 Dr. Karin Bryan, University of Waikato. Professor in Earth and Environmental Science, Dean of Te Mata Kairangi The School of Graduate Research, and Royal Society Te Apārangi Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi Fellow. Dr. Bryan researches estuarine processes, coastal morphodynamics, and climate-driven variability in waves, with a focus on New Zealand’s many diverse coastal systems. Her main interests lie in understanding the key drivers that control the evolution of estuaries in the next 50 years, and how those drivers play out in natural systems, where complexities such as mangroves and episodic runoff make it difficult to compare to idealized modelling. Her work is at a system-wide scale and lies at the interface between modelling, data science and field measurements, and lately, how to make better and easier use of remote sensing data. |
 Dr. Joe Calantoni, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Technical Director at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, principal civilian manager and technical advisor to the Commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) and Task Group 80.7 (CTG 80.7). Dr. Calantoni entered the Senior Executive Service in 2023. He joined the Federal Civilian Service in 2004 as a research physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) where he remained until 2023. From 2009 to 2021, he was Head of the Sediment Dynamics Section where he was responsible for the execution of a broad research portfolio focused on the physical, mechanical, and acoustical properties of seafloor, estuarine, and riverine sediments using a combination of high performance computing, detailed laboratory measurements, and field observations. In 2021, he became Head of the Seafloor Sciences Branch with a mission to provide the understanding, description, modeling, and quantitative prediction of sedimentary boundary layers in terms that relate to Naval systems design, construction, and operations. |
 Dr. Amy East, US Geological Survey. Research Geologist at the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Principal Investigator of the Landscape Response to Disturbance Project and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Surface. Dr. East studies how landscapes change over time, focusing on response to hydroclimatic and anthropogenic disturbances. These studies inform resource management as well as fundamental understanding of earth-surface processes. Dr. East’s research also addresses how sediment moves from source to sink, and how the sedimentary record reflects changes in sediment supply and transport. |
 Dr. Giovanni Seminara, University of Genoa. Professor Emeritus, University of Genoa. Dr. Seminara has pursued a broad range of research on bio-fluid-dynamics, hydrodynamic stability, morphodynamics of rivers, estuaries and lagoons, and submarine morphodynamics. Master in Civil Engineering from the University of Genoa; PhD in Fluid Mechanics from Imperial College, University of London. Presently Professor Emeritus (formerly Professor of Fluid Mechanics) at the University of Genoa. He is National Fellow of Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Fellow of Ligurian Academy of Science and Humanities, and nonresident Fellow of the Venetian Institute of Sciences Humanities and Arts. Dr. Seminara has served in the European Mechanics Council and various National Committees, such as the River Po Agency, Italian Commission for Great Risks, Inter-ministerial committee to assess feasibility of MOSE project, and the International Committee to assess progress in risk mitigation of the Arno River in Florence. |