Maryam El Bakali

Prof. Maryam EL BAKALI is a Moroccan scientist and researcher specializing in sustainable aquaculture and marine biotechnology. She is an Associate Professor at Abdelmalek Essaadi University-Tangier-Morocco and Affiliated Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco. She coordinates the Master’s programme in « Biotechnologies Avancées et Innovation Appliquées à l’Agriculture et à l’Aquaculture ».  She is also Founder and President of the Mediterranean and Atlantic Foundation for Research, Advancement, Innovation, Sensitization and Education in Aquaculture, Aquaponics and Sustainable Development (RAISEAqua Foundation), Founder and Director of the Sustainable Aquaculture, Aquaponics and Nutrition Laboratory (SustAqua Lab), and, in 2026, she was elected Regional Director for North Africa of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), a leading global organization dedicated to advancing sustainable aquaculture, capacity building, and the blue economy. She is also a Member of the Correspondence Group on Marine Geoengineering (IMO/UK) and serves as Delegate of Abdelmalek Essaâdi University to the European University of the Seas.

With more than 20 years of experience, her research focuses on integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), aquaponics, low-trophic species, sustainable alternative aquafeeds, and marine biotechnology. She leads innovative research projects on “Smart Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture and Aquaponics Beyond Food Production Systems.” Within this research framework, she supervises several PhD and Master’s research projects, has published her research in international scientific journals, and has been invited to present her research and expertise at numerous international conferences, scientific meetings, and professional events across Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia.

Prof. El Bakali has contributed to national, European-funded, and other international research projects and undertaken scientific research mobilities in Spain, France, Italy, Canada, and Norway. She also serves as a peer reviewer for international scientific journals.

Beyond her research activities, Prof. EL BAKALI is actively engaged in international networking and knowledge dissemination. Through the RAISEAqua Foundation, in collaboration with national and international partners, she leads, organises, and presides over several international scientific events dedicated to sustainable aquaculture, aquaponics, Aquafeeds and marine biology. These include the International Aquaponics Scientific Days, the RaiseAqua International Aquaculture Forum, the International Conference on Oceanography: Marine Biology, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Sustainable Food Production Systems International Workshop, and the International Symposium on Aquaculture Feed Ingredients: Nutrition, Health and Feed Management among others. She also contributed to the launch of Women in Aquaculture Africa, an initiative dedicated to empowering women scientists, professionals and entrepreneurs in the aquaculture sector.

As a 2027 STIAS Team Fellow, Prof. Maryam EL BAKALI brings her expertise in sustainable aquaculture, aquaponics, water and nutrient reuse, and circular resource management to the team’s interdisciplinary exploration of how integrated and circular food-production systems can contribute to climate resilience, resource efficiency, and sustainable food security across Africa.      

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