Ville Karvinen is the EMODnet Seabed Habitats Coordinator and a researcher in the Marine Ecology group at the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke). 

Aiming for a sustainable future for the marine environment by combining scientific research with practical policy applications, Ville works on translating marine habitat mapping data into information that facilitates planning the sustainable use of marine areas. This includes researching novel methods for marine habitat / biodiversity / ecosystem services mapping and monitoring as well as ensuring the best available data can be used in Marine Spatial Planning, the conservation of threatened habitats & species, and the effective management of Marine Protected Areas.     

He has also been involved in the national and regional MSP processes, working with MSP policy and data issues both in Finland and within the Regional Sea Convention for the Baltic Sea (HELCOM). His work in marine conservation has also taken him to the Western Indian Ocean, where he has engaged in facilitating marine habitat mapping and MSP development in Zanzibar, seeking to share and apply knowledge to further global sustainability in marine environments.

Anu Kaskela (PhD) works as a senior scientist at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). She has about 20 years of work experience as a marine geologist and has been involved in several national and international projects studying seafloor geological environment & geodiversity, seabed habitat mapping, harmonisation of marine data and marine spatial planning. She has been involved in EMODnet Geology, which brings together harmonised marine geological data, since 2009 and is currently project’s deputy coordinator.  

Zoi Konstantinou is a Marine Scientist MSc-PhD, with expertise on Integrated Coastal and Marine Management, as well as on Science-Policy-Society interface. Before joining the European Commission she worked in marine research, in science-policy interface and in higher education. As an EC Policy Officer, she is responsible for the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet) and the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO), while she is working on other aspects of marine observations and data, marine knowledge and research.