A dedicated Advisory Board will be established for AQUACOSM.-Plus The main role of the STAB will be to help to guarantee the delivery of high scientific and technical quality output from the project, and to ensure that the project partners keep an open and effective dialog with present and potentially relevant networks and infrastructures. In that function, the STAB will act as a constant internal review mechanism, advising independently with both quality control and risk management. While generally being asked on views and advice on specific issues, the STAB will be free to express its opinion on any aspect of AQUACOSM-Plus activity and performance.
The STAB will also advise on the outreach to the wider scientific and stakeholder communities not directly involved in the project and for benefiting from independent, external expertise. The STAB will be established at the beginning of the project, and will have up to 8-10 members all expected to be serving in their personal capacity. Primarily the STAB will consist of leading scientists in their fields, but members will also be sought from regional, national decision maker communities.
The STAB may call on additional experts on an ad hoc basis, should the need arise. The STAB will meet physically at least twice during the life of the project, with meetings scheduled to precede those of the internal interim reports and project reviews, and in conjunction with meetings of the General Assembly. For the full duration of the project, members of the STAB are expected to be available at any time for specific questions. The STAB will primarily advise and work with the Project Coordinator and Steering Committee, but deliver its main reports to the General Assembly.
Confirmed STAB members (may be expanded):
Dr. Ari Asmi, Coordinator of ENVRI-FAIR, RISCAPE & RI-TRAIN RI-projects, also representing ICOS-ERIC & ENVRI-community, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Dr. Michael Mirtl, Coordinator of the LTER-Europe, eLTER H2020 project, eLTER-RI, ILTER networks and initiatives, Umweltbundesamt, Austria.
Dr. Ion Navodaru, Representing INCDDD/DDNRI, Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development (DDNIRD), Tulcea, Romania, which supports GEO-ECO-MAR the coordinator for DANUBIUS-RI initiative, a critical advisory enabling successful AQUACOSM-plus initiatives in Romania.
Prof. Dr. Deborah Bronk, President and CEO, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Maine, USA and has a high-level network and knowledge from marine and freshwater science including mesocosm studies. Former president of ASLO, and Director of Div. of Ocean Science, National Science Foundation, USA (STAB member April 2020 – December 2022).
Prof. Dr. Beatrix Beisner: University of Québec, Montreal, Canada, is an internationally renowned expert in experimental lake and mesocosm studies in a wide international network e.g. as Director of the Interuniversity Research Group in Limnology (GRIL), and FRQNT research network across 10 Québec universities, and serves on the Board of Directors of the NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network, all of direct relevance for AQUACOSM-plus.
Prof. Dr. Zhengwen Liu: Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology and Jinan University, Guangzhou, is a central driver and facilitator in the recent development of environmental studies, introducing mesocosm-based sciences in China, and therefore a central advisor for AQUACOSM-plus associations in Asia.
Dr. Carmen Cillero Castro: 3edata, a spin-off company from University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain is the head of R&D at the company. Scientific background in limnology, expertise in Remote Sensing technologies and in situ networks, as well as experience within European and international networks and science landscapes (AIL, GLEON, H2020 projects).
Associate Prof. Dr. Alo Laas is a senior researcher at the Chair of Hydrology and Fishery, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU). He is a limnologist/aquatic ecologist. His research interests are connected with carbon cycling, lake metabolism, climate change and with high-frequency studies in water bodies. Additionally, to his research, he is an active member of GLEON, SIL and ASLO communities and has taken the leader position in several international and national projects as PI, project- or work package leader.
Further information about the Scientific and Technology Advisory Board (STAB) task.