Speaker — Neptune Forum 2026
Vladimir Ryabinin
Co-chair of Neptune Scientific Council
Former Executive Secretary, IOC-UNESCO; co-Chair of the Mission Neptune Scientific Council
Dr. Vladimir Ryabinin is an oceanographer, climatologist, meteorologist, and marine engineer. Dr. Ryabinin is one of the creators of the first Soviet technology for weekly numerical weather prediction implemented in the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he led studies that showed feasibility of constructing polar underwater gas pipelines. In 2001-2015, Dr. Ryabinin was responsible for the international coordination of the World Climate Research Programme studies of polar regions and cryosphere, including International Polar Year 2007-2008, research on the ocean, sea level, stratosphere and its ozone layer, atmospheric chemistry and climate, and contribution of scientific research to climate services. As the immediate past (2015-2024) Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, he was behind the design and launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021-2030; initiation of the IOC program on ocean literacy; development of the first IOC State of the Ocean Report; and mainstreaming ocean science in the UN sustainability agenda. Dr. Ryabinin is an Emeritus Meteorologist of the Russian Federation and a laureate of the Compass Award (2020) of the Marine Technology Society for achievements that have had a significant impact on the fields of marine science and technology. He is currently serving as International Senior Advisor to the leadership and community of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego.
