Introducing the 2025 Early Career Ocean Professionals

Shan is an environmental scientist with expertise in remote sensing and spatial data science, focusing on ecosystem monitoring and conservation. He holds a Master of Environmental Science (Sensing and Spatial Data Science) from the University of Western Australia, a Bachelor in Surveying and Spatial Science from the University of Tasmania, and a Diploma in Geomatic Engineering from Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College.

He currently leads the Survey and Research Unit at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, where he integrates earth observation technologies into national conservation and climate resilience efforts. His work has contributed to the designation and management of protected areas through ecosystem mapping and assessments. Shan is particularly interested in strengthening blue carbon ecosystem management in small island nations. During his time with the IORA Blue Carbon Hub, he aims to develop remote sensing methodologies for mapping and monitoring mangroves and seagrass meadows in the Maldives. His project will combine earth observation data with machine learning to track ecosystem changes, supporting natural capital accounting and policy development.

Debarati is the Ocean Literacy Coordinator at the Estuarine and Coastal Studies Foundation, India. She holds a Master of Science degree in Marine Science from the University of Calcutta. Over the past three years, her research has focused on the estuarine and coastal ecosystems of the Indian Sundarbans. Debarati brings expertise in zooplankton ecology, coastal ecosystem mapping using remote sensing tools, mangrove restoration, and the ocean science-policy interface. She has successfully led mangrove restoration initiatives that actively engage youth and women in the Indian Sundarbans.

Debarati is also an active member of the Ocean Literacy Task Team for the Asia node of the ECOP programme, collaborating with diverse stakeholders to advance ocean-climate education across the Indian Ocean region.

Her vision is to develop a holistic blue carbon framework that translates scientific research into tangible societal benefits, fostering informed decision-making for sustainable development.

Munawaroh is a researcher at the Research Center for Geoinformatics, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia. Her work focuses on remote sensing for blue carbon assessment, with expertise in integrating multi-sensor satellite data for coastal ecosystem monitoring.

She is currently developing a Bayesian framework that fuses Sentinel-1 SAR with Sentinel-2 and Landsat imagery to detect mangrove deforestation in near real-time. By combining radar and optical data, her approach addresses persistent cloud cover and complex coastal dynamics—key challenges in tropical regions.

With a background in marine remote sensing and experience using Google Earth Engine, Munawaroh aims to build a reliable system to monitor mangrove carbon stocks. Her work is especially relevant to Indonesia, which holds 20% of global mangroves but has experienced major losses between 2009–2019.

Through this program, she hopes to validate her methodology in the field, build international collaborations, and develop practical tools to support conservation managers and policymakers across IORA Member States.