Sylvia Sander

Prof. Dr. Sylvia G. Sander is a marine biogeochemist with a PhD in Chemistry whose work integrates marine geochemistry, environmental chemistry, and ocean governance. She focuses on the role, speciation, and environmental behaviour of metals in the ocean — including hydrothermal systems, the sediment–water interface, trace-metal cycling, hydrothermal fluxes, marine mineral resources, and the environmental implications of anthropogenic pressures such as deep-sea mining and pollution. She has contributed extensively to advancing the understanding of metal bioavailability, geochemical processes, and the interactions between ocean chemistry, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning.

After academic positions in Germany and the Netherlands, Prof. Sander spent 16 years at the University of Otago, New Zealand, where she became Associate Professor in Marine Biogeochemistry. She subsequently served as Head of the Marine Environmental Studies Laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Monaco, working extensively within the United Nations system, including with UNEP and the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP). Since 2021, she has been Helmholtz Distinguished Professor for Marine Mineral Resources at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Kiel University.

Prof. Sander chaired the European Marine Board Working Group on Deep Sea and Ocean Health, leading to the publication of Future Science Brief No. 12 on deep-sea research and management needs. Her career has been characterised by multidisciplinary international collaboration bridging marine geosciences, chemistry, microbiology, oceanography, and environmental policy in support of sustainable ocean governance.