Webinar: Offshore Seaweed Cultivation

Name: Dr Brian von Herzen
Affiliation: CEO, Climate Foundation

Dr. Brian von Herzen is the founder and Executive Director of the Climate Foundation, a global leader in marine permaculture and regenerative ocean solutions. With a PhD in physics from Caltech and decades of experience in systems engineering, Dr. von Herzen has pioneered the development and deployment of scalable, automated offshore seaweed mariculture platforms. His work bridges cutting-edge science, engineering, and climate action, focusing on restoring ocean ecosystems, supporting sustainable mariculture, and enabling blue economies for coastal communities. Dr. von Herzen’s vision and leadership have catalysed international collaborations and innovations that are transforming the future of food, climate, and ocean health.

Name: Dr Joseph Rauch
Affiliation: Senior Technologist, Climate Foundation

Dr Joseph Rauch is a Technical Lead at the Climate Foundation, where he spearheads the engineering and deployment of marine permaculture systems. With a Ph.D. in Physics from Brandeis University, his expertise spans complex systems and experimental design. Joe has been instrumental in co-designing and building moored upwelling platforms, successfully demonstrating deep-water nutrient delivery for seaweed growth in diverse ocean environments. His work focuses on the practical aspects of scaling, automation, and remote command, control, telemetry, and communications, ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of offshore platforms for ocean restoration and sustainable mariculture.

Name: Steve Hamilton
Affiliation: Senior Systems Engineer, Climate Foundation

Steve Hamilton is a senior systems engineer at the Climate Foundation, with decades of experience in electro-mechanical design, construction, and validation. His career spans from designing early mini-computer systems to leading the development of advanced application processor SoCs for mobile devices. Steve also pioneered Personal Rapid Transit systems, blending mechanical engineering with real-world infrastructure. At the Climate Foundation, he now focuses on scaling and commercialising the Marine Permaculture platform—large offshore structures that restore ocean ecosystems and support sustainable mariculture. Steve specialises in optimising structural requirements for survivability, cost-effective design, and advanced automation in challenging marine environments.

Name: Professor Jeff Wright
Affiliation: Seaweed Biologist and Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, UTAS

Jeff is a seaweed biologist and ecologist whose current research focuses on applied aspects of seaweed biology to support the sustainable production of seaweed for bio-products and restoration. He currently leads several large research projects at IMAS where his team is developing methods to bring seaweed into cultivation. In these projects, he works with multiple stakeholders across industry, government and research.

Name: Professor Chien Ming Wang
Affiliation: RP1 Program Leader/Professor, Blue Economy CRC/The University of Queensland

C.M. Wang is a Professor in Structural Engineering, The University of Queensland. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, a Fellow of Academy of Engineering Singapore, and a Fellow of Institution of Structural Engineers. His research interests are in the areas of structural mechanics and floating structures and has published over 500 journal papers and 10 books in these fields. He is the Leader of the Offshore Engineering and Technology Program of the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre. His current research focuses on the development of offshore fish pens, seaweed cultivation platforms and very large floating structures for infrastructure and townships.

Name: Professor Lindsey White
Affiliation: RP2 Deputy Program Leader/ Professor of Phycology and Fisheries, Blue Economy CRC/AUT

Professor White earned his BSc and PhD from the University of Auckland and is currently a Professor of Phycology and Fisheries at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), a member of the Science Executive and Deputy Lead of the Seafood and Marine Products Research Programme.

His research, focused on seaweed utilisation and sustainable inshore fisheries, has attracted over NZ$14.5M in funding, including major grants from government and the private sector.

In leadership roles at AUT, Professor White served as Associate Dean of Research and Enterprise, helping shape research strategy across the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences. He also held roles as Head of School and Associate Dean of International. These roles involved driving key strategic initiatives, developing international partnerships, researcher development and supporting research commercialisation efforts. His leadership contributions extend to university-wide governance, including chairing committees on faculty research awards, academic promotions, and postgraduate board activities.

Alongside his academic work, he remains active in professional and community service, contributing to various boards, editorial committees, and advisory panels, particularly within New Zealand’s marine research and industry sectors. He also takes pride in mentoring students, having supervised more than 20 postgraduate students to completion.