Dr. Simone Panigada is the President of the Tethys Research Institute and Chair of the Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS. His main field of expertise covers conservation and management of the marine environment, with emphasis on vulnerable and threatened species. He has worked with cetaceans for more than 30 years and focuses his interest also on assessing the anthropogenic impacts (vessel strikes, chemical pollution, habitat degradation and climate change) in the Mediterranean. Since 2009, he has pioneered as project manager and PI aerial surveys to estimate abundance and density of cetaceans in the central Mediterranean. Simone is for the second time the Scientific Coordinator of the ACCOBAMS Survey Initiatives (ASI), a series of large-scale surveys (aerial and ship based) to estimate cetaceans’ and large vertebrates’ density and abundance over the entire Mediterranean Basin. He is the director of the Tethys Telemetry lab, which focuses, since 2012, on satellite telemetry projects on fin and sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Antarctic. Simone is Deputy Chair of the Marine Mammals Protected Areas Task Force, within the IUCN SSC/WCPA, developing the concept of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) throughout the world’s oceans. Simone is author and co-author of more than 75 peer-reviewed publications.

Margherita Zanardelli has been collaborating with Tethys Research Institute since its founding in 1986 and she has been a member of its Board of Directors for many years; from 1997 to 2000 she held the position of President of the Institute. In 1990 she founded, with Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, the Mediterranean Fin Whale Project, a long-term project on the ecology of the resident population of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Her specific interest is the use of photo-identification applied to the study of the population of Mediterranean fin whales. In the late 90’ she collaborated to the first telemetry approach to describe fin whales diving behavior, and since then contributed to the growing use of this technique applied to Mediterraneran cetaceans.
She is author or co-author of numerous scientific peer-reviewed papers. Her recent scientific and conservation commitments include the involvement in the identification of IMMAs (Important Marine Mammal Area), as part of the IUCN Joint SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force.

Maddalena Jahoda is a biologist and journalist engaged in both research and public outreach. Since 2012 she has served as the Institute’s Communication and Scientific Outreach Manager.
She graduated with an M.Sc. in Biology from the University of Milan in 1982 and has been involved with Tethys since its foundation, serving as a board member until 2023. She has been chief scientist of projects focused on the behaviour of Mediterranean fin whales within the Cetacean Sanctuary Research program and is currently involved in several short-term projects.
As a professional journalist, she has collaborated with Italian magazines and newspapers, as well as in documentary film editing. She is the author of popular-science books on cetaceans, including Le mie balene (My Whales) and Balene, salvateci! (Whales, Save Us!), both published in Italian by Mursia.
As part of her commitment to public science communication, she is also responsible for the Institute’s official outreach materials aimed at the general public (websites, press releases, leaflets, social media etc.), and she also works on graphics, augmented reality, video editing, and edu-tainment. On a personal level, she is also active in painting and theatre focused on cetacean conservation.

Joan Gonzalvo, is a Catalan biologist whose main research interest is the conservation of the marine environment and, more specifically, the study and conservation of marine mammals. He holds a Ph.D. in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona. His first experience in the field of cetacean research took place in 1998 in Greece. Since then, he gained expertise in research methods including ship-based, land-based and aerial surveys on cetaceans, individual photo-identification, behavioural sampling, remote biopsy sampling, cetacean dissection techniques and tissue sampling on stranded animals. Since 2012 he also works on Mediterranean monk seal research and conservation. Joan regularly collaborates with UNEP’s Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS). Among other consultancy work, he has prepared National Action Plans for the Conservation of Cetaceans in Syria and Lebanon, updated the Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean and the Regional strategy for the conservation of the monk seal in the Mediterranean. Between 2020 and 2025 he Chaired the European Cetacean Society’s Council and is currently member of its Scientific Advisory Committee. In 2020 he became member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG). Since 2006 his research is carried out mainly in western Greece, where he leads the Ionian Dolphin Project. Joan is author and co-author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications.

Elena Politi, biologist, collaborates with the Tethys Research Institute since 1991 (full-time up to 2010). Initially involved in data collection and analysis on dolphins in Croatia, in 1993 she founded the Ionian Dolphin Project, a long-term project on the socio-ecology of two resident populations of coastal dolphins in the Ionian Greece, which she directed until 2003. From 2003 to 2010 she has actively managed the Tethys Research Institute as Executive Director first and Financial Manager later on. In her career within Tethys, Elena has been involved in several research campaigns run by the Institute, including surveys in the Caribbean Sea, in the Canary Islands, in the former Spanish Sahara, and several Mediterranean areas. She has been member of the Tethys Board of Director’s from 1994 to 2016, and has been Tethys vice-president from 1996 to 2000.

From 2015 she works as freelance web designer, managing, among others, several web site projects connected to the activities conducted by the Tethys Research Institute.

Sabina Airoldi has been a researcher at the Tethys Research Institute since 1987. She founded a research project on odontocetes and, from 2000 to 2025, directed the Cetacean Sanctuary Research project, focused on the study of cetaceans inhabiting the western portion of the Pelagos Sanctuary. Alongside her scientific work, she has long been committed to training and public outreach through collaborations with various media. For her contributions to cetacean research and conservation, she has received several awards, including the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, with special mention by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara (PhD 1985, U. California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) is a marine ecologist who has contributed for over 40 years to advancing knowledge of the ecology, behaviour and taxonomy of marine mammals and sharks. He is the honorary president of the Tethys Research Institute, which he founded in 1986. In 1991, he spearheaded the creation of the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals, the world’s first high-seas marine protected area. From 1996 to 2003, he served as President of ICRAM, a government body responsible for providing scientific support to Italy’s national marine conservation policy. He served from 1999-2004 as the Italian Commissioner of the International Whaling Commission; from 1991-2022 as Deputy Chair of IUCN’s Cetacean Specialist Group; from 2002-2010 as Chair of the Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS; and from 2014-2022 as the Councillor for aquatic mammals of the U.N. Convention of Migratory Species, appointed by the Conference of Parties. In 2013, he initiated the Important Marine Mammal Area program as an initiative of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, which he co-founded and co-chairs. As a senior advisor, he also supports the Important Shark and Ray Area initiative. He taught conservation of marine biodiversity at the University Statale of Milan from 2007 to 2016. He has authored over 250 scientific works and 15 books, including “Sailing Across a Wounded Sea”, published by Springer Nature (further information on www.disciara.org).

Carmen Andrés Hervias is a Spanish marine biologist specialising in the ecology, life-history traits, and conservation of Mediterranean marine mammals. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Biodiversity at the University of Barcelona, focusing on the reproductive parameters, demographic trends, and population viability of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Ambracia, western Greece. Since 2018, she has been a researcher and principal field investigator with the Ionian Dolphin Project, contributing to long-term studies on bottlenose dolphins, short-beaked common dolphins, and Mediterranean monk seals in the Ionian Sea. Her expertise includes boat-based surveys, individual photo-identification, behavioural data collection, fisheries-interaction assessments, citizen-science training, and management and analysis of long-term demographic datasets. She has also collaborated with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (Brookfield Zoo Chicago; Florida, USA), supporting photo-id surveys, prey sampling, health assessments, and biopsy-sampling campaigns. Additional research experience includes cetacean monitoring within the Italian Marine Protected Area of Torre Guaceto, as well as UAV-based campaigns collecting respiratory microbiome samples and photogrammetry data to assess body condition in dolphins and monk seals.

Marina Costa is a marine biologist with over 25 years of experience studying cetaceans and marine ecosystems across the Mediterranean and beyond. She holds a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of St Andrews (UK), a Master’s in Environmental Policy and Economics, and a MSc in Biology from the University of Milan. Her expertise spans cetacean population assessment, and habitat modeling; line-transect distance sampling; GIS-based spatial analysis; aerial, vessel-based, and drone survey methodologies; marine conservation and policy implementation (i.e., EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive). Marina has led and collaborated on international projects in the Red Sea, the South Atlantic, and the Mediterranean Sea. A member of the Tethys Research Institute since 2002 and on its Board since 2020, she is also a skilled skipper and diver, passionate about providing science-based data to drive marine conservation. Currently she is a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).

Nino Pierantonio is a marine mammal researcher and data analyst specialising in the ecology, abundance, and conservation of cetaceans and other large marine vertebrates. An Associate Researcher at the Tethys Research Institute, where he also served on the Board of Directors (2013–2016), he has collaborated with numerous national and international organisations. His expertise spans visual and acoustic monitoring, GIS-based analysis, and line transect distance sampling methodologies, with extensive experience conducting aerial surveys to assess the density and distribution of cetaceans across the Mediterranean and European North Atlantic. He has also been involved in research on the satellite telemetry of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea, contributing to a better understanding of their movements and habitat use. Nino’s work is grounded in robust quantitative methods and analytical approaches, with the ultimate goal of providing science-based, data-driven insights to support cetacean conservation.

Viola Panigada is a PhD student in the Nowacek Lab at Duke University (USA), where she investigates the movement and feeding ecology of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the context of a rapidly changing and industrializing seascape. Her research integrates satellite telemetry, bio-logging, photo-identification, and ecological modeling to assess the influence of environmental and oceanographic variables and anthropogenic pressures on whale distribution and behavior. Viola has a long-standing collaboration with the Tethys Research Institute, where she has contributed to fieldwork, data analysis, and conservation initiatives. She also has experience with remote sensing of marine megafauna and geospatial analyses.

Nato a Vercelli, nel 1954; diplomato presso il locale Liceo Scientifico nel 1972; laureato in Fisica presso l’Università Statale di Milano nel 1977. Nel 1982, consegue un Master of Science, seguito nel 1986 da un Philosophy Doctorate, entrambi in Oceanografia, presso la University of California at San Diego.

Alla fine degli anni ‘70, inizia la propria carriera presso la Cattedra di Geofisica dell’Università di Milano. Negli anni ’80, lavora negli USA, presso la Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a San Diego, il MIT di Boston ed il Goddard Space Flight Center della NASA, a Washington, sviluppando l’uso di tecnologie spaziali nelle Scienze Marine.

Tornato in Europa, nel 1990 inizia un trentennale rapporto di lavoro con il Centro Comune di Ricerca della Commissione Europea, occupandosi di mare, spazio e politiche ambientali della UE. E’ inoltre consulente di ESA, vari organismi dell’ONU, tra cui UNESCO e FAO, ed altri enti internazionali in tema di spazio ed ambiente.

Nel 2012, orgogliosamente condivide con tutti i colleghi e funzionari delle Istituzioni Europee l’assegnazione del Premio Nobel per la Pace, di cui l’Unione Europea è stata insignita con la motivazione: «Per oltre sei decenni ha contribuito all’avanzamento della pace e della riconciliazione, della democrazia e dei diritti umani in Europa».

Nel corso della sua carriera, ha prodotto una vasta gamma di pubblicazioni scientifiche e numerosi testi di divulgazione. E’ stato membro di varie società scientifiche, promotore di associazioni ambientaliste, nonché socio fondatore dell’ISTITUTO TETHYS, di cui è diventato Senior Advisor dopo il pensionamento dalla UE nel 2020.