The European Marine Board Young Ambassador Programme, which was launched in March 2019, currently has four active Young Ambassadors. The first two Ambassadors started in April 2019, and after a positive evaluation by the EMB Board has continue on a similar basis, with two new Ambassadors joining every year.
The Ambassadors are selected from an open call of applications. The EMB Young Ambassadors engage with EMB for a two-year period, and then join the EMB Young Ambassadors Alumni.
Read all about their activities and events where you might run into them here.
EMB Young Ambassadors 2025-2027
Anne Gaspers
EMB Young Ambassador 2025-2027
Anne is a PhD candidate in Science and Technology Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Before starting her PhD, Anne worked for three years at SINTEF Ocean, a member of the European Marine Board, in the Department of Climate and Environment. In her doctoral research, Anne investigates the design of stakeholder engagement processes within marine and coastal environments. Her research is affiliated with two European Union-funded projects: CLIMAREST and TRANSEATION. You can find her on LinkedIn.
Jorge Juan Santos Bruna
EMB Young Ambassador 2025-2027
Jorge began his research career with a BSc in Marine Sciences from the University of Alicante, focusing on meteorological modelling. He later specialised in Oceanography with an MSc from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he developed a strong interest in plankton and biogeochemical cycles, contributing to ocean-based carbon sequestration projects (OceanNETs). Through a research fellowship, he joined the Plankton Ecology and Environmental Challenges Group at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), an EMB Member Organisation, working on marine outreach (LifeWatch Alborán) and monitoring projects (BELICH). Currently, supported by an Andalusian Government grant, he is pursuing a PhD with this group on plankton viral metabolic genes and their role in marine trophic dynamics. You can find him on ResearchGate and Twitter.
EMB Young Ambassadors 2024-2026
Virginia Morejón
EMB Young Ambassador 2024-2026
Virginia, originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, discovered her love of marine life during her first visit to the Galapagos Islands. She obtained a BSc in Marine Biology from Florida International University and is now based in Ireland, where she earned an MSc in Applied Coastal and Marine Management from University College Cork. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD funded by an EMB Member Organisation the Marine Institute, Ireland, and hosted at the School of Geography at University College Dublin. Her project focuses on understanding cumulative pressures affecting the Irish marine environment, with the aim of developing a GIS-based tool that supports decisions in Marine Spatial Planning. She is very passionate about safeguarding marine wildlife and ecosystems and hopes to get more involved and to learn about bridging the gap between scientific research and actionable measures for marine conservation - which motivated her to join the EMB ECOP Network, as she is eager to explore how marine science outputs can best inform policy-makers. You can find her on ResearchGate.
Laura Ciriminna
EMB Young Ambassador 2024-2026
Laura is a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Marine Biology and Resources at the University of Palermo, Italy, part of EMB Member Organisation CoNISMa, where she conducts research on echinoderm aquaculture and sustainable feed production. In particular, she is involved in evaluating, through biochemical tracers, the effect of feed produced from food processing waste on the maintenance and growth of sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Furthermore, she is working on the application of commercial sea cucumber species in multi-trophic integrated aquaculture contexts. She has been also involved in projects related to assessing the distribution of echinoderms along the Italian coasts and the effects of trawling on these marine invertebrates, to obtain data to support management and conservation practices. You can find her on ResearchGate and Instagram.