A World Connected

International Scholars Complete the 2025–2026 NF-POGO Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography

Monday, August 31, 2026 By Jodi Cooke

When eight ocean research scholars from the Global South arrived in St. John’s for the first time last October, there was little time to process the cultural shift. Immersive fieldwork began almost immediately.

Nearly a year later, they describe the past ten months as transformative, shaping their careers, broadening their horizons, and strengthening their commitment to ocean sustainability. It also helped lay the foundation for a new generation of ocean stewards.

The NF-POGO Centre of Excellence (COE) in Observational Oceanography is a global training initiative supported by The Nippon Foundation and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO).

Designed to equip early-career ocean professionals with advanced scientific, technical, and leadership skills, the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University’s Centre for Applied Ocean Technology (CTec) also plays a key role in supporting these early-career ocean professionals from around the world.

This year, MI welcomed its second cohort of scholars as they embarked on a uniquely Canadian immersive-learning experience.

Hosted by the OFI at Dalhousie University and co-hosted by the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University and the Hakai Institute in BC, the NF-POGO pan-Canadian program provides emerging ocean professionals from all over the world with the knowledge, technical skills, and international networks required to advance ocean observation and help achieve sustainable ocean management.

Immersive Learning, Deep Culture

This year's group started their program in St. John’s, NL, spending seven months at MI, where they acquired technical skills through classroom teaching, laboratory training, practical field experiences, and work with researchers and industry professionals.

The scholars then carried on their studies at the Hakai Institute on Quadra Island, BC, before finishing the program in Halifax, NS, at the Ocean Frontier Institute of Dalhousie University.

“There is something impactful about learning in a place where the environment itself reinforces what you are studying,” says Brenda Wanjiku, an NF-POGO Centre of Excellence alumna (2025/2026) from Kenya. “It made the experience feel less like a program and more like immersion into a different way of thinking and working.”

Brenda is also co-founder of the Kenya-based start-up Nutriee Fish, and has been named one of the 100 Innovators Shaping Africa’s Blue Economy in the 2026 catalogue produced by Katapult Ocean and Briter.

“Being part of a diverse cohort has allowed me to build meaningful relationships and learn from different perspectives, which has been both professionally and personally enriching.”

The program is intended to advance global capacity in the field of observational oceanography, and includes technical training alongside leadership development, professional skills, and cross-cultural exchange.

During the ten months, the scholars participated in workshops, research activities, networking events, and various opportunities for experiential learning, enabling them to address complex ocean-related challenges in their home countries and regions.

Students also experienced more than academic workloads and challenges. They also experienced a memorable Newfoundland and Labrador winter. The season of learning brought newfound hobbies like beach bonfires in fall, skiing in winter, and exploring the local music and food scene.

Excellence Beyond Borders

The NF-POGO Centre of Excellence achieves its success thanks to the cooperation of the three host institutions, the numerous faculty members, researchers, mentors, and community partners who share their expertise as part of the program.

In addition to the scholarly and technical aspects, the program also created a lively international community.

The scholars exchanged views from all over the world, created enduring friendships, and established a global professional network that will remain long after the program has ended.

That is something Esraa Esasayed AbouElMaaty still carries with her, as a scholar from CoE Canada 2024-2025.

“When I was preparing to go to Canada, I believed it would be just ten months of training, and then I would be back home, but the experience turned out to be much more than that,” Esraa says.

“I came to Canada to strengthen my skills in observational oceanography, and I left with new scientific perspectives, technical skills, and a stronger understanding of how ocean observation can support marine management. “

Advancing Ocean Leadership

When the members of the 2025–2026 group return to their home countries, they become part of an ever-expanding global network of alumni from the NF-POGO Centre of Excellence who are making contributions to ocean science, marine technology, and data-driven decision-making in countries all over the world.

For the program organizers, an important measure of success is seeing scholars take what they have learned here and apply it to their own regions.

That success is already being measured with scholars from previous cohorts developing new programming, taking on leadership roles in governments and using their expertise to help inform policy and decision-making in their respective nations.

“The NF-POGO CoE has been a turning point in my research career. I have always wanted to pursue a PhD in Physical Oceanography, but I did not have the opportunity to gain enough relevant research experience in my home country,” said Shahadat Hossain, NF-POGO CofE Scholar 2024-2025. Shahadat is currently settled in Massachusetts, home to both MIT, Boston/Cambridge, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cape Cod.

“The NF-POGO CoE helped bridge that gap by giving me the opportunity to work on independent research projects and connect with some amazing mentors. I believe this experience played a significant role in better preparing me for the MIT-WHOI Joint [PhD] Program.”

For year one alumna Esraa Esasayed Abdo AbouElMaaty, the experience was deeply personal, including a project close to both her home and her heart.

“MI was my first destination in Canada, and it became an important part of my scientific journey. One of the projects I started to work on it at MI and continued after I returned to Egypt and was further developed into a book chapter, ‘Readiness in the Anthropocene: Assessing Egypt’s Institutional and Monitoring Capacity in the Marine Sector.’ More importantly, the experience changed the way I think about my research and its role beyond publication. I became more focused on making my research outputs contribute to the global ocean observing system and on finding ways to become part of that larger cycle of observation, research, and knowledge application.”

MI is also proud that six recent NF-POGO alumni have chosen to pursue graduate studies here as international students. Two members of the 2024–2025 cohort began PhD programs at MI in fall 2025. This fall, four members of the 2025–2026 cohort will begin graduate studies at MI: two in PhD programs and two in master’s programs.

Connection & Community

The Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University also extends sincere thanks to The Nippon Foundation, The Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean, The Ocean Frontier Institute, The Hakai Institute, The International Ocean Institute Canada, and all program partners for their continued commitment to developing the next generation of leaders in observational oceanography.

Through NF-POGO’s Centre of Excellence in Observational Oceanography, The MI family continues to grow beyond our shores. As scholars return to their communities around the world, they’re never far from the community they found here.