Category Archives for "Contributors"

Kang-Ki Lee

Senior Vice President of HPS, AVL List GmbH

Professor Kang-Ki LEE is currently working as senior vice president responsible for High Power Systems at AVL List GmbH in Austria since 2019 and as managing director of AVL Zöllner Marine GmbH in Kiel, Germany. In parallel serving as Partnership Associate Professor at Klaipeda University contributing EU Erasmus+ program.


Kang-ki Lee studied mechanical engineering at MSc till 1995, adding management skills through Advanced Industrial Program at Seoul National University in 2007 and the executive management course by German based MAN Group through Corporate Program with WHU, Germany and Said Business School of Oxford University, UK till 2010.

He worked as president of MAN Diesel Korea Ltd since 2007 responsible for internal combustion engine business unit besides as a head of Turbo-machineries business unit of MAN Group for F. East Asia till 2012, also serving as a professor of Korea Maritime & Ocean University teaching internal combustion engine and power systems besides research activities and project leader on validation program of new technology for several governmental projects during 2012 till 2018.

His major research interest is on Emission, Energy Trend focus on LNG & Alternative Fuels, Future Technology of Logistics & Transportation, & Convergent Offshore Plants. Developed and patented “Prompt port Facility”.

He is also a project leader of the World first LNG fueled ship development for Northern America and World first & largest LNG fueled bulk carrier upon IMO IGF Code and leading Green Energy Center.

Professor Lee is currently working as vice chair of CIMAC GHG Strategy WG, member of Go-LNG Baltic Sea, Kormarine Committee, New Logistics Technology

Kimberly Tam

Associate Professor in Cybersecurity, University of Plymouth

Dr Kimberly Tam is the theme lead for Marine and Maritime in the Data-Centric Engineering at The Alan Turing Institute and Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth. She completed her degree in Computer and System Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute (United States of America) in 2012 and her PhD in Information Security in 2014 at Royal Holloway University of London (United Kingdom) which included Machine Learning for the analysis and classification of smartphone malware. 

She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Plymouth, she joined in 2017 to help start a new research group around maritime cybersecurity, one of the world’s first.  Early work on maritime-cyber risk assessment for ports and ships, including quantifying risk, won the 2019 Lloyd’s Science of Risk Prize and was the foundation for the Riskocity Ltd spin out company.  She was the Co-I on an EU Horizon 2020 Project Cyber-MAR and was both Co-I and academic lead of the Research England Cyber-SHIP lab.  She is also PI on projects on cyber-resilience of AI being used for autonomous vessels and cyber resilience of offshore wind.

Latifa Oumouzoune

Education and Training Manager, IALA World Wide Academy

Latifa OUMOUZOUNE is in charge of Education and Training activities at IALA World-Wide Academy, acting as the Education and training manager. She is responsible for programme development, delivery and assessment, and other tasks supporting the academy functions, and is specialized in Maritime education and training and graduated from the World Maritime university WMU in 2022. 

Previously, with her technical background in Electronic and telecommunication engineering, Latifa held the position of head of technical and educational affairs at the Higher Institute for maritime studies of Morocco for seafarers’ training. She was tasked with simulators and technical labs’ management alongside the educational programme development and review.

Lauri Ojala

Professor of Logistics, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku

Mr. Lauri Ojala, Professor of Logistics at University of Turku, Finland, since 1997. His expertise includes international logistics and maritime economics also from a policy-making perspective, incl. security of supply issues. Worked as an expert for e.g. The World Bank, EC and several other international organizations and Ministries of Transport. 

M.Sc. in 1986 in Shipping Economics, Åbo Akademi University, Finland (ÅAU) and doctorated in Logistics in 1995 at Turku School of Economics, Finland. In 2024, received a vocational certificate as a Skipper in domestic trades for cargo vessels up to 500 GT.

Appointments as a Coast Guard officer in the Finnish Border Guard; assignments in shipping companies and agencies, and as a purser on a cruise ship. Lecturer in shipping economics for Master Mariner classes at Swedish Nautical College in Turku in 1983-1994 and 2010-2018. Member of the Board in i) state-owned ice-breaking enterprise Finstaship in 2005-2008; and ii) state-owned road ferry operator FinFerries from 2010 till 2016. 

(Co)supervised >200 M.Sc. and over 20 Master Mariner theses and over 20 completed PhD’s. Examiner or opponent of over 30 Doctoral dissertations and evaluator in over 20 professorial nominations in several countries. 

Since 2006, Project Director of several EU part-funded projects with a combined volume ~20 M€, mostly related to ports and shipping. (Co-)authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and over other reports in logistics/SCM, shipping, port and transport economics. Initiator and co-author of World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, a worldwide indicator on how easy or difficult countries’ trade logistics is perveived.

Luca Castellani

Legal Officer, UNCITRAL Secretariat

Luca Castellani is a legal officer in the Secretariat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

As secretary of UNCITRAL Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce), he oversaw the preparation of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records and of the UNCITRAL Model Law on the Use and Cross-Border Recognition of Identity Management and Trust Services. He has assisted several countries in the enactment of UNCITRAL texts on electronic commerce. He is also active in the field of paperless trade facilitation and has contributed to drafting the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific.

Mathias Jonas

Secretary General, International Hydrographic Organization

Mathias Jonas is the Secretary-General of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) since 2017 and was re-elected for another term of three years by IHO´s Assembly in May 2023. Prior to this appointment he held the posts of Vice President of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency and National Hydrographer of Germany with responsibility for sea survey and sea cartography. 

Being a mariner, Mathias has been involved in integrated navigation matters since the beginning of the nineties. In addition he has completed the world’s first technical certification of an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) in1999 and Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) in 2002 which both have become a standard equipment on nearly all sea going vessels. He has continuously contributed to IMO and IHO standardisation activities for navigation equipment, survey and cartography since. 

As one of the responsibilities of his current post he holds the Chair of the Hydrographic Commission on Antarctica. He is the author of numerous scientific papers on technical aspects of marine geoinformation systems and strategic considerations on the present status and future of hydrography.

Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr.

President, World Maritime University

Professor Maximo Q. Mejia is an accomplished global leader and scholar in Maritime Governance, Policy, and Administration. With over three decades of professional and academic experience, Professor Mejia is a passionate international advocate for the promotion of safe, secure, sustainable, and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

Appointed by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Professor Mejia became the eighth President of the World Maritime University (WMU), a university established within the framework of the IMO and a global centre of excellence for maritime and ocean education, research, and capacity building. He is the first President from Asia and the first President who is a
graduate of WMU. As the Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mejia oversees and directs the academic
programmes, operations, and administration of the University.

Professor Mejia held various positions at WMU, as Director of the PhD Programme, Head of the Maritime Law and Policy Specialization, and Nippon Foundation Professor of Maritime Governance, Policy, and Administration at WMU. He also served as Associate Academic Dean and has been a resident Faculty
member since 1998. During his tenure at WMU, Professor Mejia spearheaded the further development
of the WMU PhD programme in Maritime Affairs ensuring a cutting-edge curriculum and a growing
number of doctoral students. Professor Mejia is author/co-author of more than 70 published articles and
book chapters and the editor/co-editor of 11 books. His multi-disciplinary research and teaching include maritime policy, maritime law, maritime labour law and policy, human factors, safety, and security-
related issues. He is an International Labour Organization (ILO) Certified Trainer for the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006).

Alongside senior leadership roles within WMU, Professor Mejia served as Administrator/Director-General at the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) from 2013 to 2016, heading the government agency responsible for integrating the development, promotion, and regulation of the maritime industry
in the Philippines. From 1988 to 1998, he progressively held various positions in the Philippine Navy
and Philippine Coast Guard including Deputy Chief of Staff for Navigational Safety and Deputy
Executive Director of the Multisectoral Task Force on Maritime Development. In 2013, Professor Mejia
was included in the Lloyd’s List 100 Most Influential Persons in the Shipping Industry. He served on
several senior diplomatic assignments including Head of Delegation of the Philippines to IMO meetings
(2013 -2016), Special Envoy of the President of the Philippines to the Inauguration of the Expanded
Panama Canal (2016), and Chairperson of the 31st ASEAN Maritime Transport Working Group (2016).

Professor Mejia earned his PhD from Lund University, Sweden, Master of Science from the World
Maritime University, Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University,
USA, and Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy. Professor Mejia is fluent in
Filipino, English, and Swedish and has a knowledge of Spanish and Chinese. He is married to Rebecca
Hayes Mejia, with whom he has three children and one grandchild.

Pernilla Wallin

Deputy Director, Swedish Transport Agency

Pernilla Wallin works for the Swedish Transport Agency (STA) where she is head of the unit for ships and seaworthiness, and also deputy director of the Civil aviation and maritime department. She has worked at the STA since its formation in 2009 and has held various managerial positions within the authority. She has a background as a master mariner and worked for 10 years at sea in various positions before she started at the Swedish Maritime Administration in 1999.

In her current role she represents Sweden in international negotiations in the IMO, EU and other shipping related forums. She is head of the Swedish delegation to IMO Council, Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) and Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

Weimin Ren

Director of Transport Division, UNESCAP

Mr. Weimin Ren joined the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as Director of the Transport Division in 2018, and currently also serves as Chair of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF).

Prior to joining the ESCAP, Mr. Weimin Ren served as Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Transport, China. He began his career in 1989 with the ministry and took senior management positions at Director General level starting from 2009. During his time working at the Ministry of Transport, China, Mr. Ren dealt with a wide range of economic, technical and legal issues of the transport sector at regional and multilateral platforms and was deeply involved in the negotiations on China’s accession to the WTO, the implementation of regional transport connectivity initiatives, and the development and adoption of a number of international maritime conventions, such as HNS, Ship Arrest, and STCW 2010 Amendments. Mr. Ren is currently leading his team in ESCAP Secretariat to promote sustainable transport development in Asia and the Pacific, and guiding UNRSF to address global road safety issues.

Mr. Weimin Ren holds a Master of Science in General Maritime Administration and Environment Protection from WMU, and a Bachelor’s degree in Maritime Law from Dalian Maritime University, China.

Tae-eun Kim

Associate Professor of Maritime Safety Management, The Artic University of Norway

Dr. Tae-eun Kim is an associate professor of maritime safety management at University of Tromsø (UiT) – The Arctic University of Norway. Dr. Kim has MSc degree in maritime management from University of South-Eastern Norway and joint PhD degree in nautical operations from four Norwegian universities offering maritime education. Her research focuses on maritime safety and human factors, including accident causation modelling, safety leadership, and maritime education and training. 

She currently leads the Maritime Safety Science (MARSCI) Research Group and coordinates the i-MASTER project (https://imaster-project.eu), funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. Additionally, she serves as the project leader for REFRAME, a young talent project funded by the Research Council of Norway, focusing on human factors in remotely controlled and autonomous ships.

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