Ep 11 - The State of the Ocean with Peter Steinberg

Peter Steinberg is a Professor of Biology at the University of New South Wales and was the inaugural Director and CEO of Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences (SIMS) from 2009-20. Peter will shortly step down from his role as CEO of SIMS after a distinguished career at the helm of one of Australia’s most respected marine research institutions. With an interest in seaweed ecology, diseases of marine organisms, biofouling and antifouling, bacterial biofilm biology, marine chemical ecology and marine biotechnology, Professor Steinberg has more than 200 international publications to his name. Peter is also a member of the OIO Advisory Group and has provided invaluable invaluable assistance as the organisation grows. In this episode released to coincide with World Oceans Week, Peter provides a snapshot of the state of Planet Ocean and in particular the importance of protecting the fragile edges where the sea meets the increasingly urbanised and industrialised coastline. We learn of Peter’s passion for the WOD 2020 theme ‘innovation for a sustainable ocean’ through various projects including the Living Seawalls Project sponsored by Volvo that creates habitat for marine organisms in otherwise homogenised coastal structures. We want to send a special thanks to Peter for all his work in establishing SIMS and supporting OIO and wish him the best of luck as he embarks on new endeavours.