EMBracing the Ocean Committee
The EMBracing the Ocean Committee are responsible for evaluating applications and selecting the awardees. Committee members also work together to develop the EMBracing the Ocean programme and advise awardees on the development of their work. The Committee members for 2023 - 2024 are:
Britt Alexander (Chair) is a Science Officer at the EMB Secreteriat in Belgium. Her work involves facilitation of EMB's science-policy expert working groups, including editorial and communication activities. She has also participats in EU projects including the EU's International Ocean Governance Forum, Towards IPOS and BRIDGE Black Sea. She previously worked at the the open-access journal Frontiers in Marine Science, has a PhD in marine sponge physiology and ecology from the University of Amsterdam, MSc in Applied Biotechnology from McGill University, Canada, and BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Bristol, UK. Britt has collaborated with UK artists on various projects and subsequently established the EMBracing the Ocean programme in 2021 in response to the recognition of the value of artistic work in addressing Ocean sustainability challenges as part of the UN Ocean Decade.
Veronica French is a marine scientist at the Marine Institute, Ireland. She works in International Programmes, supporting and promoting marine research and innovation at national, European and international level. She currently participates in the Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action ‘OKEANO: Supporting the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance’. Veronica completed her PhD at Charles Darwin University, Australia in 2013 on ‘An Investigation of Microcontaminant Impacts in Darwin Harbour Using the Tropical Marine Snail Telescopium Telescopium' and has worked in several science policy related roles. With a firm belief in the power of art to engage hearts and minds and with previous involvement in ocean literacy projects, Veronica sees the EMB’s artist-in-residence programme as an impactful way to facilitate art-science collaboration and engage a wider audience for the benefit of how we collectively care for the ocean. Veronica has been on the EMBracing the Ocean committee since 2024.
Mette Mila is a Senior Advisor at the Research Council of Norway's Ocean Secretariat and a member of European Marine Board Communication Panel. She is experienced within communication and science communication in the fields of ocean, climate and polar research, and has experience evaluating similar calls nationally. Mette has been on the EMBracing the Ocean committee since 2021.
Chris Fremantle is a researcher and producer focused on the roles of artists in public life, in particular in health and environment. He lectures at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. He chairs the Ramsar Culture Networks’ Arts Focus Group and is advising a number of research-led arts projects including Ocean ARTic and AALERT. He established ecoartscotland in 2010 as a node in the ecoart community. Chris has been on the EMBracing the Ocean committee since 2021.
Baiba Prūse is an interdisciplinary researcher from Latvia with a focus on local ecological knowledge (ethnobiology) and citizen science. She hold a B.Sc. from Business Academy Aarhus (Denmark) in Environmental management field and M.Sc. from Uppsala University (Sweden) in Sustainable Development. Baiba completed her PhD on knowledge co-creation in Environmental Sciences at University of Latvia in 2020. She has worked across several European countries exploring the interrelationship between nature and people and contributing to research on citizen driven initiatives. She is strongly supporting the research strategy of inter / transdisciplinarity and collaborative work between artists. She is eager to learn more on how to move from research recommendations to direct implementation and sees art and science combination as the perfect starting point. In October 2024, Baiba joined UCC MaREI team, Ireland, where with the colleagues she explores citizen engagement across Mission Ocean activities. Baiba has been on the EMBracing the Ocean committee since 2024.
Lera Litvinova is a Ukrainian visual artist and art curator. Lera is the founder of Lera Litvinova Gallery in Kyiv. She supports an active position in the development of Ukrainian culture, and is a participant and curator of social projects actively implementing the principle of cultural diplomacy to strengthen cultural relations. Lera has been on the EMBracing the Ocean committee since 2023.