Future Oceans 3 – Navigating a future ocean: Inward, outward, and forward

Don’t miss out—Secure your Early Bird rate by 13 April!

Registration fees

Notes:

On-site regular participants from developing countries will get one free online audience ticket upon registration.

* Undergraduate or graduate (Masters/PhD) student.

The conference dinner, scheduled for 14 May 2025, is priced at 300 CNY per person.

The on-site registration fee includes lunch and coffee breaks during the conference.

Attendees are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.

Authors with Accepted Abstracts

Authors whose abstracts are accepted for oral or poster presentations must complete registration and submit full payment by 23:59 (GMT+8) on April 18, 2025; otherwise, their abstracts will be withdrawn from the program.

Learn more here

Whova: For all registered attendees, online or from Shanghai

You can access the virtual event platform Whova to:

· Instant Access & Replay – Join sessions anytime with the ability to pause, rewind, or fast-forward.

· Engage & Connect – Ask questions, participate in discussions, and chat in real time.

· All-in-One Management – Easily navigate the agenda, live streams, and networking features.

· Smart Networking – Find fellow attendees, send messages, and arrange meetups.

· Explore Posters – Browse session materials and connect with presenters.

Enjoy a seamless and interactive event experience!

Sessions

Grand Challenges Synthesis sessions:

• Session 1: Understanding multi-stressors of marine environments and achievements and challenges from ecosystem resilience and environmental management
• Session 2: Achievements from IMBeR Grand Challenge 2 and opportunities for IMBeR 3.0: from scenarios, predictions and projections to actions, solutions and interventions
• Session 3: Blue Transformations: Governance for the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus

Theme sessions:

• Session 4: Stakeholder engagement in complex ocean multilevel governance settings
• Session 5: Island biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in the Anthropocene (IMBeR and the Institute of Eco-Chongming co-organized session)
• Session 6: Coastal blue carbon ecosystem: Carbon resources evaluation, sources-sinks processes and management collaboration
• Session 8: Synthesizing ecosystem-social interactions in coastal seas
• Session 9: Optical remote sensing in the Northwest Pacific and the Central Indo-Pacific Oceans
• Session 11: International research and educational collaboration for sustainable tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems
• Session 12: SIBER and the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition
• Session 13: The uncertainty of coastal ecosystem shift to nutrient/pollutant inputs under climate change (Speakers by invitation)

IMBeR-partner session:

• Session 7: IMBeR strategic partnership: Recognizing interfaces and building synergies with relevant projects and UN Ocean Decade Programmes



IMBeR Doctoral Forum



*Each session will invite an Early Career Researcher to serve as a co-convener and/or rapporteur as the program develops.

Invited Speakers

Sorted alphabetically by surname

Speakers marked with * will present online

More speakers to be confirmed

IMBeR Doctoral Forum

The IMBeR Future Oceans 3 (FO3) meeting proudly presents the IMBeR Doctoral Forum, a platform for recent and soon-to-be PhD graduates in marine sciences to showcase their research and engage with leading scientists, policymakers, and peers. Aligned with FO3’s mission of reflecting on past achievements, strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships, and shaping ocean sustainability, this forum fosters global collaboration, with a strong focus on early-career researchers (ECRs) from low- to medium-income countries. Participants will present their thesis work through oral presentations, speed talks and posters, while also contributing as session rapporteurs, gaining hands-on mentorship from senior researchers. To support inclusivity, SCOR Travel Support grants will subsidize travel and registration costs for 6–8 eligible applicants. Inspired by successful initiatives like DISCO (Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography), this forum builds capacity, amplifies early-career voices, and integrates diverse perspectives into global ocean science. Join us in Shanghai or online to share your research, connect with international partners, and contribute to shaping the future of marine biosphere research and marine sustainability. Apply now to be part of this transformative scientific network!

Learn more here

IMECaN Event

Reflecting on IMECaN’s Journey:

Achievements, Insights, and Future Directions

This hybrid session will explore the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network’s (IMECaN) evolution and impact over its first eight years, bringing together current and past members from diverse career stages and geographical locations. Participants will reflect on IMECaN’s achievements since its 2016 establishment, examining its role in fostering collaborations, providing training opportunities, and promoting leadership development for early career researchers, particularly from developing countries. IMECaN now has 1,243 members from 103 countries, excluding Antarctica, with diverse participation across all continents. At least 25% of members are students at various levels, while the remaining members range from postdoctoral researchers to professors. Although the primary research themes include biodiversity, systematics, marine ecology, fisheries, and climate change, only 12% of the members focus on these topics, highlighting the diversity of the broad range of research interests within the network. The session will analyze the network’s growth, evaluate its success in supporting interdisciplinary marine research, and discuss future directions as IMBeR enters a new phase. By reflecting on our past and envisioning our future, this session aims to strengthen IMECaN’s role in shaping the next generation of marine researchers and contributing to sustainable ocean governance. Following the session, an in-person meeting will synthesize the gathered information for a peer-reviewed article, with authorship opportunities for all contributors.



Learn more here



One-day Excursion

Chongming Island Field Trip

-Xisha Wetland Park

-Institute of Eco-Chongming

-Chongming Planning Exhibition Hall

-Chinese Sturgeon Base

Learn more here

Call for Abstracts

IMBeR invites prospective participants to submit abstracts. The organizing committee will select submissions for oral or poster presentations within the available time and space. Plenary sessions and poster presentations will enable participants to engage with broader themes and network with colleagues beyond your selected session.

Abstract Submission Deadline: 20 March Extended to 27 March

Capturing IMBeR: Share Your Photos and Memories

We invite all IMBeR participants - past and present - to contribute photos that capture the spirit of IMBeR’s activities over the years. Whether from fieldwork, meetings, workshops, summer schools, or community engagement events, your photos will help illustrate IMBeR’s impact and legacy.

Please send high-resolution images, along with a brief description and credit information, to imber@ecnu.edu.cn.

IMBeR Synthesis and Future Planning Conference (Future Oceans 3) is an endorsed United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development activity.

Conference website | Register | Second announcement | First announcement

Meeting Secretariat: IMBeR International Project Office

Contact us: imber@ecnu.edu.cn