IPSO Leads
IPSO is an initiative rather than an organisation. It is proactive when its scientific and expert contributors identify a specific need or gap which IPSO is in a position to address. As such it does not maintain a permanent office, staff or other infrastructure.
It has two unpaid leads who cover the two basic disciplines of the organisation, science and outreach.
IPSO does not receive any government or corporate money, and all our scientists and experts contribute their time and energy pro-bono.
A roll call of some of the scientists and communications, legal and policy experts who have contributed to IPSO’s work over the years, are listed below.
Mirella von Lindenfels
Mirella is co-founder of both Communications INC, a communications agency working with international NGOs, and IPSO. An award-winning expert in communications, she has nearly 40 years’ experience working for a number of NGOs. She has held senior positions within organisations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International and helped create the High Seas Alliance. Mirella continues to be active within several ocean coalitions and specialises in strategic communications and campaign design.
Natalie Andersen
Natalie is a marine scientist with a background in environmental consultancy and conservation, having worked in the construction and NGO sectors for over 10 years. Natalie has a particular interest in communicating ocean science, ensuring it is accessible to a diverse range of audiences from decision makers to civil society.
Professor Alex Rogers
Alex is currently a Professor of Conservation Biology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Somerville College. His research focuses on biodiversity hotspots in the oceans, ecosystems characterised by high species richness and / or high levels of endemism. This work has focused on the deep sea and also on tropical coral reef ecosystems. He also works on marine policy specifically related to the sustainable management of exploitation of marine resources particularly deep-sea fisheries. Alex is an advisor to the Global Ocean Commission and on the Programme Committee of WWF. In the past, Alex has been a key scientist involved in the Core Programme on Biodiversity at the British Antarctic Survey and has worked with the Zoological Society of London as a reader in marine ecology. He is the scientific lead at IPSO and is working on several projects pertaining to the ecology of marine ecosystems.
Professor Dan Laffoley
As a leading expert on ocean conservation, Dan is an IUCN Principal Advisor in Marine Science and Conservation for its Global Marine and Polar Programme, as well as the honorary Marine Vice Chair for the World Commission on Protected Areas. Dan specialises in working with leading scientists to create initiatives on policy issues including coastal carbon sinks, climate change and ocean acidification. He currently sits on many Boards and Councils of leading UK marine science organisations and has over 25 years of experience creating many national, European and global partnerships or alliances on marine conservation.
Role of Contributors
Dr Frank Ackerman, Director, Climate Economics Group
Dr Patricio Bernal, Coordinator, IUCN High Seas Initiative
Dr Mebrahtu Ateweberhan, Department of Life Science, University of Warwick, UK
Dr Jelle Bijma Alfred Wegener, Institute for Polar and Marine Research; Adjunct Professor of Marine Geosciences at Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany
Assistant Professor William W.L. Cheung, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr Craig Downs, Executive Director, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory
Professor Jason Hall-Spencer, School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, UK
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Professor of Marine Science, University of Queensland; Director, Global Change Institute
Professor Dan Laffoley, Principal Advisor on Marine Science and Conservation, IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme, UK; Marine Vice-Chair for the World Commission on Protected Areas
Dr Daniel Pauly, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada; Principal investigator, Sea Around Us Project
Professor Philip Chris Reid, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, University of Plymouth, UK
Professor Alex D. Rogers, Scientific lead, IPSO; Professor in Conservation Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
Professor Charles Sheppard, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK
Scientific Contributors
Chaolun Allen Chen, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Province of China
Dr David A. Feary School of the Environment, University of Technology, Australia
Dr R. Haedrich, University Research Professor, Department of Biology, Memorial University, Canada
Dr Kirsty Kemp, Research Fellow, Zoological Society of London, UK
Dr Shashank Keshavmurthy, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Province of China
Robin J. Law, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, UK
Professor Tim Lenton, Chair in Climate Change/Earth Systems Science, University of Cambridge, UK
Dr Janice Lough, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia
Brett P. Lyons, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Weymouth Laboratory, UK
Yvonne Mather, Senior Scientist, Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), University of Portsmouth, UK
Dr David Obura, Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO), East Africa
Paul Pearce-Kelly, Senior Curator, Zoological Society of London, UK
Professor Hans O. Pörtner Alfred Wegener, Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Professor Michael H. Schleyer, Oceanographic Research Institute, South Africa
Dr Bob Smith, Senior Research Fellow, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), Kent, UK
Dr MG Stafford-Smith, Department of Marine Biology, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
Dr Rashid Sumaila, Director, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia, Canada
John E. Thain, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Weymouth Laboratory, UK
Dr Derek Tittensor, Senior Marine Biodiversity Scientist, UNEP-WCMC; Research Scientist, Computational Ecology and Environmental Science group, Microsoft Research
Dr J.E.N Veron Chief Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia
Communications, Legaly, Policy and Economic Experts
Dr Frank Ackerman, Director, Climate Economics GroupDuncan Currie, Independent international affairs professional, international and environmental law
Matt Gianni, Policy expert, ocean conservation
Professor Kristina M. Gjerde, Senior High Seas Advisor, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
Daniel Owen, Barrister (Marine Public Law), Cambridge, UK
Mirella von Lindenfels, IPSO
Kateryna Wowk, Senior Social Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Torsten Thiele, Global Ocean Trust and Affiliate Scholar, Research Institute for Sustainability, Potsdam
