Dr Georgios Kazanidis

Georgios Kazanidis

  • Currently: Offshore Industries Advice Manager – Senior Executive Officer, JNCC
  • Formerly: Scientific Project Manager (2020-2022); Postdoctoral Research Associate (2017-2020)

Current role

As Offshore Industries Advice Manager at JNCC, my post duties include:

  • 1) Lead provision of high quality, evidence based and pragmatic nature conservation advice to regulators and industry (oil and gas, aggregates, renewables, cables, deep sea mining, marine planning and more) both in the UK and, in some cases, overseas.
  • 2) Support provision of environmental information and advice in the event of pollution incidents.
  • 3) Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. Defra, BEIS, Marine Scotland, MMO, Crown Estate, other nature conservation bodies) and represent JNCC at relevant industry, regulatory and nature conservation meetings and fora.
  • 4) Lead and support the team in delivering the team’s work programme and JNCC’s wider corporate strategy.
  • 5) Line management of Offshore Industry Advisers and project management (including financial) of strategic marine management research and development projects.

Biography:

I am a Greek marine researcher specialising in the ecology of benthic ecosystems. My passion for the scientific exploration and conservation of the marine environment has led me to various places ranging from shallow-water ecosystems in the Mediterranean to the Arctic deep sea. Currently, I am a post-doctorate research associate in the ATLAS project (www.eu-atlas.org) where I work on the structure and dynamics of cold-water coral reefs and deep-sea sponge grounds and also I co-lead the ATLAS’s work on the assessment of Good Environmental Status in the deep North Atlantic Ocean. Recently I have been nominated from the United Kingdom’s government to participate as an expert in the United Nations’ 2nd World Ocean Assessment in the field of cold-water corals.

Completing my undergraduate studies in Greece, I carried out a Master in Ocean Sciences at the National Oceanography Centre/University of Southampton (UK) and a PhD in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen (UK).

Before entering the world of Science, I studied classical guitar for 13 years at the Municipal Conservatory of Volos. I was a awarded a Degree and Diploma in classical guitar studies in 2001 and 2004, respectively.

Research interests 

A) Taxonomy of marine invertebrates

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Lower side of the ophiuroid Ophiothrix fragilis, collected in Mingulay Reef Complex (Outer Hebrides Sea, North-East Atlantic).                   Image: Georgios Kazanidis – ATLAS. For more information, please see our publication in Coral Reefs.  

B) Physiology and ecology of marine invertebrates

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The massive yellow sponge Spongosorites coralliophaga colonises dead coral fragments and supplies habitat to several faunal species. This sponge’s versatile metabolic strategies, help it proliferate under food-limited conditions. For more information please see our publication in Deep-Sea Research Part I.    
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Testis of the simultaneous hermaphrodite holothurian Paroriza prouhoi, from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (North-East Atlantic). Image: Georgios Kazanidis. For more information on my work on invertebrate reproduction, please see the publication in JMBA.  

C) Assessment of health status of marine ecosystems

Marine Scotland
Deep-sea sponge aggregations in the Faroe-Shetland Channel, an area with multi-sectoral human activities and complex environmental settings. Image: Marine Scotland. For more information, please see our publication in Advances in Marine Biology.  

Awards – Scholarships

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Getting ready for sampling in November…or competing for funding sources.                Image: Alexios Lolas. 

During my career, I am grateful for being awarded prestigious awards from the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland, among others. Recently I have also been nominated from the United Kingdom’s government to participate as an expert in the United Nations’ 2nd World Ocean Assessment in the field of cold-water corals. 

For a complete list of awards, scholarships and grants, please have a look in my LinkedIn profile. 

Public engagement 

Sharing knowledge with others is very important for making progress in almost all aspects of life.

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                                      Combining science, art, education and…fun!                                        Image: Georgios Kazanidis (personal collection)

Up to now I have shared my experiences and passion for exploring the marine environment with others through several pathways: visits from primary school pupils, University open days, collaborations with awarded artists and designers, interviews, webinars, talks at TechFests/Art Galleries & Museums/Science Festivals and presentations in world-class conferences.   

For more information on my public engagement activities and future plans, please get in contact. 

Peer-reviewed publications

For a detailed list of peer-reviewed publications, please have a look in my Edinburgh Research Explorer, LinkedIn or ResearchGate profiles. 

Getting in contact: 

Georgios Kazanidis

Grant Institute 

The King’s Buildings 

School of Geosciences 

James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE

Phone: +44 (0) 131 651 3402 

Email: georgios.kazanidis@ed.ac.uk