Dr Saara Sumominen, after more than 3 years working as a consultant for us with projects like PacMAN and eDNA expeditions, now joined the OBIS secretariat on a project appointment contract basis to help implement 3 Horizon Europe projects (Marco-Bolo, eDNAquaPlan and DTO-BioFlow), coordinate the final scientific report of eDNA expeditions in UNESCO marine world heritage sites, and further develop the capacity to manage eDNA projects at OBIS. Saara can be reached by email at s.suominen@unesco.org

More information on Saara’s background see: https://obis.org/2020/09/15/saara/

Dr Emilie Boulanger joined us as a consultant and will support us with implementing two Horizon Europe projects: Marco-Bolo and eDNAquaPlan. Some of these tasks include (i) reviewing protocols and SOPs utilized for eDNA monitoring, (ii) testing bioinformatic workflows and comparing outputs across marker and taxonomic types, (iii) establish standards for genetic reference libraries and eDNA data repositories, (iv) aligning databases for enhanced interoperability, and (v) addressing the infrastructure and services for aquatic biodiversity monitoring using eDNA.

Emilie has a background in biodiversity conservation and marine molecular ecology. For her PhD at the University of Montpellier, her work focused on applying molecular methods to study the genetic and species diversity of fish populations and communities in the Mediterranean Sea. During her following PostDoc experience at the Aix-Marseille University, she applied her research experience towards teaching as well as developing monitoring projects coupling environmental DNA metabarcoding with direct species observations. She is passionate about the ocean, knowledge dissemination and projects that bridge scientific innovation with environmental conservation and policy.

Emilie can be reached by email at e.boulanger@unesco.org