Adel Heenan

Head of Analysis and Capacity Development and Technology Transfer, Global Programs

Boston, US

Adel Heenan leads Global Fishing Watch’s analysis and capacity development work which aims to use open data about human activities at sea to address the information needs for sustainable fisheries. By collaborating with national and regional agencies, Heenan seeks to create evidence-based outputs that can help improve the management of marine resources and better equip decision-makers to take part in the digital transformation of the marine sector.

Heenan has more than 15 years of marine resource management experience, with a focused expertise on tropical marine systems. Before coming to Global Fishing Watch, she worked in various capacities, including as: associate professor at the School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University; a Red List and CITES officer for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Shark Specialist Group; and a senior researcher for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in a pan-Pacific ecosystem monitoring team. Her expertise lies in large-scale monitoring and helping countries develop capacity for an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Heenan has a doctorate degree in marine conservation from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Science in tropical coastal management from Newcastle University, and she is a qualified teaching fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the U.K.

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