Pierre Boudry
Head of Ifremer Research Unit Functional Physiology of Marine Organisms

Pierre-Boudry-Keynote-Abstract.pdf

Research scientist, French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer), Head of Ifremer Research Unit Functional Physiology of Marine Organisms, Associate Director of the joint research unit LEMAR – Marine Environmental Sciences Laboratory.

Since 1994, Pierre’s research is dedicated to genetics and genomics of bivalves. Most of his research is connected with aquaculture or conservation issues and has led to over 150 publications, resulting in his designation in a bibiographic analysis (DOI 10.1007/s10499-015-9928-1) as the most productive author in of oyster research worldwide from 1991 to 2014.

Anne Birch
Marine Program Manager
The Nature Conservancy, Florida

Anne-Birch-Laura-Geselbracht-Keynote-Abstract.pdf

Originally from Massachusetts, Anne has been involved in marine conservation work for more than 30 years in her adopted home of Florida when she arrived to get an M.S. degree in Marine Ecology from Florida Institute of Technology. She joined The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in 2004.  As TNC’s Marine Program Manager in Florida, she is responsible for guiding work on restoring and managing coastal systems that includes habitat restoration, management and policy actions, and convening diverse stakeholders to tackle issues affecting Florida’s estuarine systems. Anne has a special affinity for oyster habitat and is currently managing a large-scale oyster habitat restoration project and development of an oyster ecosystem-based fisheries management plan for the Greater Pensacola Bay System in Florida. She serves on the Boards for the Brevard Nature Alliance, Florida Oceans Alliance, and Inwater Research Group and as a member of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program’s Science Technical Engineering and Modeling Advisory Committee, Northeast Florida Ecosystem Restoration Team Steering Committee, Southwest Florida Oyster Restoration Working Group, and the Florida Oyster Science Recovery Working Group. 

Laura Geselbracht
Senior Marine Scientist
The Nature Conservancy, Florida

Anne-Birch-Laura-Geselbracht-Keynote-Abstract.pdf

Laura has been involved with marine policy and conservation work for over 30 years, originally on the U.S. Pacific Coast and for the last 25 years in Florida, along the US South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. For the last several years, Laura’s work has focused on developing and using scientific information to promote the use of nature-based solutions to enhance shoreline resilience and to improve methods and monitoring for coastal ecosystem restoration projects. Laura serves as a scientific advisor to the Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact, Apalachicola Bay System Initiative, Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources, Florida Oyster Recovery Science Working Group and on several Nature Conservancy projects. She previously served on the Board of the Florida Ocean Alliance for 5 years. Laura holds a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Aquatic Biology from the University of California. Recent publications include Valuing the Flood Risk Reduction Benefits of Florida’s Mangroves (2019), Shellfish Reef Restoration in Practice, In Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs (2019) and A Multiscale Natural Community and Species Vulnerability Assessment of the Gulf Coast, USA (2018).