Seascape Consultants Ltd was established in 2010 to provide solutions and high-level advice to the marine sector, with expertise in the fields of seafloor geological processes, marine biodiversity, ecosystems and habitat mapping, marine data, governance and legislative advice. Seascape Consultants specialise in marine research programme and data network management and currently coordinate the international Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI; www.gobi.org), the FP7 MIDAS project (www.eu-midas.net), and provides the Secretariat for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) (www.emodnet.eu).
Contact person: Oonagh McMeel oonagh.mcmeel@seascapeconsultants.co.uk
Website: http://www.seascapeconsultants.co.uk/
Role of Seascape Consultants in COLUMBUS
Competence Node Leader for Monitoring and Observation. Participating across the project in Work Packages 2 to 8.
Profile of staff engaged in the project:
Jan-Bart Calewaert trained as a bio-engineer in cellular and genetic biotechnology, and later in Marine Environment Management. Jan-Bart has been involved in a range of multidisciplinary research projects and science policy advisory bodies in support of marine research, sustainable management of marine and coastal environments and related policy frameworks. He has experience working at the interface between science and policy, combining his broad expertise in marine sciences with knowledge of the marine and maritime policy landscape in Europe. Jan-Bart is currently Head of the Secretariat for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and will provide management and high level guidance to support the Seascape activities in the Columbus project.
Dr Oonagh McMeel trained as a molecular biologist and has a PhD in molecular phylogenetics (1996). She worked as a research scientist for more than ten years in several academic and government institutions in Ireland. Her research, in both national and EU Framework Programme projects, focused primarily on the use of molecular techniques to address life-history and conservation management questions in fish species. In 2012, she joined a Flemish marine research consultancy to lead a work package in the FP7 ‘PharmaSea’ marine biodiscovery project; to promote a dialogue amongst key stakeholders regarding the development of legal and policy frameworks governing the access and use of marine genetic resources for scientific and commercial purposes. In early 2015, Oonagh joined Seascape to work as Knowledge Transfer Officer at the EMODnet Secretariat in Oostende.
