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The Marine Planners group is continuously growing in number and we invite who is interested in contacting us for more information on how to join us! Our members come from all around the globe having a highly heterogeneous cultural, geographic, gender and religious content.
Our core team is formed by the organizing committee, by the founders and is open to anyone interested in being involved more in the project.
Architect and Planner. MSc Maritime Spatial Planning. From 2017 he is a research and teaching assistant at the University Iuav of Venice and collaborating with CORILA (Consortium for coordination of research activities concerning the Venice lagoon system) as a consultant on maritime related EU funded projects. During the last years he is also doing technical support to Italy’s national MSP implementation process collaborating with the national Technical Committee chaired by the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports. His studies and work are focused specifically on the themes of Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning, Ocean Literacy, Land-sea Interactions, Ecosystem-based Management, Ocean Governance and Community Engagement.
“In the free time he sails, dives, swims and drinks rum! A life on the ocean waves”.
Post-Doctoral researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Italian National Council of Research (ISMAR - CNR). She earned her PhD in Marine Biology and Ecology at the Polytechnic University of Marche, and she started working on marine conservation and MSP related topics. Her studies cover: i) ecosystem-based approach integration within marine environmental management, ii) methodological approaches to assess marine ecosystem services to inform decision making processes for marine resources management, iii) ecology of benthic communities, iv) ecological observatory systems as knowledge sources for informing marine conservation. She is also doing technical support to Italy’s national MSP implementation process.
“She’s completely addicted to the sea and in love with being below and above the sea surface!”
Architect and Urban Planner. Double degree PhD (University Iuav of Venice and University of Copenhagen) in Architecture, City and Design with a thesis titled “DESIGN for COASTALSCAPE. The spatial dimension of land-sea planning”. His primary research is on Land-Sea Interaction into the Marine Spatial Planning process. Graduated in Science of Architecture at the Politecnico of Milan, he moved to Venice (Iuav) and Barcelona (UAB) to follow the European Master “Planning and policies for cities, environment and landscape”. During the university studies, he accomplished a 10 months’ internship at the Regional Planning Research Department of the Flemish Government. Since 2015 he has been collaborating as a researcher at the Planning Climate Change LAB on different EU funded project both on climate change issues and Maritime Spatial Planning (Adriplan, Supreme and SIMWESTMED). From spring 2019, he is a senior non-key expert for the EU International Urban Cooperation (IUC) Asia. From July 2020 he is research assistant at University of Southern Denmark - SDU in the Urban Resilience Research Group (SDU.Resilience).
“Usually he travels, snorkels and drinks bloody mary”
Architect, Ph.D. candidate at the Iuav University of Venice, researching climate emergency and environmental resilience. He holds a master degree in Architecture and Innovation from the Iuav University of Venice and a bachelor degree in Science of Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Since 2016 he is member of the interdisciplinary research group Planning Climate Change LAB and has developed and managed European projects, local plans design and educational projects. Since 2019 he is member of the international research group SDU.Resilience based in Copenhagen together with the University of Southern Denmark where he researches tools to operationalize urban and environmental resilience. He is also Research Associate in the EPiC (Earth and Polis Research Centre) of the ENI foundation (FEEM).
“He is a passionate explorer of all environments on foot, by bike and with fins. Show him once a map, and he won’t need it twice!”
Marine Biologist. MSc in Coastal Management and Maritime Spatial Planning. His research focus aims to investigate and apply innovative approaches of planning and management of coastal and marine areas for ecosystems conservation.
Since 2017 he is part of the multidisciplinary research group of Planning Climate Change LAB at University Iuav of Venice. He collaborates to European projects to enhance the implementation of the MSP European Directive in the Mediterranean. He is coordinating the MARINE ECOMED Eurpean Project for the development of innovative strategies for education and communication in planning and management of marine and coastal areas through a strategic partnership of universities and NGOs. Engaged in science dissemination and sensitization activities he collaborates to the Ghost Med Project at Aix-Marseille University to raise awareness on the issue of lost fishing nets in the Mediterranean and to reduce their impact on the marine environment.
“Ocean lover, addicted to salty water”
Environmentalist and planner. She first graduated in environmental sciences and, after completing the Erasmus Mundus Master on Maritime Spatial Planning, she has been working for different institutions involved in MSP processes and initiatives. Cristina has worked as a consultant for the MSPglobal initiative of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, among different tasks, she worked in data and information for the Western Mediterranean case study and she collaborated in MSP training courses in different countries.. In her current position at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, she has participated in different EU funded projects on transboundary MSP (i.e. SIMNORAT, SIMWESTMED, MSP-Med and SIMAtlantic), and participated in the national process of MSP implementation in Spain, led by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. Her main interest lies in the MSP holistic approach, in its multidisciplinary nature and the way in which its interdependence with society could be operationalized through appropriate communication .
“Born and raised at the coast, she feels complete with the sound of waves and sea breeze. She finds a bit ironic having to come to Madrid to work for the sea”
Neil has a background on marine biology. He now works at the French Office for Biodiversity, a public body dedicated to environmental protection. He has been working for more than 10 years in the field of environmental strategies at sea: conservation policies (Marine Protected Area creation and management, Marine Strategy Framework Directive implementation) as well as integrated maritime policy (draft and technical support of the MSP French process, support to local integrated initiatives). He has been involved in several MSP cooperation projects across EU sea basins (Celtic Sea, Atlantic and Mediterranean) to progress toward coherence of MSP national processes and foster implementation of the ecosystem based approach in the MSP.
Associate professor in Urban Planning at the Department of Architecture and Arts – University of Architecture of Venice Iuav. Director of the graduate degree programme in Planning and Policies for Cities, Territory and Environment and director of the Erasmus Mundus Master Course on Maritime Spatial Planning. Deputy Rector for Research (mandate 2018-2021) and member of the board of directors of CORILA Consortium for Coordination of research activities concerning the Venice Lagoon System. He taught and developed research activities in Italy and abroad in the universities of Lousville (Center for the Environmental Policy and Management), Drexel University of Philadelphia (School of Environmental Engineering), Parma (School of Economics), Bologna (School of Engineering), Reading (Department of Real Estate and Planning), Barcelona (UAB, Geography), Alghero-Sassari (Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning), Seville (Department of Geography). Supporter of a multidisciplinary approach to city and environmental planning, during the last years he finalized his research activity to the relationship between urban planning, sustainability and resilience, with particular attention to sustainable urban regeneration processes and the implementation of local plans and their contribution to a "climate-proof planning". Consultant of several public and private institutes on urban planning and design, definition of environmental policies, local development. In 2011 he funded the Planning & Climate Change Lab providing applied research to support innovation in planning and design for resilient city and in different experimentations to implement urban resilience at international level. The lab obtained more than 7 million euros of research grants in the period 2011-2019. He published more that 130 articles and scientific products.
Vera is a multidisciplinary planning expert for both terrestrial and marine spaces. She began her career in architecture, followed later by urban design and finally landed on Maritime Spatial Planning. As a result, her knowledge in sustainable development principles spans various scales, all whilst considering the linkages between coastal and marine ecosystems. Moreover, this back and forth motion between development and conservation realms allowed for a wider understanding of human activities’ impacts on the natural environment, along with the various management tools for coastal and marine spaces and natural resources. In the past couple of years, she worked on development, planning and research projects mainly in the Middle East, Mediterranean Sea and the EU. She has worked as a consultant with UNEP MAP PAP/RAC mainly on the PHAROS4MPAs Interreg Med project; Additionally, she worked as a national consultant with IOC-UNESCO on MSP/Blue Economy/Coastal risks topics in the Eastern Mediterranean and PERSGA region. She is currently playing the role of the International MSPGlobal Youth Ambassador aiming to promote the MSPglobal initiative worldwide. She is particularly interested in the links between natural and cultural heritage conservation, and is active in the Maritime Cultural Heritage conservation realm.
Piero holds a master degree in public international law (Paris Sorbonne, Panthéon Assas University) and blue growth (Italian National Institute of Oceanography and University of Trieste). He has almost ten years of professional experience in development co-operation projects and is specialised in the field of ocean economy. In his last appointment, he was part of the OECD initiative designed to support “Large Ocean and Coastal States” address pressures on oceans and marine ecosystem services and chart alternative courses for sustainable development (the Sustainable Ocean Economy for All project). Since the global pandemic broke in 2020, he lives on his old sailing boat in the Aegean and is involved in marine conservation projects, namely on ecological fixed moorings. Most lately, he shot a documentary on an invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea (“Finding the Lionfish”; teaser here).
Biologist, with an M.Sc. in Marine Sciences (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca) and an M.Sc. in Oceanography and Marine Environmental Management (Universitat de Barcelona). Her studies focused on the effects of climate change and eutrophication on seagrass meadows and recently, she has been involved in a study on the management of the Diving Tourism Industry in Mediterranean MPAs. She is currently working at SUBMON, an NGO based in Barcelona, taking part in European projects related to Ocean Literacy and marine conservation. She has experience in scientific and divulgation writing for the general public and in the creation of educational content related to the marine environment.
PhD candidate in the Industrial Ecology Programme at NTNU, with a background in Naval Architecture and Maritime Engineering (MSc) earned at the University of São Paulo in 2018 and in Maritime Spatial Planning (MSc) from the University of Sevilla, the University of the Azores and University of Venice, in 2019. As part of the CLIMMS project, his current research focuses on evaluating potential solutions for mitigating climate change effects in the maritime sector. To this end, modelling techniques are applied in combination with life-cycle assessment to investigate potential alternatives to reduce GHG emissions and ultimately support policy-makers.
Marine Conservation Officer. MSc in Oceanography, University of Southampton UK & BSc in Marine Science, National University of Malaysia. She is currently working as a Marine Conservation Officer for almost 4 years with a non-profit agency, the Marine Research Foundation (MRF) based in Sabah Borneo, Malaysia specialising in marine environmental studies and conservation. In MRF, she undertakes biodiversity assessments and conservation projects, providing management-oriented solutions to government agencies and conservationists, with projects such as mitigating bycatch issues of endangered megafauna species in the fishing industry by using sustainable fishing methods and studying the impacts of climate change to sea turtles in the wild. Previously, she has over 5 years experience as an Environmental Consultant specialised in marine environmental studies for the oil & gas industry before transitioning to the conservation world.
Maria is a Marine Conservation Warden dealing with management (conservation and utilisation) of marine natural resources and its environment to ensure sustainability at Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU) in Tanzania. She holds a degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and Erasmus Mundus Master Course on Maritime Spatial Planning from Venice, Azore and Sevilla Universities. She also holds an Australian Awards Fellowships Program of DFAT on “Enhancing Fishery management capacity in Indian Ocean Region” in June/July 2017, ANCORS, University of Wollongong. She worked as a Fisheries Officer for 6 years and a National Consultant on MSP and Sustainable Blue Economy for 2 months in Tanzania.
"Raised in the Usambara Mountains with no big water body and a dream to one day be familiar with the Ocean which she used to see when visiting her grandparents at Tanga city".
Luca is a Post-Doctoral researcher at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Milano-Bicocca. His research topics are mainly focused on Remote Sensing mapping and monitoring techniques of threatened coastal marine environments. Along these years of research, he developed skills in piloting drones and collecting aerial data on coral reef environments. These new skills have led to an increase in passion for aerial shootings and videos. This new passion is linked to the unconditional love that he has always had for the “blue planet”. Moreover, He is a scientific diver with skills in underwater photographic and Structure from Motion techniques that he uses to build explorable 3D models of benthic communities. He has in-depth knowledge of coral reef environments, especially in the Maldives, where he is running research activities for almost six years. And besides, he is an excellent science communicator. This ability has been developed during a year working as Naturalistic Guide in a Maldivian Resort and another year as a high-school science teacher.
Geospatial Technologies, Conservation and Planning Specialist with many years of professional experience in working with local communities, NGOs and CSOs, government agencies and academia in South East Asia and Latin America. He holds a master degree in Geography from the University of Technology Dresden, Germany and has expanded his field of work and research into Marine Conservation and Planning through participation in different projects in Myanmar and Indonesia (e.g. the Tanintharyi Ridge to Reef project, Gulf of Mottama project, SCF project supporting the establishment of Myanmar’s VMS) and marine science related trainings and workshops. His passion for the marine environment, extensive experience in applied data science and geospatial technologies and exposure to the practical challenges and opportunities in finding solutions to our coasts’ and oceans’ problems makes him a strong advocate for science supported interdisciplinary approaches such as MSP.
“Feels at home with the “smell” of salt water, the sound of waves and some rum or coconuts nearby”
Geographer and Planner. MSc in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Ocean Governance Expert at GRID-Arendal (Norway). He works developing capacities in MSP in several global initiatives: Blue Solutions, Panorama - Solutions for a healthy planet, and Mami Wata. He previously worked as a researcher in MSP projects (MUSES, PADDLE, MarSP) at the University of the Azores (Portugal) and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). His main areas of interest are ocean governance, stakeholder engagement and communicating science.
Marine biologist and ecologist currently working as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Italy), and at the Marine Research and High Education Center (Maldives). His research activities are mainly focused on the assessment of the coral reef health and physiological condition, analyzing the impact of different stress factors by combining an ecological approach and the use of molecular and cellular biomarkers. Moreover, recently he is also working on investigating the ecology of coral reef inhabitants and in particular on corallivorous sea stars and their impact on Maldivian coral reefs. He is a lecturer of Marine Ecology for the international master degree of Marine Sciences (University of Milano-Bicocca). He has considerable experience in fieldwork in tropical marine environments of the Indo-Pacific (Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Indonesia), Red Sea (Egypt, Saudi Arabia) and Caribbean (Belize).
Salomi has in depth knowledge in the marine, terrestrial and atmospheric environments from her background of biology, oceanography and climate change. She is part of the physical oceanography group at CDL and is involved with the setup and applications of its inhouse spectral wave and hydrodynamic models. Her responsibilities include data processing, analysis and presentation of various metocean datasets (CTD, wave/current, beach profiles, littoral), metocean modelling, air quality dispersion modelling, climate change impacts and report writing towards overall project completion.
Folco is a researcher at Iuav university of Venice on communication in Maritime Spatial Planning. His background studies have touched topics of communication and art before focusing on MSP during his Master studies at Iuav, when he successfully followed the intensive course on MSP in the ECOMED framework. He is keen on employing visual materials and exploring new media to deliver communication and engagement of relevant stakeholders and raise interest in the general audience. Needless to say he is a marine enthusiast and strong supporter of green infrastructures. His apport to the Marine Planners association is mainly linked to communication and dissemination tasks.
The Marine Planners group is continuously growing in number and we invite who is interested in contacting us for more information on how to join us! Our members come from all around the globe having a highly heterogeneous cultural, geographic, gender and religious content.
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