Dr. Annie Mercier is a Professor at the Department of Ocean Sciences of Memorial University (Canada) where she pursues wide-ranging research interests around marine benthic communities and their response to exogenous factors and environmental stressors. She and her team study life-history strategies and species interactions at various scales in a broad variety of taxa (echinoderms, molluscs, cnidarians) from coastal, polar and deep-sea environments. Her areas of expertise also include the management and conservation of ecologically and commercially important marine species. She is the co-chair of the IUCN SSC Sea cucumber Specialist Group and the Editor in Chief of the journal Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. As of 2023, she had co-edited 5 academic books, and co-authored more than 200 scientific publications, including over 135 peer-reviewed articles, dozens of Red List assessments and several technical reports.

Prior to her faculty position at Memorial University, Annie Mercier worked in the Indo-Pacific with her partner Jean-François Hamel, where their research on the biology of key commercial sea cucumbers, in partnership with various agencies (FAO, IUCN, CITES, CIDA, ACIAR, USDA), facilitated the development of fisheries and aquaculture programs. They have also published popular books and articles on wildlife, diving, and environmental issues, and assisted with the production of museum exhibitions and documentaries. To this day, they continue to lead research and public engagement activities on the importance of marine resources in Canada and abroad.

Dr. Marie Antonette Juinio-Meñez is a Professor at the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines, and a member of the National Academy of Science & Technology of the Philippines. She is recognized for her contributions in marine ecology conservation and policy.  Her research focuses on the biology and ecology of commercially important marine invertebrates (e.g. spiny lobsters, giant clams, sea urchins, sea cucumbers) and nearshore ecosystems. With her students and collaborators, they conduct research on larval development, recruitment dynamics, population genetics; biophysical modelling and behavioural ecology. She is engaged in transdisciplinary development and training programs on community-based coastal resources management, sustainable mariculture, stock restoration and local environmental governance. She has over 90 peer- reviewed scientific publications, several book chapters, conference proceedings and training manuals. She has been part of regional and international expert groups on marine biodiversity and scientific research. She is the co-chair of the IUCN SSC Sea cucumber Specialist Group. She has mentored over 30 MSc and PhD graduates, and many other researchers and management practitioners.