IMECaN Event

Session: Reflecting on IMECaN’s Journey: Achievements, Insights, and Future Directions

Duration: 90 minutes

This hybrid session will explore the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network’s (IMECaN) evolution and impact over its first eight years, bringing together current and past members from diverse career stages and geographical locations. Participants will reflect on IMECaN’s achievements since its 2016 establishment, examining its role in fostering collaborations, providing training opportunities, and promoting leadership development for early career researchers, particularly from developing countries. IMECaN now has 1,243 members from 103 countries, excluding Antarctica, with diverse participation across all continents. At least 25% of members are students at various levels, while the remaining members range from postdoctoral researchers to professors. Although the primary research themes include biodiversity, systematics, marine ecology, fisheries, and climate change, only 12% of the members focus on these topics, highlighting the diversity of the broad range of research interests within the network. The session will analyze the network’s growth, evaluate its success in supporting interdisciplinary marine research, and discuss future directions as IMBeR enters a new phase. By reflecting on our past and envisioning our future, this session aims to strengthen IMECaN’s role in shaping the next generation of marine researchers and contributing to sustainable ocean governance. Following the session, an in-person meeting will synthesize the gathered information for a peer-reviewed article, with authorship opportunities for all contributors.

Target Audience

This session is ideal for current and former IMECaN members, marine science researchers at all career stages, and those interested in the development of early career networks in scientific fields.

Convenor

Shenghui Li, Guangdong Ocean University; IMECaN Co-chair

Dr. Shenghui Li is a lecturer and researcher at Guangdong Ocean University, China. Her expertise lies in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and global ocean governance, with a focus on transboundary issues and multi-stakeholder collaboration. She is a steering group member of the MSP Research Network and actively promotes MSP education and research. Her work explores MSP’s role in enhancing coastal community resilience and regional marine governance under climate change. Shenghui is also the co-chair of IMECaN (Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network). Her interdisciplinary background spans marine natural and social sciences, including a joint PhD in Marine Affairs from Xiamen University, China, and the University of Liverpool, UK, as well as postdoctoral experience at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Actively engaged in the UN Ocean Decade, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Global ONCE programme, the Coordinating Group of ECOP-China, and as the focal point of the Ocean Literacy Hub-Asia, empowering youth and advancing transformative ocean governance.

Online Moderator

Gabriella Akpah Yeboah, University of Ghana; IMECaN Organising Committee Member

Gabriella Akpah Yeboah is a PhD student at the University of Ghana, specialising in oyster sclerochronology. She also has expertise in marine-related fields like plastic pollution and remote sensing. Gabriella also serves as the National Coordinator for Early Career Ocean Professionals in Ghana, and is a passionate advocate for underrepresented professionals and champions climate change awareness and marine conservation.

Agenda (UTC+8)

Welcome and Introduction (5 mins)

  • Brief overview of session objectives

Speaker Presentations (40 mins)

10 mins: Speaker 1 – Stephanie Brodie, Past Chair

10 mins: Speaker 2 – Shan Jiang, East China Normal University, Past member

10 mins: Speaker 3 – Samiya Selim, Past Chair

10 mins: Speaker 4 – Laura Kaikkonen, Senior Researcher & Past co-chair

Q & A for presentation session (5 mins)

Roundtable Discussion (30 mins)

Moderator will prepare open questions to the speakers as well as the participants

  • Key lessons learned from IMECaN’s first eight years
  • Assess the effectiveness of current platforms for networking and information exchange
  • Current challenges in marine research collaborations through the network
  • Brainstorm innovative ways to strengthen knowledge sharing among members
  • Strategies for enhancing IMECaN’s impact and reach
  • Envisioning IMECaN’s role in IMBeR’s new phase

Wrap-up and Next Steps (10 mins)

  • Summary of key points from presentations and discussion
  • Outline of plans for the follow-up in-person meeting and peer-reviewed article
  • Closing remarks