SAIC names science panel members
The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Cluster (SAIC), has made a raft of appointments to the first science panel of its new era. The panel will help to advise the organisation on its funding and support for innovation in aquaculture.
The science panel consists of 14 experts from across academia and industry – with experience in the UK, Norway, Chile and Australia – to provide independent scientific advice to SAIC’s board of directors and play a key role in guiding its research and innovation activities. Each member sits on the group for up to two years, reviewing the potential impact and scientific merit of project applications.
Pieter van West, Director of the International Centre for Aquaculture Research and Development (ICARD) at the University of Aberdeen, chairs the expert group, providing continuity from its previous iteration and expertise across both fish health and environmental impact. Dr Tim Bean, group leader at the Roslin Institute, has been elected Vice-Chair.
To ensure projects measure sustainability robustly, environmental experts Professor Keith Davidson, Associate Director at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS); seaweed specialist Dr Sofie Spatharis, Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Change at the University of Glasgow; and Dr Tom Wilding, Associate Professor of Innovative Environmental Assessment at SAMS, join van West on the panel.
Fish health expertise is provided by Professor Martin Llewellyn, an expert in molecular ecology at the University of Glasgow; Dr Byron Morales Lange, scientific researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences; and Dr Sophie Fridman, Senior Aquaculture Consultant at MacAlister Elliott & Partners. Dr Carmel McDougall, Reader in Marine Biology at the University of St Andrews, and Tim Bean will support the panel with their experience in shellfish health.
Meanwhile, veterinary knowledge is being provided by Dr Fernando Mardones, Senior Lecturer in One Health and Aquaculture at the University of Edinburgh; Dr Johanna Baily, Aquatic Veterinary Pathologist at Patogen; and Dr Khalid Shahin, Head of Diagnostics at Pharmaq Analytiq. Professor Fateh Kerrouche from Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Computing, Engineering, and Built Environment and environmental modelling specialist Anton Edwards complete the group with their backgrounds in technology.
The appointments are in place to support the first funding call of SAIC’s new era, which launched on 24 August. Earlier this year, the innovation cluster became independent from its longstanding host, the University of Stirling, and relocated to the Highlands after securing £1.4 million in annual funding for a minimum of five years from Crown Estate Scotland.
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