Alysha Johnson
New Zealand
Alysha is a marine geomorphologist with an interest in ocean mapping, oceanic volcanoes, and coastal processes. Alysha completed her B.Sc. Honours (First Class) at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in Earth Science and Geography before undertaking a Ph.D. at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Alysha's thesis focused on the geomorphic evolution of oceanic volcanoes in the south-west Pacific, comparing submerged deep ocean seamounts and guyots, to eroding volcanic islands. Since completing her Ph.D., Alysha has taught as an Associate Lecturer in Oceanography at Deakin University, Australia, and led data QC for Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand on the 3D Coastal Mapping Programme. Alysha has had the opportunity to participate on multiple deep-ocean voyages aboard the R/V Falkor, and the R/V Investigator, and hopes to do many more in the future.
Beyond academia, Alysha enjoys dance, sport, and doing adventures outdoors!
Symeon Nasras
Greece
Symeon Nasras (Greece) holds a B.Sc. in “Marine Sciences” from the Department of Marine Sciences (School of the Environment, University of the Aegean), with a major in Geological Oceanography, and an M.Sc. in “Oceanography and Management of the Marine Environment,” with a major in Geological Oceanography. He completed his mandatory military service at the Hydrographic Service of the Hellenic Navy, where he gained practical experience in hydrographic surveying and marine geospatial data acquisition. He has participated as a Geological Oceanographer / Hydrographic surveyor in multidisciplinary research projects and oceanographic expeditions conducted by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. His professional experience spans more than ten years in hydrographic surveying and seafloor mapping, with extensive expertise in the mobilization of survey equipment, data acquisition, data processing, interpretation, and Quality Control of marine geophysical and hydrographic datasets. His technical background includes the operation and analysis of data acquired using Single–beam (SBES) and Multi–beam echosounders (MBES), Side Scan Sonars (SSS), Sub – Bottom Profilers (SBP), Marine Magnetometers (MAG) and Ultra–Short Baseline (USBL).
For the past five years, he has been working as a Geological Oceanographer / Hydrographic surveyor in the private sector, contributing to offshore and inshore marine survey projects worldwide, supporting the installation of submarine fiber–optic telecommunications and power cable systems. His work also encompasses marine environmental and geoscientific investigations, including habitat mapping, continental shelf mapping, and studies regarding seabed characterization. Beyond his professional activities, he holds a Drone (UAV/UAS) Operator Certificate and is a certified Divemaster with a strong interest in underwater exploration. He remains actively engaged with developments in Marine Geosciences through the continuous study of the scientific literature on Hydrographic Surveying, Marine Geophysics, seafloor mapping, Marine Geology, and Geological Oceanography. Outside academia and professional practice, he is a LEGO enthusiast and collector.
June Evans Onyango
Kenya
June Evans Onyango earned his bachelor's degree in Geospatial Engineering from the University of Nairobi. He has previously worked as an assistant GIS officer at International Committee of Red Cross, and later on as GIS officer at Nature Surf systems. He is currently a Geospatial Data Manager at the Kenya National Hydrographic Office.
Karem Oviedo Prada
Columbia
KaremCristina.OviedoPrada@unh.edu
Karem Cristina Oviedo Prada is a Colombian engineer specializing in hydrography, marine geophysics, geodesy, and ocean mapping. She holds a degree in Cadastral Engineering and Geodesy from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, earned a master’s degree in Earth Sciences from Universidad EAFIT, and later received her Ph.D. in Marine Sciences and Technologies from the University of Cádiz.
She began her professional career at the Colombian Hydrographic Service, where she worked on hydrographic and geophysical surveys. Her work included field data acquisition, bathymetric and geophysical processing, and the production of thematic maps and scientific publications. She later joined Kongsberg Discovery as a Hydroacoustic Applications Engineer for Latin America, providing technical support and training and working directly with hydrographic and maritime organizations in different countries across the region.
Teaching has also been an important part of her career. She has taught geodesy, remote sensing, GIS, and hydrography, and one of the things she enjoys most is sharing in the classroom what she has learned from working in the field. For the past three years, she has also served as vice president and academic coordinator of the Latin American chapter of The Hydrographic Society of America (THSOA), helping organize events and opportunities for the hydrographic community in Latin America to share knowledge and experiences.
She is currently a co-founder of KRKEN Marine Consultants, where she provides technical support for hydrographic projects in the region. She is also part of the Nippon Foundation–GEBCO Training Program in Ocean Mapping at the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM) at the University of New Hampshire. For Karem, being at CCOM is an opportunity to continue learning and expand her knowledge of geodesy, positioning, hydrographic data acquisition and processing, and seafloor mapping. She hopes to bring this experience back to Latin America and continue sharing what she learns with the hydrographic community.
Fermín Palma
Argentina
Fermín Palma is a marine geologist specializing in submarine canyons along the Argentine Continental Margin. His research combines core analysis, seismic interpretation, and bathymetric geomorphology to investigate deep-sea sedimentary processes. He works extensively with large bathymetric datasets, using GIS and other geospatial tools to improve their resolution, analysis, and visualization. He holds a Geology degree from the University of La Plata and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. In addition, he teaches at the School of Marine Sciences of the Argentine Navy. Throughout his career, he has participated in eleven multidisciplinary oceanographic cruises across the South Atlantic and Drake Passage, as well as one research expedition to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean.
Outside of his professional and academic activities, he enjoys playing football/soccer, reading about politics, and communicating science to the general public through digital and social media platforms.
Derick Petrus
Papua New Guinea
Derick Hayne Petrus is from Papua New Guinea. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Land Surveying from the University of Technology, PNG. He spent the last ten years working with the National Charting Office, implementing and managing coastal hydrography survey projects for nautical charting, before being selected as a GEBCO Scholar to undertake the graduate certificate in ocean mapping.
Michel Ratsizafy
Madagascar
Michel Rahajanirina Ratsizafy is a marine scientist trained at the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (IH.SM) of the University of Toliara, Madagascar. His background focuses on marine habitat mapping, reef ecology, and remote sensing. Before joining the Nippon Foundation / GEBCO training program at CCOM/JHC, he worked as a research assistant at the Madagascar National Oceanographic Data Center (Md-NODC).
At Md-NODC, Michel contributed to key regional projects, including the Large-Scale Seagrass Mapping in the Western Indian Ocean (LASMMI) initiative and the sea-level rise observation program at the Toliara tide gauge station. As part of the ARMS-Restore project, he managed site selection and 3D monitoring of artificial reefs using underwater photogrammetry in Toliara Bay. He also represented the center at national workshops, including the Seabed 2030 workshop. His offshore experience includes receiving the 2025 NF-POGO-OceanQuest-OceanX Shipboard Training Fellowship and participating in scientific cruises aboard the R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen (EAF-Nansen program). Deeply committed to local preservation, he is a member of the CoRRECT coral conservation team and co-founder of the youth consulting association Mamelo Hara.
At CCOM, Michel is deepening his skills in underwater acoustics, hydrographic standards, and high-resolution bathymetric data processing. His objective is to combine high-resolution bathymetry and oceanography to strengthen benthic habitat mapping, coastal resilience, and sustainable marine resource management.
Beyond his research, he is a certified PADI diver and is passionate about science storytelling, photography, and graphic design.