Anna Sulc is an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. student at the University of Washington working at the intersection of fisheries, marine policy and oceanography. Her research focused on expanding a climate-enhanced age-based model with temperature-specific trophic linkages and energetics (CEATTLE) to include Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus Ursinus) bioenergetics and population dynamics. These additions will allow for exploration of management tradeoffs under future ocean conditions given the importance of the predator-prey interactions between Northern Fur Seals and commercially important fish like Walleye Pollock (Gadus Chalcogrammus). Anna is supervised by Dr. Kirstin Holsman and Dr. André Punt and is part of the Alaska Climate Integrated Modeling (ACLIM) project.

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Hiroko Sasaki is a senior researcher at the cetacean group of the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA). Since she was a graduate student at Hokkaido University, she has been participating the research on habitat modelling for whales and presenting her findings at the PICES annual meetings since 2008. Having completed her Ph.D. in 2013, she worked in some research project as a postdoctoral fellow before joining the FRA. Upon starting her career in FRA, she leveraged her previous research experience to explore the spatiotemporal habitat variability of small cetaceans using habitat modeling approach which, incorporates oceanographic features and species information into the analyses. She has and continues to join field campaigns on ship sighting surveys, and tagging activities on bycatched or stranded small cetacean. Currently, her main researches are focused on abundance estimates of small cetaceans and their trends, especially for Baird’s beaked whale (Berardius bairdii) in waters surrounding Japan.

Dr. Ciara Willis (“keer-ah”) is a biological oceanographer investigating how highly migratory predators connect physical, biological, and human systems in the open ocean. Her research integrates animal tracking, biochemical tracers, and bioeconomic modelling to understand how processes spanning individual behaviour, food web dynamics, and fisheries governance shape pelagic ecosystem function and resilience. Ciara is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), where she co-leads the development of Piscivore, a mobile autonomous platform for observing marine predators and their prey. On the other side of the Pacific, she is also an Adjunct Researcher at the University of Tasmania, assessing how recreational fisheries impact fish behaviour and stock health. Previously, Ciara was a member of the Ocean Twilight Zone project at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In parallel to her ecological research, she contracts as an analyst for stakeholders across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to evaluate trade-offs among conservation, profitability, and equity goals in transboundary fisheries systems.

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Steve Cadrin is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science and Technology. Steve has a PhD in Fisheries Science from University of Rhode Island, a MS in Marine Biology from University of Massachusetts, and a BS in Marine Science from Long Island University. He has been a stock assessment scientist for decades, previously with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, and New York Department of Environmental Conservation. His accomplishments include the advancement of stock assessment methods for a wide range of invertebrate and finfish species, fishery management advice for regional, national and international fisheries, and global leadership in evaluating geographic stock structure and modeling spatially complex populations. He has chaired several regional, national and international working groups and committees and has convened workshops, symposia, and conferences for the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, National Marine Fisheries Service, New England Fishery Management Council, American Fisheries Society and the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference. Steve received the American Fisheries Society’s Oscar E. Sette Award for sustained excellence in marine fishery biology, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s 2021 Scholar of the Year Award, and the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative’s Excellence in Mentoring Inaugural Award. He is also Past President of the American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists. His teaching and research agendas focus on population modeling, stock identification, fisheries management, collaborative research with fishermen, and application of advanced technologies for fishery science.

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Dr. Taiki Fuji is a senior research scientist specializing in biological research at the Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA). His research focuses on the stock biology of Pacific saury based primarily on fishery-independent surveys. His work addresses growth, maturation, migration, feeding ecology, and energy acquisition across the life history of the species. As a member of the Japanese delegation to the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), he contributes biological information for stock assessment. He also participates annually in the Pacific saury abundance estimation survey, a key component of the species' management and assessment.

Angelica Peña is a Research Scientist at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). She received her BSc at the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, and her MSc and PhD in Oceanography at Dalhousie University in Canada. Her scientific interest mainly focuses on biogeochemical cycles, phytoplankton ecology, and physical-biological interactions. Her research uses field observations, satellite data and numerical models to improve our understanding of the impacts of climate variability and change on ocean ecosystems. Her research involves broad interdisciplinary collaborations, covering a wide range of oceanographic processes that influence biogeochemistry, aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and climate. She has been an active participant of the Line P monitoring program since she started her career in the mid-90’s and has published numerous research articles on this multi-disciplinary time series. In PICES, she is currently a member of the BIO Committee and has been active in various past expert groups and committees such as PICES Science Board, S-CCME and WG 29 on Regional Climate Modeling.

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Evgeny Pakhomov is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia. A graduate of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he has over 35 years of research experience as a biological/fisheries oceanographer. His research focuses on understanding feeding ecology and physical-biological interactions in marine ecosystems in order to predict climate change ecosystem effects. Dr. Pakhomov has more than 300 publications. He contributed organizationally and participated personally in two expeditions during the International Year of the Salmon, 2019-2022. He is a recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award, Rhodes University, South Africa; the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award, Germany; the New Opportunities Fund Award from the Canadian Fund for Innovation; and the Senior Early Career Fellowship from the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC.

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I am the Executive Director at the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research and a Pew-Gerstner Fellow in Ocean Plastics Research. I lead a team of 9 plastic pollution researchers and the world's only accredited nonprofit microplastics lab. Our facilities are open for public, student, private, and researcher use and exchange. My research interest is in developing new ways to open science to improve our ability to shut off plastic pollution.

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Heather Gross convenes important conversations and leads teams, programs and workshops that promote belonging, cohesion and productive collaboration. With experience in educational leadership, facilitation, and intergenerational programming, Heather is committed to advancing equity, belonging, and collaboration. She is a sought-after workshop leader and has supported organizations in shaping strategy, navigating transitions, and building inclusive cultures.

From 2017 to 2021, Heather served as Deputy Head and Vice President of Education and Programming at Pearson College UWC. During her 14-year tenure at Pearson, she also held the role of Director of Admissions, where she led international and Canadian student admissions processes to ensure access and representation from diverse backgrounds. She engaged extensively with international stakeholders, advocating for equity and transparency in student selection and finding ways to improve collaboration across the United World College system. In 2010, she added University Counselling to her role, guiding students from multiple educational systems in post-secondary pathways and gap year opportunities.

Heather’s global perspective on education has been shaped by her extensive travel to educational communities worldwide, and as a volunteer and a student in India and Germany, where she witnessed the transformative power of diverse learning environments. Her background also includes roles in recruitment and admissions at the University of Alberta, and in experiential education at the Royal Alberta Museum and William A. Switzer Provincial Park.

Heather is a graduate of Pearson College UWC and holds a master’s degree in Human Geography (2010). She completed a Professional Certificate in Advanced Facilitation Practices (2021), with a focus on the Art of Hosting and Liberating Structures and is a member of the International Association of Facilitators.

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