The research team

The Marine Benefits project is carried out by Prof Elisa Morgera and Dr Daniela Diz from the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance, and Dr Meriwether Wilson from the University of Edinburgh, School of Geosciences. The Marine Benefits team is supported by an Advisory Board of global practitioners.

Prof Elisa Morgera

Prof Elisa Morgera (LLM, PhD) is the Principal Investigator of the Marine Benefits Project, holding the ESPA 2014 Blue Skies grant. She is also the Principal Investigator of the BeneLex project, holding the ERC Starting Grant. She is Professor of Global Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde, Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance.

Dr Daniela Diz

Dr Daniela Diz (MMM, PhD) is the Marine Benefits Project Research Fellow and a member of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance. She has extensive academic and professional experience drawing on her inter-disciplinary background in marine science, ecosystem-based management, marine policy, international law. In her previous capacity as Senior Marine Policy Officer at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), she led marine projects in Canada, as well as at regional and global levels, including scientific and policy research on ecosystem-based fisheries management, valuation of ecosystem services and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems and ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.

Dr Meriwether Wilson

Dr Meriwether Wilson (PhD) is a Co-Investigator of the Marine Benefits Project. She is a marine ecologist and is a Senior Lecturer in Marine Science and Policy at the University of Edinburgh's School of Geosciences. Her research focuses on the science-policy-society intersections of international transboundary marine and island ecosystems and services. This focus builds upon two decades of international experience (World Bank, UNESCO, UNDP, IUCN, NOAA) on establishing marine protected areas globally across diverse ecological scales, cultures and economies. Dr. Wilson is also Director of the MSc in Marine Systems and Policies at the University of Edinburgh; a Member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas; a Co-Lead on an EU Consortium Grant 'OPERAS' on "Operationalizing Ecosystem Services"; was a Contributing Author for the 2014 IPCC AR5 Working Group II Report, and is currently a Contributor Author for IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report.

The Advisory Board

The Marine Benefits Advisory Board provides feedback and expert input into the project methodology and findings. Members of the Advisory Board will participate in the project workshops, consultations and will communicate with the project's team throughout the project's duration.

The Advisory Board includes the following experts acting in their individual capacity:

Blaise Kuemlangan, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)
Alasdair Harris, Blue Ventures
Andrew Kenny, UK Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Carole Martinez, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
David Johnson, Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI)
Duncan Currie, Globe Law
Ellen Kenchington, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Essam Yassin Mohammmed, International Institute for Environment and Development
Esther Brooker, Scottish Environment Link
James Harrison, University of Edinburgh
Jessica Battle, WWF International
Julien Rochette, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)
J. Murray Roberts, Heriot Watt University
Kristina Gjerde, IUCN
Kristian Teleki, The Prince's Charities, International Sustainability Unit
Laura Jeffery, University of Edinburgh
Mariano Koen-Alonso, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Matt Gianni, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
Michael Riddle, Bioclimate
Neil Campbell, Marine Scotland