Shaping the next generation of ocean research leaders
Just around the corner from where Johan Hjort did part of his groundbreaking research on herring, the next generation of ocean research leaders are gathered for the first time.
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For the first time since the start in 2021 all of the postdoctoral fellows in the EU COFUND supported project Shaping European Research leaders for Marine Sustainability(SEAS) are gathered in Bergen. Vice-Rector for Innovation, Projects and Knowledge Clusters, Gottfried Greve, is delighted to meet the engaged SEAS participants, full of enthusiasm to contribute to research efforts.
- It's truly a wonderful day. I'm incredibly impressed and proud of the people who come here. Bringing 37 postdoctoral researchers, all working on ocean-related matters, to Bergen is truly fantastic. When you walk around here and engage with them, you learn an incredible amount. These are crucial things to understand the seas around us, says Greve.
Vice-rector Gottfried Greve at the annual 2023 SEAS meeting.
- With SEAS, UiB (University of Bergen) gains significantly increased research capacity. Many of those gathered here bring knowledge from other countries as well. These are individuals who already hold doctoral degrees, deeply embedded in research. I believe this will lead to tremendous advancements in ocean research in Bergen and at the University of Bergen, Greve states.
The SEAS fellowship program is a interdisciplinary program where postdoctoral fellows form all around the world has applied. Afte three admission rounds 30 fellows has been taken up in the program. SEAS is a Marie Curie mobility program, and its participants must satisfy criteria’s for either incoming or outgoing mobility. About 20% of the 30 currently employed are so-called outgoing fellows. They will have a stay abroad of 18-24 months during their three-year SEAS contract. The incoming fellows can also stay abroad, but for a shorter duration, typically 2-4 months.
RESEARCH FOCUS: In the opening lecture, participants were asked to place their project in a Venn diagram consisting of the boxes "social," "economic," and "environmental."
VARIETY: We see that participants position themselves at different points within the Venn diagram, but all are positionedl within the 'environmental' category.
UiB is committed to contributing to individual career development for all participants based on the three "I's": International, interdisciplinary and intersectoral. They are encouraged to have a co-supervisor from a different discipline than their own, and in addition to have a mentor from, or a 2-4 month stay in another sector.
- It is fantastic to see so many participants here today and the wide range of topics we have. When we conducted the first annual gathering for SEAS, we had 12-13 participants, and now we have 30 participants. So, we can really say that we've managed to get the enrollment to work, says SEAS Program Director Amund Måge.
EXCITED: Program director Åmund Måge at the annual 2023 SEAS meeting.
- The postdoctoral period is a crucial phase for those pursuing a research career. During this time, building relationships is highly important. Besides having a home base in an institute, it's essential to create a sort of cohort—a group comprising those involved in the project. We aim to achieve this by conducting formal lectures and gatherings where individuals can meet and engage in conversations during our annual meetings, states Måge.
Research and leadership development
One of the criteria’s for being a part of SEAS program is that the research must be related to UN sustainable development goal nr. 14 – Life below water (SDG14), which UiB has been given a special responsibility for by the United Nations Academic Impact and International Association of Universities. In addition to being enrolled at UiB, the SEAS fellows also have the opportunity to link up with various partners such as Lerøy Seafood, NCE CleanTech, Norwegian Polar Institute, NIVA and Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry to name a few. Ocean dean Øyvind Fiksen highlights how SEAS reflects UiB's and Bergen's strength and sizes as an Ocean city.
OCEAN DEAN: Here, from Øyvind Fiksen held a presentation on sea temperature and changing conditions for fish during an event at One Ocean Week 2023 in Bergen.
- In Bergen and at UiB, we have long traditions of building on each other's work. Here interdisciplinarity, knowledge sharing, and innovation are three key words that have been, and will be, important in the future. If we are to achieve the global goals that have been set for sustainable oceans, we must train leaders in ocean research who are good in their own field while also understanding and collaborate with professionals in other disciplines. Here, SEAS plays a central role because we are a cohort of post-docs spread over many subjects, but with the sea as a common framework for their research, says Fiksen.
- The postdocs are also recruited using a special mechanism that gives them great freedom to define their own issues, and they represent a great geographical and professional diversity. We will give them a dose of leadership development and reflection on the sustainability challenges - with the sea as a case. Then we'll see where they take their research themselves, says Fiksen.
FROM THEORY TO REAL LIFE: Mathematician Rosa Maria Vargas Magana by her poster titled «Unraveling the Fate of Plastic Debris in the Coastal Ocean». She applies modern mathematical theory to solve challenges in marine sustainability
Wide Range in SEAS Research - from Microplastics in the Ocean to Tuna Management in the Pacific
- I aim to discover new methods to combat the issues of plastic and microplastics in the ocean, to improve life on our planet for those of us here now and for future generations, says Rosa Maria Vargas Magana.
The Mexican mathematician applied to participate in SEAS to apply her skills and knowledge to real-life issues. She has been a SEAS participant for 3 months and is thrilled to meet others present at the gathering.
TUNA MANAGEMENT AND SOVEREIGNTY: Social anthropologist Ola Gunhildrud Berta by his poster «Tuna management in Oceania».
Social anthropologist Ola Gunhildrud Berta researches tuna management in the Pacific, examining how eight different nations collaborate to manage the tuna population, ensuring sustainable fishing, state economic growth, and simultaneously enhancing control over their maritime boundaries. The norwegian has conducted various forms of ethnographic fieldwork in the Marshall Islands for almost 10 years, working with small-scale fishermen in rural areas as well as larger fish traders in the capital and urban regions.
- I applied to SEAS because it gives me the opportunity to broaden my perspective to an intergovernmental level and examine how fishing operates at a state level. I can expand my view while continuing to engage with the Marshall Islands, which constitute my ethnographic field, says Berta.
SEAS
The SEAS programme offers
- high-quality inter- and transdisciplinary research and training opportunities in the area of marine sustainability supported by a supervision and inter-sectoral mentoring scheme
- opportunity to transfer knowledge and skills between disciplines, organisations and sectors
- a regional ecosystem of marine actors
- structured skill-based training
- high-quality working conditions
- personal career support
- academic freedom
- equal opportunities
For more information see the SEAS webpage or contact the SEAS administration.
EU COFUND
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034309.
