APC Board Officer: See our board officer with their contact information

PRESIDENT – Dr. Imad Saoud

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Imad Saoud (Term ends 2026)

 Proffesor of aquatic science and aquaculture at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Email: is08@aub.edu.lb

Dr. Imad Saoud,  a professor of aquatic science and aquaculture at the American University of Beirut. He earned a PhD in Fisheries and Aquaculture and his post doc was in aquatic animal nutrition both at Auburn University. Imad’s research focuses on the eco-physiology of aquatic organisms especially under aquaculture conditions. Dr. Saoud has worked with shrimp, oyster and fish aquaculture both in fresh and salt water. He is the world authority on rabbitfish aquaculture and one of the few experts on arid land aquaculture. Lately, his researched has focused on circular economy in aquaculture and on environmental concerns related to water productivity. He has also diversified into water conservation using aquaculture to improve water productivity. Imad’s work has taken him to the USA, Latin America, West Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He has previously served on the board of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society and has served in various committees of WAS. He is presently serving as the president elect of WAS/APC.

PRESIDENT ELECT – Dr. Jie Huang 

Dr. Jie Huang (Term ends 2026)

A Senior Researcher at Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI), Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS).

Email: j8888h@live.com; huangjie@ysfri.ac.cn

Dr Jie Huang is currently a Senior Researcher at Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI), Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS). He just finished his five-year term serving as the Director General of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) (2019-2024). Before May 2019, Dr Huang served as a Chief Scientist on Disease Control in CAFS, a Designated Expert of World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Reference Laboratories on White Spot Disease and Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis, the Vice President of WOAH Aquatic Animal Health Standards Committee (2012-2015), and an Expert of Iridoviridae and Roniviridae Study Groups of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.  He is presently serving as the president elect of WAS/APC.

PAST PRESIDENT  – Dr. Bibha Kumari

       

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 

 

Dr. Bibha Kumari 

Faculty at Magadh Mahila College, Patna University, Patna, India                                 

Tel: +919430465396

Email: bibhak136@gmail.com

Dr. Bibha Kumari (Ph.D. in Zoology), an academician from India, has extensive experience teaching and conducting research in Gender and fishery, Fish Biology, Aquatic Science, Environmental Science, and animal sciences. She has held positions as a member of the Board of Directors (2020-2022) and the Student Director (2016-2019) of the World Aquaculture Society-Asian Pacific Chapter. Dr. Bibha is a proficient master trainer, having provided training for River Life Management and Pollution Monitors, with a particular focus on empowering youth, especially girls and women. She has collaborated with numerous international organizations and has represented different countries as a Session Chair/Speaker and Board member.

With over eighteen years of teaching and research experience in her subjects related to fishery, aquaculture, environmental science, and animal sciences. Dr. Bibha currently serves as a faculty member in the Department of Zoology at Magadh Mahila College, Patna University, Bihar, India.  Since 2012, she has been actively involved in field research concerning the status of women in the fish market of Patna. Dr. Bibha has been honored with the "Women Excellence Award 2022" from NESA (National Environmental Science Association) India and the "Knowledge Excellence (Global Award) for Excellence Faculty Award 2020" for her remarkable contributions to the field of Environmental Science. Additionally, she received a Highly Commended Paper award for her work on gender in aquaculture and Fishery in 2014.

She served as a State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) member for Bihar, appointed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, for a term of three years (12 August 2021- 11 August 2024). Dr. Bibha is currently a member of "The Commission of IUCN (CEC, CEM, CEESP)" and has recently been appointed as a Global Expert Member by IUCN for the Global EBA fund project.  Proficient in Gender in fishery and aquaculture, Environmental toxicology, Aquatic physiology, Ecology, and Biodiversity. Her scholarly works are featured in High Impact factor International Journals. She holds editorial roles in various esteemed International Journals of Elsevier, Springer, Taylor, and Francis, among others.

TREASURER – Hermin Susiani (Erin)  

Hermin Susiani (Erin) was born in a village in East Java, Indonesia. She is earned bachelor of business management at Binus University. Erin is currently working as an operational manager at CV. Catur Blue Aqua company which is     a leading aquaculture product distributor company with a strong presence in Indonesia, in supporting aquaculture environment based on innovation-research and contributing to increasing the success of shrimp culture in Indonesia and to develop in the world. She has served in the national secretary at the Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2024 event which was held Surabaya. She is presently serving as the treasurer elect of WAS/APC.

DIRECTOR – Dr. Leila Basti

Dr Leila Basti  (Term ends 2025)

a Laureate Engineer in Agronomy, specialized in Marine Environment and Aquatic Resources (Tunisia)           

Email:  bastileila@gmail.com

Dr Leila Basti is a Laureate Engineer in Agronomy, specialized in Marine Environment and Aquatic Resources (Tunisia) . She obtained her Master of Marine Science and Doctor of Marine Science from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT) as a MEXT Scholar, in Japan where she is permanently residing. She was a Strategic Young Researcher at TUMSAT and a JSPS International Research Fellow at the National Institute of Fisheries Science (Fisheries Research and Education Agency; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, now under MEXT). She then was appointed Assistant Professor in Ocean Science at TUMSAT (2015–2020), under a governmental program, funded by MEXT, TUMSAT and JSPS. In 2022, she was asked to join UAEU as an Assistant Professor (Ocean Science, Fisheries and Aquaculture), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to help with the academic program and research in Aquaculture and Aquaponics (currently Academic Program Coordinator). Leila Basti research interests span the fields of Coastal Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Food and Water security. She has been conducting inter-disciplinary research, with international experts, on the environment-aquaculture interactions and environment-fisheries interactions, within the contexts of anthropogenic pressures and climate change, to improve the sustainability of aquatic food production systems. She is also a subtheme lead in a food security project in UAE and is building research on sustainable aquaculture production systems, integration of AI in aquaculture production, IMTA as well as sustainable aquafeed. She was selected as an Expert for a National Program on Seafood Safety (Private Sector) and served as a Delegate and a Reviewer for the National Strategy on Sustainable Marine Environment and Fisheries (including Aquaculture), MOCCAE (Gov.), UAE. Dr Leila Basti was a member of the Asia-Pacific Aquaculture Committee and served as an International Program Chair (2017–2022) for World Aquaculture Singapore 2022 (WAS/SFA). She has been publishing several peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in leading journals, has been a presenter at over 50 International Events in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and is on the editorial board of several journals, including Reviews in Aquaculture. She has been an invited researcher, scientist, and professor to several world-leading universities and institutions in USA, Europe, Africa, and Asia. She also served as a keynote speaker, an invited expert speaker, an invited consulting speaker, and an invited guest to conferences, governmental and continental union events as well as world forums.    

DIRECTOR – Dr. Alastair Smart

Dr. Alastair Smart grew up on a mountainous wool growing property in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia with views to the sea – which clearly did the trick. This precipitated into 3 decades of working in aquaculture in numerous countries, species and all aspects of the fish farming process. Variety is the spice of life so Alastair started this journey by making feed for bluefin tuna and crocodiles, farming mussels in Port Lincoln before heading overseas and immersing into the salmon industry throughout Scotland, Norway, Chile, Canada, Ireland and Australia. He hasn’t stopped and most recently was CEO of Australia’s only ocean grown barramundi operation.  

DIRECTOR – Dr. Yeong Yik Sung

Dr. Yeong Yik Sung (Sunny) Term ends 2027)

The esteemed Director of the Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB) at University Malaysia Terengganu
Email: Yeong Yik Sung <yeong@umt.edu.my>

Yeong Yik Sung is the esteemed Director of the Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB) at University Malaysia Terengganu. His extensive research focuses on aquaculture, shrimp immunology, and live food production. Throughout his distinguished career, he has supervised and mentored over 25 postgraduate students, nurturing the next generation of experts in marine biotechnology and aquaculture.

Prof. Yeong has successfully secured and led numerous local and international research grants from various organizations, contributing significantly to advancements in his field. His prolific publication record includes over 150 papers in high-impact, peer-reviewed international journals, reflecting his commitment to scientific excellence and earning him an H-index of 24. In addition to his research and leadership, Prof. Yeong is an active contributor to the academic community. He serves on the editorial boards of journals such as OLAR, SJST, and the Can Tho University Journal of Science. He has also been invited as a Guest Editor for several special issues in prominent Frontiers journals.

His expertise and reputation have led to prestigious appointments as a Visiting Professor at Tianjin Agriculture University, Ocean University of China, and Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia. Currently, he holds the position of Chair of the International Artemia Aquaculture Consortium (IAAC) under NACA and serves as Secretary of the ASEAN Fisheries Education Network (ASEAN-FEN). In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field and international collaboration, Prof. Yeong was recently honoured with the Royal Decoration “Order of the Crown - Rank Officer” by the King of the Belgians.

  is the Assistant Professor at Faculty of Fisheries, Nong Lam University at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Founder and CEO, Minh Phu Aquamekong ShrimpVet Laboratory, ShrimpVet Food Co. LtD: Chairman & CEO, Luxneo Biologicals Jointstock Co. LtD: Chairman & CEO.

Leading a young team of 80+ people, Loc and his co-workers have been working on various field related to aquaculture including: genetics, diagnostics, aquaculture products testing, disease prevention technologies, hatchery technologies, and farming technologies. ShrimpVet, a private independent research Lab, is now recognized as an international research team that serves the industry in Vietnam and several other aquaculture countries.

DIRECTOR – Dr. Denny Leonardo 

 Denny Leonardo is the CEO of Pandora Aquatech and a young Indonesian aquatechnologist, he dedicated to shaping a sustainable, scalable, and thriving blue economy within Indonesia’s aquaculture sector. Drawing from hands-on experience across the entire value chain—from hatchery operations, farm system design, and animal health management to downstream processing, he leverages his multidisciplinary background to drive meaningful impact in this vital industry. His work extends well beyond Pandora Aquatech. He serves as Director of Tequisa and co-own Prima Larvae Bali and UKSMA,

further deepening my engagement in hatchery, farming, and supply-chain advancements. His involvement as an Independent Commissioner of PT Agro Bahari Nusantara Tbk, a public-listed shrimp farming company, reflects his commitment to high-level governance and long-term industry growth. Additionally, his participation as Secretary of Shrimp Club Indonesia (SCI) and co-leader of PMI allows him to foster dialogue among stakeholders, ensuring knowledge transfer and collaborative problem-solving across the sector. Central to his vision is forging connections—bridging the gaps between farmer organizations, associations, and international networks of young entrepreneurs. By engaging with groups like HIPILINDO, APCI, ASTI, and others, he helps translate challenges into opportunities, aligning diverse interests toward common goals. He believes that building these foundational relationships is critical to addressing Indonesia’s multifaceted aquaculture hurdles, from market development and production efficiency to certification standards, data-driven decision-making, and strategic investments. His involvement in multiple initiatives and advisory roles such as the Hatch innovation studios cohort, Growth Advisor at TeOra (focused on biotechnology solutions), and advisor for GoodTom and Delos enables him to integrate cutting-edge technologies and best practices into local contexts. As a partner in Tathva, he also works on the ground to structure investment deals, encouraging capital flow into promising aquaculture ventures. Meanwhile, as a co-organizer of the Shrimp Summit 2025 through TCRS, he helps set the stage for critical discussions, knowledge exchange, and strategic alignment within the industry’s future direction. Ultimately, he believes that aquaculture holds immense potential to contribute to global food security and environmental stewardship. By harnessing innovation, fostering collaboration, and ensuring access to the right resources, he aim to lay the essential building blocks for an aquaculture sector that is both resilient and impactful.

s currently affiliated with the Institute of Marine Biotechnology (IMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), specializing in Fisheries Genomics. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Fisheries) from UMT and PhD in Fish Genetics from Auburn University, USA. She was appointed as the Final Year Project Coordinator in the Faculty of Fisheries and Food Sciences (2012-2015) and the Head of Biotechnology Section in the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (2016-2019). She has taught 14 different courses of diploma, undergraduate and post-graduate levels. She has also closely monitored a total number of 41 students for their academic projects.

STUDENT DIRECTOR – Dr. Fanny Ayumi Yasumaru

Dr. Fanny Ayumi Yasumaru Background aquaculture engineering, with emphasis in aquaculture nutrition, including in vitro protein digestion for quality assessment in feedstuffs and finished feeds, aiming at industrial application for marine shrimp from early larval to juvenile stages, and freshwater and marine fish species. Additionally, technical expertise in feed formulation, feed making, in vivo digestibility and feeding trials with fish and shrimp species, proximate analysis of ingredients and finished feeds. Joined Aquaculture Innovation Centre (Singapore) in July 2019 as Research Scientist and since December 2020 is Manager of Research and Services, participating in research projects with aquaculture industry partners. Also involved in providing training on entrepreneurship in aquaculture, good aquaculture practices, and responsible care and use of fish for research purposes. Recently, has been involved in co-organizing the webinar series “Talking with Titans” with Dr. Albert Tacon and Dr. Kabir Chowdhury, from the Aquaculture Nutritionists Network.