Speaker

About the speaker: 

Nikhil Neelakantan is the Senior Program Officer at Ocean Visions, where he leads programs focused on ocean-based pathways to decarbonization, including innovative uses of seaweed, decarbonizing shipping, marine renewable energy, and more. Previously at Ocean Visions, he worked on marine carbon dioxide removal R&D and policy, and led the program to provide technical advising and assistance to marine carbon dioxide removal companies. 

Nikhil brings cross-sector experience spanning financial services, semiconductors, and entrepreneurship, including founding a fintech startup based in India. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Purdue University, and a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Company info:

Ocean Visions is a nonprofit ocean conservation organization pursuing bold solutions to counter and reverse climate impacts on ocean health. Working with a global network of partners, they explore, evaluate, and advance innovations to address climate-driven harm to the ocean.

Presentation: 

Seaweed-based products—from biostimulants to biomaterials and more—hold significant promise for decarbonizing both land- and sea-based industries. Realizing this potential, however, will require scaling cultivation while addressing critical technology, infrastructure, and policy challenges. Ocean Visions recently launched an interdisciplinary, open access road map looking at seaweed-based pathways for decarbonizing society. This presentation will outline pathways for the seaweed sector to move from niche applications to a systemic contributor to global decarbonization.