I’m trained as a marine biologist (MSc in Biology & MSc in Marine and Lacustrine Sciences) at the University of Ghent (Belgium). I’m a project manager at the Data Centre division of the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) (Belgium), where I’m running the MarineLife+ programme.
I coordinate the Aphia database infrastructure (which includes the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), the European Ocean Biodiversity Information System (EurOBIS), the Interim Register of Marine and Non-Marine Genera (IRMNG) and the LifeWatch Species Information Backbone. I’m also involved in the EMODnet Biology project, as lead of the work package on data management and I’m the current chair of the Global Team of Catalogue of Life (CoL).
The MarineLife+ programme focuses on the interactions between these databases, on quality control and quality assurance, on how scientists can help in making them more complete and on how scientists and the public at large can make use of these systems. In addition, there is a focus on data exchanges and active collaborations with external databases, to widen the scope of and awareness for these initiatives. MarineLife+ groups activities on taxonomic, biogeographic and traits databases that are developed, hosted and maintained by VLIZ.