Dr. Blandina Robert Lugendo has been elected unopposed as the Country Coordinator for mainland Tanzania. Dr. Lugendo is the head of the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology of the University of Dar es Salaam. She holds BSc. (Marine Biology and Microbiology), MSc. (Marine Biology) both from the University of Dar es Salaam, and PhD (Fish Ecology) from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Her main research areas include seagrass ecology, fish ecology, mangrove ecology, trophic relationships, as well as stable isotope studies where she has researched and published. Dr. Lugendo has been a member of WIOMSA since 1996. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Sciences (2010 to date). She has also served as a member of WIOMSA Scientific Committees.

She sees WIOMSA as an important platform that connects scientists working in the marine science disciplines in the WIO region and beyond. She also perceives WIOMSA as an important stepping stone for young scientists who want to grow in different disciplines of marine sciences. Her vision is to see the participation of marine scientists and research institutions from Tanzania in WIOMSA’s various activities improved, and help WIOMSA achieve its vision.