurement and management practices. Her PhD research at the Birmingham Business School explored the construction and implementation process of the UK national biodiversity indicators as well as their impact on environmental policy making and conservation practices. With a background in business administration and accounting, her main research interests are related to organisational impacts on social and environmental systems as well as the evaluation of sustainable performance. She is especially interested in exploring how social and environmental performance is constructed and measured and how this evaluation enables more sustainable outcomes and business practices.