Anna Schleimer is a biologist specialising in baleen whale population biology and quantitative ecology. In 2021, she was awarded a joint doctoral degree from the University of Groningen and the University of St Andrews for her thesis entitled “Population biology of fin whales: Applying demographic and evolutionary approaches to studying populations”. Her work focused on the estimation of abundance, habitat use, and genetic population structure of fin whales in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. Her research previously led her to the Philippines to study whale sharks at the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute. As a team member of the Mingan Island Cetacean Study, she studied baleen whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Québec. She has since been working in Luxembourg as a biologist, having embraced more freshwater and terrestrial study species, such as amphibians and pollinators.

Contact: anna.schleimer@odyssea.lu

Pierre is a veterinarian and marine biologist specialised in whales and dolphins. He has been working in the field of marine biology for 24 years, and has been organising marine mammal research internships around the world since 2004. He represents the Government of Luxembourg at the International Whaling Commission and CCAMLR, and works with numerous international NGOs to promote marine mammal conservation and to fight cetacean captivity. He has carried out research on killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar, and humpback whales off Ecuador and Mozambique. He is a keen scuba diver, birdwatcher and photographer. Pierre is also an open water swimmer and has crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and the Maui Channel. Born and raised in Luxembourg from Spanish parents, Pierre is fluent in 5 languages, including French, English, Spanish, German and Luxembourgish. The ocean is his passion, and water is his element!

Contact: pierre.gallego@odyssea.lu

Since an early age Sebastien has been fascinated by whales and the underwater world. This led him to obtain his scuba divers’ licences and travel around the world to enjoy the beauty but also to discover the fragility of marine ecosystems. In 2016, he had the chance to fulfil a lifelong dream to see humpback whales up-close as he joined Pierre Gallego on a science programme in Mozambique. It wasn’t long until he asked to become more involved in Odyssea’s initiative to protect the ocean. He has worked his whole career in the field of finance and accounting which helps him as a treasurer of Odyssea today.

Contact: info@odyssea.lu

After a Bachelor in Biological sciences at the University of Liège in Belgium, Laetitia conducted a Master program in tropical ecosystems and biodiversity. She had the opportunity to work on humpback whale populations in Guadeloupe, French Caribbean. Her master thesis aimed at investigating population connectivity via bioacoustics methods in Central America. Laetitia decided to explore the world of NGOs in order to work with different types of stakeholders. She started her career at Ethic Ocean, an NGO working on marine resources preservation in France. Since 2022, she is a project manager at IMS Luxembourg. In this mission, she raises awareness and guides Luxembourgish companies in reducing their environmental impacts on climate and nature.

Carine has been a dedicated member of Odyssea since 2021, regularly supporting events like the Science Festival and Researchers’ Days, delivering talks, and leading workshops in schools. Prior to her studies, she volunteered with Archelon in Greece at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center and nesting sites. She earned a BSc in Animal Management with a focus on wildlife, taking additional marine modules that led to unique opportunities in cetacean research. Notably, she was one of the first researchers to observe and record Cuvier’s beaked whales in Turkish waters, and she also studied dolphin behaviours and harbour porpoise distribution in the Netherlands for her thesis. In 2023, Carine completed Marine Mammal Observer and Passive Acoustic Monitoring courses. Outside her marine work, she is a scout leader, a volunteer with CGDIS’s water rescue, an “animateur spécialisé” with the SNJ, and an SSI-certified Mermaid Instructor.

Lorie is a Clinical Research Project Manager and former microbiology scientist with nearly 17 years of experience working in clinical laboratories across the Philippines, Australia, and Luxembourg. While her professional expertise lies in managing scientific projects, Lorie is also deeply committed to ocean conservation and actively involved in the scuba diving and freediving community in Luxembourg. As the founder of Diving Escapades, a dive travel blog, she shares her passion for exploring underwater destinations and inspiring sustainable travel practices. In 2022, Lorie was featured in the Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) video campaign “Be Brave: Women and Girls in Science,” where she highlighted her journey in science and her dedication to ocean conservation. Through her blog, Lorie promotes responsible diving, ocean clean-up initiatives like TRSHBG, and encourages travellers to appreciate and protect marine ecosystems. Her mission is to combine her scientific background, project management skills, and love for the ocean to drive positive change in marine conservation efforts.

Félix is a Senior Programme Officer at Synchronicity Earth, a UK-registered charity dedicated to global environmental conservation. His work focuses on globally supporting and increasing funding for often-overlooked species, ecosystems, and the communities striving to protect them. Félix also serves as Co-Chair of the IUCN Inter-Commission Task Force on Dams and is a member of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee and the IUCN WCPA Freshwater Specialist Group. Previously, he held internships with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). He previously also served as Secretary and Treasurer at Odyssea. Félix holds an MSc in Conservation Science from University College London and a BSc in Marine Sciences from the University of Galway.

Jeanne Wagner, a marine biologist with a specialisation in ecology and animal behaviour, has been committed to preserving Mayotte’s marine heritage since 2010. Located in the Mozambique Channel, this French tropical island is home to one of the world’s largest enclosed lagoons, rich with coral reefs, turtles, and marine mammals. Upon arriving in Mayotte, Jeanne volunteered with the Oulanga na Nyamba association, focused on protecting this unique ecosystem. She then worked for seven years at the Parc naturel marin de Mayotte, conducting studies on marine habitats under increasing human pressure from the island’s development. In 2020, she became Director of Oulanga na Nyamba, where she continues her dedication to conserving local biodiversity and developing sustainable management strategies for Mayotte’s marine resources.

Joséphine is a physical oceanography PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge and at the British Antarctic Survey, working at the intersection of physical oceanography, computational fluid dynamics, and climate science. Through her research, she aims to shed light on the mechanisms driving Antarctic Ice Sheet melting, a crucial piece in the puzzle of global sea-level rise projections. Before starting her PhD, she worked as an engineer in the offshore energy industry and as a strategy consultant in the construction industry. After a three-months sabbatical during which she ran across New Zealand to raise money for charity, she ventured into entrepreneurship and started her own strategy consulting business while living in Indonesia. She now draws upon this rich set of experiences to deliver high-quality, impactful research. In future she also wants to gain more experience with coastal adaptation strategies in the face of our planet’s changing climate.

Kianna is a marine socio-ecologist specialising in examples of reciprocity in human relationships with the oceans. Her PhD research at the University of Tasmania, Australia, investigates such ocean-people relationships across time and place, as socio-cultural priorities shift, and as climate change and other anthropogenic pressures progress. With a background in environmental sciences (BSc) and global ocean change (MSc), Kianna’s research interests have evolved to recognize the integral role of human dimensions in imagining and fostering sustainable marine futures. This evolution has, in part, been guided by varied fieldwork experience, including as a research intern at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Italy), research assistant at the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (Canada), and as a divemaster and scientific diver for multiple conservation organisations (Malaysia and Indonesia).