On 6 June 2026, the Blue Wave Doctoral Forum was held in Xiamen, China. As part of the World Oceans Day celebrations, the Forum brought together early-career researchers from international large-scale ocean research projects, global research networks, and universities. The Forum was organised as a dedicated of the Blue Wave Conference, co-hosted by IMBeR, which attracted more than 240 participants from 35 countries and regions.
Scientific Highlights
This year’s Forum focused on the theme “Land–Ocean–Climate Nexus for Coastal Ecosystems” and was jointly initiated by IMBeR, CLIVAR, SOLAS, IMECaN, Future Earth Coasts, and the journal Anthropocene Coasts.
A call for abstracts attracted a strong pool of submissions, from which five oral presentations and three lightning talks were selected for the in-person programme. Topics included zooplankton regulation of dissolved organic carbon cycling, carbon sequestration in mangrove ecosystems, and coastal ecosystem responses to climate change. Referees noted that selecting the finalists was “particularly challenging due to the overall high quality of presentations.” Following deliberation, Nuruddin Muhammad Firman (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) received the Best Presentation Award.
The research contributions reflected strong interdisciplinarity and innovative data integration approaches, and the growing need to further strengthen international scientific communication and abstract synthesis skills.
Roundtable Discussion: How Can Early-Career Researchers Engage in International Ocean Programmes and Scientific Organisations?
In addition to the scientific presentations, a special roundtable discussion entitled “Connecting to Global Ocean Science: Opportunities, Networks, and Leadership for Early-Career Researchers” was convened.
Panelists included:
- Peng Lian, Member, PICES Advisory Panel on Early Career Ocean Professionals
- Tham Yee Jun, Member, SOLAS Early Career Scientists Committee
- Di Zhang, CLIVAR Staff Scientist
- Yixue Zhang, Member, IMECaN Organising Committee
- Kai Qin (Moderator), IMBeR Project Officer
The panelists shared practical insights into pathways for engaging with international scientific organisations, taking on increasing leadership responsibilities, and building long-term professional networks. Key messages and perspectives from the discussion will be featured in a forthcoming edition of IMBeR newsletter.
The Forum gratefully acknowledges sponsorship from the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) and Shenzhen Deep Blue Dream Marine Culture Technology Co., Ltd. Special appreciation is extended to Prof. GiHoon Hong for his vision in initiating the IMBeR Dissertation Symposium, as well as for his continued guidance and support.
Further information:
Doctoral Forum series: https://imber.info/events/doctoral-forum/
2025 Blue Wave Conference: https://imber.info/news/imber-partners-with-the-first-blue-wave-conference-youth-empowerment-for-ocean-science-and-action/