Since 2020, the French Institutes of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have annually awarded a prize to young researchers. The French Institute Nordic Award (FINA) promotes scientific cooperation on a mutual theme of interest to the five countries and France. This year, the chosen theme is that of oceans.
The 2025 edition of the prize takes on a new dimension: the winners will have the exceptional opportunity to attend the One Ocean Science Congress, which will be held in Nice from June 3 to 6, 2025, as part of a major international event — the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). In addition, they will meet local players in ocean science, allowing them to initiate collaborations with French universities and laboratories.
We are pleased to announce the four laureates of 2025:
Sejal Pramlall is a PhD candidate in marine optics at the University of Bergen in Norway. Her work aims to develop tools to better monitor marine ecosystems, which are increasingly under pressure due to climate change and human activities. By improving the remote sensing of water quality parameters through innovative use of satellite technologies, her research contributes to the sustainable management of the oceans and to conservation efforts based on reliable data, particularly in European and Arctic regions.
Janina Pykäri is a PhD student in marine biology at the University of Helsinki. She studies how shallow coastal marine ecosystems, often affected by human activities, contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon storage. In an upcoming publication, she challenges the idea that vegetation is the main carbon sink, showing that invertebrates and even vegetation-free seabeds can also store significant amounts of carbon. Her goal is to translate these findings into policy recommendations to better protect these essential coastal areas.
Nathalie Rosenberg Bach is a PhD fellow at Aarhus University, Denmark. Her PhD focuses on biodiversity and connectivity across Danish marine habitats. Her research involves the development of advanced modeling tools, including species distribution models and agent-based models, to support data-driven decision-making in marine spatial planning and environmental impact assessments. Her work contributes directly to Havsamarbejdet i Østjylland—an interregional stakeholder group—by providing insight into the potential impact of established and planned Marine Protected Areas to support increased connectivity and biodiversity.
Niels Krabbe is a postdoctoral researcher in international law at the University of Göteborg, Sweden. He is particularly interested in marine management and the regulation of biodiversity, climate and natural resources in the law of the sea and international environmental law. As deputy director with the Department for International Law, Human Rights and Treaty Law at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden he was involved in the final negotiations of the new UN oceans agreement (BBNJ) and he has been co-chair of the EU working party on the law of the sea (COMAR).
We congratulate all the laureates and eagerly await the results of this French-Nordic collaboration!