Ant Türkmen

Ant Türkmen

Scientific Networking Officer

Marine scientist specialising in ocean governance, environmental sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. With a Ph.D. in marine science, he has contributed to international projects on marine biodiversity, blue economy, and spatial planning. He is a lead author for the IPBES Nexus Assessment and an active member of global scientific bodies, including IUCN, IOC-UNESCO and UN-DOALOS.

Vanessa Marrocco

Vanessa Marrocco
EU Project Scientific Networking Officer, LifeWatch ERIC 
Graduated with honors in Environmental Sciences in 2017, Vanessa Marrocco holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Salento. She has a strong scientific background in animal movement, spatial planning, ecological responses to climate change, and invasive species. During her PhD and post-doc with LifeWatch, she had the opportunity to work with various researchers, focusing on their needs, which has evolved into her current role.
For the past two years, as EU Project Scientific Networking Officer, she has been primarily involved in European projects, fostering collaboration between scientists and institutions.

Alberto Basset

Alberto Basset

Alberto Basset is Director of LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, Member of its Executive Board and full professor of ecology at the University of Salento (Italy). His main research interests are on biodiversity organization and maintenance, ecosystem functioning and services and their responses to natural and anthropic pressures, including climate changes. The research activities have produced more than 200 publications on international peer reviewed journals, being quoted in 2014 as one of the 20 top scientists for the scientific production on ecosystem ecology. He has been president of the Italian Ecological Society, of the Ecological European Federation and of LaguNet, being founding member and current president of the Euro-Mediterranean Federation of the Lagoon Research Networks (EUROMEDLAG). Alberto Basset is currently member of both General Assembly and Executive Board of the ‘eScience European Infrastructure on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (LifeWatch ERIC)’ and of the Advisory Committee of the European Research Infrastructure on ‘Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory (EMSO ERIC)’ and he is the University of Salento responsible in the National Node of the European Research Infrastructure on Long Term Ecological Research (eLTER RI). Alberto Basset is delegate of the Ministry of University and Research in the European Partnership ‘Biodiversa+’ and he has been a member of the Italian delegation to the recent G20 meeting on challenges and opportunities for research and innovation in the Amazon and Tropical Forests.