Learning to lead

Global competition winners, early-career oceanographers immersed in learning at the Marine Institute

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 By Kim Thornhill

For eight early-career ocean scholars, arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador this October marked the beginning of a lifelong adventure in oceanographic research.

Selected through a global competition, the scholars joined the 2025–26 cohort of the Nippon Foundation–Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (NF-POGO) Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography, hosted by the Ocean Frontier Institute in collaboration with Memorial University’s Marine Institute, Dalhousie University and the Hakai Institute.

It is the second consecutive year the Marine Institute has welcomed scholars to Canada to launch their program.

Among them is Joana Maningas, who traveled from the Philippines to take part in the unique opportunity.

“It’s an honour to be part of the second NF-POGO cohort at the Marine Institute,” she said. “Collaborating with scholars from around the world has already shown me the power of shared knowledge and teamwork in ocean science.”

Provincewide fieldwork

From lectures to labs to hands-on fieldwork, the scholars immersed themselves in academic and coastal life.

Hands-on experiences play a significant part of the POGO program. Photo: Submitted

 

Based at the institute’s Ridge Road campus in St. John’s, their training has extended to The Launch in Holyrood and the Bonne Bay Research Station, where they spent a week collecting ocean data, conducting lab and species identification work and studying marine ecosystems.

“The scholars are already highly trained in ocean science and related fields,” said Dr. Sean Mullan, Marine Institute instructor and NF-POGO (Canada) scientific co-ordinator. “Our job is to build on that knowledge through applied research and fieldwork. This program moves them from learning to doing to leading.”

Building on Year One

This year builds on the successful 2024–25 Canadian program launch.

Feedback from the inaugural cohort helped refine the program’s schedule, field components and academic and cultural support systems.

“The mentorship and community changed how I see myself as a researcher.”

— Dr. Esraa AbouElmaaty

First-year Egyptian scholar Dr. Esraa AbouElmaaty says coming to St. John’s felt like stepping into a place that cared about both her work and her well-being.

“The mentorship and community changed how I see myself as a researcher,” she said.

A welcoming MI community

Life in St. John’s goes beyond course and field work.

Scholars have explored local culture, such as Pumpkin Fest at Lester’s Farm, all while adapting to the province’s unpredictable weather.

What began as a professional training program has evolved into a lived cultural, academic and personal experience, something many scholars describe as just as valuable as the science itself.

“Arriving in Newfoundland was both exciting and a little scary; a new country, a new chapter and leaving everything behind to fully dedicate myself to learning about the ocean,” said Brenda Wanjiku, who is from Kenya. “But the warmth of the people made it easy to feel at home. Despite the cold and coming from tropical Kenya, adapting came faster than I ever expected.”

Next steps

The cohort will remain in Newfoundland and Labrador until April 2026, completing coursework, lab training and coastal fieldwork.

They will also develop two major academic outputs: an independent research project and a global ocean observing system evaluation of their respective home country.

Each scholar’s independent research project is based on topics relevant to their work, expertise and ocean challenges in their region, allowing them to build skills they can apply immediately when they return home.

The cohort will then head to the Hakai Institute on Quadra Island, B.C., where they will take part in coastal ecosystem monitoring, drone-based habitat mapping, oceanographic instrument deployment and data analysis.

From there, the program concludes next summer at the Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University, where scholars will participate in workshops on science communication, policy, proposal writing, ocean policy and the international research landscape.

They will also present their research projects to their peers, mentors, the three host institutions, POGO, the Nippon Foundation and regional and international scientists, completing the academic portion of the fellowship before returning home as ocean science ambassadors.

As the program enters its second year in Canada, its influence extends well beyond national borders, shaping research communities, strengthening ocean science in the scholars’ countries and contributing to the future of global ocean observation.

“Our Marine Institute is proud to support this program, with our strong industry partnerships, world-class facilities and a long history of ocean stewardship,” said Dr. Paul Brett, vice-president, Memorial University (Marine Institute). “What we’re doing here is more than training — it’s helping build a community of ocean leaders who will stay connected long after they leave Canada.”