Regional Representatives
Ocean Decade Heritage Network (ODHN) Regional Representatives play an important role in connecting maritime cultural heritage communities across the globe. Actively involved in interdisciplinary maritime cultural heritage projects, institutions, and networks linked to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and related initiatives, they help keep ODHN members informed about regional events, projects, funding opportunities, publications, conferences, and other relevant developments. ODHN’s Regional Representatives cover a range of ocean basins and seas, reflecting the network’s commitment to broad geographic representation and international collaboration.
North Atlantic Ocean | North America
Aimie Néron
Aimie Néron is an underwater archaeologist and commercial diver, vice-president and co-founder of IRHMAS (Institut de recherche en histoire maritime et archéologie subaquatique – Maritime History and Underwater Archaeology Research Institute). For over 18 years, she has been involved in various projects in the maritime context in Quebec and Canada with IRHMAS, as well as universities and Parks Canada, and develops multidisciplinary projects integrating natural and cultural resources, including the use of new technologies to raise awareness among the scientific community, divers, and the public about the importance of maritime and underwater cultural heritage, its conservation, its enhancement, and the impact of climate change on these non-renewable resources.
Marijo Gauthier-Bérubé
Marijo Gauthier-Bérubé is a Social Science and Humanities Research Council and Transforming Climate Action postdoctoral fellow at the Université du Québec à Rimouski/Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), in partnership with the Université Bretagne Sud. She is also one of the co-founders of the Institut de Recherche en Histoire Maritime et Archéologie Subaquatique (IRHMAS) in Quebec, Canada.
Her work focuses particularly on climate and historical data, as well as the study of the resilience of maritime populations, exploring how these communities adapted their navigation and construction to the St. Lawrence River environment. She is actively involved in several projects dedicated to the protection and promotion of submerged archaeological heritage, notably the excavation of the Richelieu River shipwreck in collaboration with the Fort Saint-Jean Museum. She also participates in numerous public activities and scientific communication to share knowledge and raise awareness about submerged cultural heritage.
North Atlantic Ocean | Caribbean
Mariela Declet-Perez
Mariela Declet-Perez is an environmental and maritime archaeologist at the Scripps Center for Marine Archaeology (SCMA), Geoarchaeology Lab at the University of California San Diego, and the Marena Marine Science Lab/VIDAS, a community-based laboratory and organisation that integrates coral reef restoration and archaeology to protect coastal heritage and communities. She is Project Lead of the Descendants United for Nature, Adaptation, and Sustainability (DUNAS) project. Mariela works on marine ecosystem restoration to protect cultural heritage on the coastline and create green infrastructure to protect against erosion and storm surges. Her research explores human ecodynamics, emphasizing human adaptation to climate change, atmospheric events, and challenging events (i.e., hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes). She uses techniques from paleoclimatology, geoarchaeology, and zooarchaeology, and integrates knowledge of local communities to reconstruct past marine ecosystems and climate conditions.
South Atlantic Ocean | South America
Dolores Elkin
Dr Dolores –Loli- Elkin is an Argentinean archaeologist and diver, Principal Researcher with the country´s National Research Council (CONICET). In 1996 she created the first Underwater Archaeology Program in the country, based at the National Institute of Anthropology (Ministry of Culture). Since then Dolores has been in charge of several research projects, most of them involving shipwrecks from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Her work experience is reflected in over a hundred academic publications plus an extensive production aimed at the general public. She is Professor of the Seminar on Maritime and Coastal Archaeology at the University of Buenos Aires, and she has also trained people from many Latin American countries in the frame of UNESCO, institution for which she is part of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body of the 2001 Convention. Her work has been supported by prestigious Argentinean and international organizations, and she is a National Geographic Explorer.
Western Mediterranean | Northwest Africa
Azzedine Karra
Azzeddine Karra is a historian and archaeologist specializing in cultural and underwater heritage. Holding a PhD in History and a postgraduate degree in archaeology from INSAP, he brings over 25 years of academic, institutional, and field experience. He has taught at several institutions, including Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and the National School of Architecture in Marrakech, supervising numerous theses and research projects. He has held key leadership roles within the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, notably as Regional Director in multiple regions, and currently heads the National Center for Studies and Research on Underwater Heritage. An internationally recognized expert, he serves as Vice-President of the UNESCO STAB (2001 Convention) and has been Morocco’s focal point since 2013. He has led and contributed to major national and international archaeological missions and authored numerous scientific publications, actively promoting Morocco’s cultural heritage.
Eastern Mediterranean
Vera Noon
Vera Noon is a multidisciplinary planning expert working across terrestrial and marine environments. With a background in Architecture and Urban Design, her focus evolved toward Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), the Sustainable Blue Economy, and Ocean Literacy. Her work bridges development and conservation, with a strong emphasis on coastal and marine ecosystems. Vera has served as a consultant to intergovernmental organizations such as UNESCO-IOC, UfM, and UNEP MAP PAP/RAC, and collaborates with the Honor Frost Foundation on Marine Cultural Heritage projects. She has designed and delivered training on MSP, Blue Economy, Ocean Literacy, and SDGs, and has been a guest lecturer at the American University of Beirut since 2020. Currently, she leads ArchiMare Consulting and is pursuing PhD research at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a freediver and an artist.
North Atlantic Ocean | Azores
Ana Vitória Tereza de Magalhães
Ana Vitória Tereza is a specialist in Ocean Culture and blue career development, working at the intersection of education, culture, and the ocean to advance inclusive and regenerative Blue Economy strategies. With over 10 years of experience leading UNESCO, European, and private sector initiatives, she supports organizations and professionals in integrating ocean literacy, community knowledge, and cultural heritage into sustainable development. Ana co-authored the UNESCO Blue Curriculum, a framework guiding governments in embedding ocean education into school systems, and played a key role in creating the Global Blue Schools Network, strengthening ocean literacy in more than 50 countries. She is also the founder of Blue Career®️, a career accelerator that mentors women-led businesses in the Blue Economy. Through mentoring, training, public speaking, and strategic consultancy, Ana helps emerging leaders and institutions transform meaningful ideas into impactful, culturally conscious, and future-oriented ocean solutions.
North Atlantic Ocean | West Africa
Moussa Wele
Moussa WELE is a Senegalese underwater archaeologist specializing in African maritime cultural heritage, with a particular focus on maritime history and the management of underwater cultural heritage.
He supports several African States in the processes of ratification and implementation of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, providing technical and scientific expertise on issues related to the identification, documentation, and protection of submerged cultural assets.
He is also a member of the technical and scientific committee of the memorial dedicated to the shipwreck of Le Joola, a major maritime disaster that occurred off the coast of Senegal and is often referred to as the “African Titanic,” which resulted in the loss of more than 2,000 lives. Between 2021 and 2023, he was appointed by the Government of Senegal as the lead archaeologist responsible for the scientific documentation of the shipwreck.
His research focuses on the maritime history of West Africa, the emerging development of underwater archaeology on the African continent, and issues related to the governance and management of underwater cultural heritage. He is the author of scientific publications in these fields and has contributed to international exhibitions aimed at promoting and disseminating knowledge about underwater cultural heritage. He is also actively involved in several networks and organizations working toward the preservation of cultural heritage and the marine environment.
Western Indian Ocean | East Africa
Jentrix Chochy Sakwa
Jentrix Chochy Sakwa is a Kenyan anthropologist and ocean cultural heritage researcher specializing in underwater archaeology, coastal heritage, and community-centered conservation. She is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at Nelson Mandela University, where her work focuses on the intersection of traditional knowledge systems, gender, and ocean heritage in the Lamu Archipelago.
With training supported by UNESCO in underwater cultural heritage, Jentrix has participated in international fieldwork, including research on historic shipwrecks and submerged landscapes in Africa. Her expertise spans scientific diving, photogrammetry, and heritage documentation, contributing to the preservation and interpretation of Africa’s maritime past.
Eastern Indian Ocean | South Asia
Amer Bazl Khan
Amer, from Karachi, Pakistan, is the Founder and Director of MaritimEA Research. He is a maritime archaeologist with 20 years experience working in Pakistan, Australia, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Prior to moving back to Pakistan, Amer was the Principal Archaeologist for the State of Queensland at the Department of Environment and Science, where he led the department’s maritime and terrestrial archaeology teams responsible for the administration of the State and Commonwealth heritage legislation.
Amer has worked on numerous international maritime archaeological projects, including with UNESCO to develop regional capacity for underwater cultural heritage management. He is an expert member of the ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), and a member of the ICOMOS Pakistan National Committee.