Prof. Dr. Marleen De Troch is a marine ecologist who graduated as Master in Biology (option Zoology) with a masterthesis on ‘Community structure and feeding ecology of fishes from a tropical bay (Gazi Bay, Kenya) ’. Her PhD research focussed on the structural biodiversity of harpacticoid copepods (Crustacea) in tropical seagrass beds and was conducted in cooperation with marine researchers in Kenya, Mexico and The Philippines. As Postdoctoral Fellow she studied trophic interactions at the basis of marine food webs (mainly between bacteria, diatoms and copepods) by means of lab experiments and trophic biomarkers (stable isotopes, fatty acids) . This functional approach of marine biodiversity is applied to coastal systems worldwide (tropical seagrass beds, polar systems, intertidal flats) and is further expanded to higher trophic levels (fish) and impact studies. This research aims to form the ecological basis of sustainable use of marine resources (aquaculture) .