Dr José Ernesto Mancera Pineda is a tenured professor at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. His research interests focus on coastal zone ecology and management, with an emphasis on coastal lagoons, mangrove wetlands, and harmful algal blooms (HABs). He is currently the coordinator of the Colombian Network of Estuaries and Mangroves and President of the IOC / IOCARIBE / ANCA (Harmful Algae of the Caribbean) working group. He has been part of the IPHAB, coordinating the participation of the Caribbean region in the Global HAB Status Report. He was also a member of the Group of Experts for the preparation of the second evaluation on the state of the world's oceans by the United Nations and has written on issues related to the tropical marine environment, natural resource management, environmental hazards, and ecological restoration. A biologist by training, he has a Ph.D. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA, and a Master's degree in Marine Biology from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Dr Andrés F. Osorio is a civil engineer, with a Master´s and Ph.D. in Marine Sciences and Technologies. He is currently a tenured professor at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia where leads the OCEANICOS research group. Since January 2020, he is the Executive Director and head of the strategic management of the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences - CEMarin. He has been involved in international projects such as CoastView , a project promoting vigilance of coastal systems in European countries, Sistema de Modelado Costero (Coastal Modeling System), a software development tool for coastal modeling, a technological strategy for climate change for Colombia´s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and UNEP-Risoe, a project to incorporate environmental and development aspects into energy planning and policy worldwide. Dr Osorio has recently been involved as an international consultant for the World Bank, the UN and the EU, among others, in projects like: (1) Technical assistance for sustainable ocean management in Galapagos, (2) Technical assistance for sustainable ocean management in Continental Coast-Ecuador, (3) EUCDs: Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation in coastal cities and island systems in Colombia and (4) National Ocean Policy of Panama, among others.
Dr Cesar Toro is a physical oceanographer, with an M.Sc. in Oceanography and a Ph.D. from the University of Quebec, Canada in Physical Oceanography. Dr Toro is a specialist in dynamical oceanography, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development and ocean governance and policy. He also has extensive experience working for the oil and gas industry, the United Nations, and in project design and implementation, especially in developing countries and SIDS. From 2001 to 2022 Dr Toro was head of the Sub-commission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions IOCARIBE of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO), based in Cartagena, Colombia. Between 2009 and 2015 he was also responsible for the UNESCO Natural Sciences Programme for the Caribbean. From IOCARIBE he promoted the development of marine and ocean sciences and technology in the countries of the region through the strengthening of institutional capacity, coordination of intergovernmental groups and networks of scientists and experts. He coordinates IOC of UNESCO programmes in the Latin American and Caribbean region with those of the organizations of the United Nations system, working actively with national, regional and international agencies and entities, with the financial support of the Development Banks, the GEF, the EU, NGOs and international development agencies. Dr Toro has chaired a large number of expert groups and committees and has led dozens of large multidisciplinary projects. He also contributes to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, to the IOC´s capacity development strategy and its implementation in the IOCARIBE Region- Tropical Americas region, as well as to the development of UNESCO´s Science, Technology and Innovation strategy and science policy. He has contributed as author or co-author to more than a hundred publications.
Dr Carolina S. Velásquez-Calderón is an assistant professor at Florida State University, in the Faculty of Geography of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. With over a decade of expertise in Environmental and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Velásquez has made substantial contributions in the context of small Caribbean Islands, notably San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombian Caribbean. Her career encompasses roles in renowned international organizations, research centers, and prestigious universities. She has worked at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Society for International Cooperation - GIZ), the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, the US Natural Hazard Center, and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Dr Velásquez´s research interests revolve around post-disaster recovery, social vulnerability, water-related crises, water justice, climate change perception, and risk-informed development. She is recognized for her authorship and editorial contributions to books on risk and environmental management. Dr Velásquez earned her undergraduate degree as a Natural Resources and Environmental Administrator. Subsequently, she completed an MSc in Caribbean Studies at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, followed by a Ph.D. in Disaster Science Management from the University of Delaware, USA.
