Prof. Ahmet E. Kideys, Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries, has over 20 years of experience in ecosystem assessment and environmental management gained through/having carried out high quality university research, undertaking of projects with a large number of key scientific, NGO and governmental institutions. After working at IMS-METU over 15 years, his recently held positions include Black Sea ecosystem expert at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (2005-2007) and Executive Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Black Sea Commission) (2007-2011).

Dr. Baris Salihoglu, Assistant Professor since June 2009, has research interests in processes that control food web dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, the roles of micro- and meso-zooplankton linking lower and higher trophic levels, and biogeochemical consequences of climate change. He is the PI of several national and international projects that focus on a diversity of regional topics, emphasizing the functioning of the Black Sea ecosystem under changing environmental and climatic conditions using retrospective data analysis and interdisciplinary modelling.

Dr. Zahit Uysal, Professor at Marine Biology and Fisheries Department, with major interests in marine phytoplankton (bacteria, Cyanobacteria – Synechococcus sp., flagellates, larger phytoplankton, bacterial and primary production (C14 & Leucine uptake), phytoplankton ecology and physiology.

Dr. Mustafa Kocak, completed his Ph.D. thesis in 2006. His interests mainly focus on the atmospheric aerosol chemistry, atmospheric transport and deposition of particles and nutrients in the Mediterranean and Black Seas region. Recently, he has been investigating the potential impact of atmospheric versus riverine nutrient inputs in surface waters of the Northeastern Levantine Basin.