WorldFish is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Directors who will help steer WorldFish’s global research development agenda for aquatic food systems.
Dr. Rodrigue Yossa, Director, Aquatic Food Biosciences (starting January 1, 2024)
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Dr. Rodrigue Yossa is an aquatic food bioscientist with over 20 years of research and development experience in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Yossa has been with WorldFish since January 2018. Based at the WorldFish headquarters in Penang, Malaysia, he led the development of the aquatic animal feed and nutrition global research program of the organization.
Prior to joining WorldFish, Yossa was the Scientific Director of Aquaculture at the Coastal Zones Research Institute Inc. (now Valores), in New Brunswick, Canada, where he led a team of twelve aquaculture scientists and technicians.
Yossa holds a Ph.D. in animal sciences from Université Laval (Canada), an M.Sc. in aquaculture from Ghent University (Belgium). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute in the US and is fluent in many languages, such as Bafang, French, English and Cameroonian Pidgin English.
Dr. Jörn Schmidt, Director, Sustainable Aquatic Foods Systems (starting April 1, 2024)
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Dr. Jörn Schmidt’s primary focus has been working on social-ecological systems, marine and fisheries ecology, inter- and transdisciplinary concepts, and knowledge co-production. He has worked in the Baltic and North Sea, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Haida Gwaii (Canada), Alaska (USA) and Peru.
His active roles include membership in the Group of Experts and serving as the German Focal Point for the World Ocean Assessment. Additionally, Schmidt participates as a member of the high‐level stakeholder advisory board for Empowering Women within the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development program.
Currently serving as the Chair of the Science Committee at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, he also holds the position of Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Ocean and Society, Kiel University, and serves as an adjunct professor at the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University.
“These experienced scientists bring a wealth of expertise that will be invaluable in advancing our mission to create an inclusive world where safe, nutritious, and sustainable aquatic foods are accessible to all,” WorldFish Director General Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed.
