Meet Our Team
Discover the passionate individuals behind Ethical Seafood Research, a team characterised by a diverse background of experiences, knowledge, and skills. We are united in our mission to ensure the ethical treatment of aquatic animals.
Wasseem Emam
Founder, Director & Lead Researcher
Wasseem is an accomplished aquatic ecologist with over 15 years of experience across the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Holding advanced degrees in applied aquatic ecology, Wasseem is currently completing his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid on ways to improve the welfare of farmed Nile tilapia during the harvest process in Egypt. Wasseem also serves as a Reviewer on Wild Animal Initiative’s Grant Review Panel.
Faisal Qureshi
Country Manager - Kenya
Faisal oversees our operations in Kenya, including organising training workshops and creating partnerships with key actors on the ground. He is involved with gathering information from stakeholders on the biggest obstacles they face, when it comes to implementing meaningful welfare reforms for aquatic animals.
Nada M. Habashi
Aquaculture Specialist & Trainings Coordinator
Nada Habashi is an Egyptian aquaculture specialist passionate about sustainable aquaculture and gender equity. She holds a degree in Fish Resources Sciences – Aquaculture Technology from Suez University and has been active in the sector since 2018. At WorldFish Egypt, she gained expertise in Tilapia breeding, water quality, and sustainable systems such as IPRS and Aquaponics. Nada has coordinated over 20 national and international trainings with USSEC, the World Bank, FAO, and EICA-JICA, and participated in field assessments supporting fish farmers and women vendors. She is committed to animal welfare and inclusive aquaculture development.
Hadeer Elkhouly
Communications Specialist
Hadeer Elkhouly is an accomplished Egyptian aquaculture expert, marine educator, and researcher with a strong commitment to ocean conservation and sustainable aquaculture practices.
Hadeer holds the position of Editor at Blue Life Hub Magazine and serves as Communication Coordinator for ECOP Africa, where she focuses on promoting ocean literacy and awareness.
John Nyambane
Sociologist & Tech-driven Aquaculture Researcher
Introducing the talented John Nyambane, one of our collaborators in charge of the @Welttierschutz funded project on the use of technology in improving Kenyan aquaculture practices. The research project John is coordinating looks at the use of FAI's (@fai_regen) Tilapia Welfare App in improving both farmed fish welfare and farmer livelihood.
With noticeable expertise in community development, sustainable agriculture, global health, and human well-being. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at the University of Nairobi, with his thesis focusing on tech-driven fish farming & animal welfare.
Mohamed Bakr
Country Manager - Egypt
Mohamed Bakr is an aquaculture expert with extensive experience managing fish farms. Hailing from the Kafr El-Sheikh region in Egypt where most of the country's fish production takes place, he is well-versed in the local farming context. He continues to supervise a number of the Egyptian Army's shrimp farming projects.
Abdulrahman Banisheyba
Research Fellow — Blue Economy Policy Liaison
Abdul, a Tanzanian social entrepreneur, merges academic expertise in Economics, International Relations, and Coastal Management. He researches autonomous region participation in national plans, collaborating with Zanzibar's research institute. Passionate about sustainability and positive change.
Santiago Alcubierre
Marketing & Web
Are you interested in diving into the world of aquatic animal welfare and making a difference?
ADVISORY BOARD
The main purpose of our advisory board is to help shape ESR’s strategic vision, provide expert guidance, and support in addressing challenges as we work towards improving the lives of farmed aquatic animals.
Alex Suchy
Vice President of Global Programs at The Humane League
Alex has a background as an engineer, fundraiser, campaigner, strategist and currently leads global programs at The Humane League.
Yasmine Kamar
Business Director-Koudijs & Kapo Feed
Yasmine Kamar is a Business Director and Board Member of Koudijs & Kapo Feed (KKF), a leading Egyptian Dutch joint venture specializing in the production of livestock and fish feeds. Her leadership has been recognized through various honors, including being named one of Egypt’s “Top 50 Most Influential Women” and representing the country in the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) by the U.S. Department of State. She was also selected for the AUC Distinguished Young Alumni Award in 2018.
Tennyson Williams
Africa Regional Director at World Animal Protection
Alice Di Concetto
Executive Director, The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy
Krzysztof Wojtas
Chief Programmes Officer at Shrimp Welfare Project
Joan Magero
Vice Chair of the Kenya Veterinary Board
Dr. Joan Magero is a veterinarian with a Master's degree in Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics. She is a seasoned professional in animal health, animal welfare, and food safety, with over 30 years of experience in public service, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. She served in various positions, including as the Head of the Animal Welfare Unit (HAWU) and the national focal point for animal welfare within Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock and Fisheries.
Culum Brown
Professor at Macquarie University
Culum has made a significant contribution to the study of behavioural ecology of fishes over his research career. His research niche lies in the study of fish behaviour and its application to fisheries science with his most significant contribution being enhancing our understanding of fish cognition and behaviour. Culum is a well-known champion of fish intelligence. All but six of his 180+ peer reviewed papers and one of his 20 book chapters have fishes as the primary focus. Collectively he has 200+ publications which have been cited over 12,650 times and he has an H-index of 59. He is in the top 1% of researchers in Research Gate.
Joyce G. Maina
Associate Professor, in the Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. University of Nairobi.
She holds a PhD degree in Animal Nutrition from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She did her PhD project in fish Nutrition. She obtained a Master of Science degree in Animal Production from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the same University. Joyce worked in various capacities in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, where her last assignment before joining the University of Nairobi was Head of Poultry Section.
Gareth Arnott
Professor of Animal Behaviour
Professor Gareth Arnott is a Professor of Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare within the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. He is a behavioural biologist whose research interests span from fundamental behavioural ecology through to applied animal welfare. He has a research track record studying social interactions related to animal contest behaviour, with a focus on the information-gathering and decision-making processes used in contests and informed by relevant theory. Gareth is also the academic lead for the BBSRC funded Animal Welfare Research Network and is a member of the UK government’s Animal Welfare Committee.
