Marie-Chantal Ross is a national leader in ocean innovation and a passionate advocate for the Blue Economy. As the Director of Canada’s $74 million NRC Ocean Program, she has architected and led a portfolio of transformative research initiatives focused on coastal resilience, intelligent marine systems, pollution remediation, and the sustainable use of ocean bio-assets. Her work has directly influenced national ocean policy and investment strategies, including the Blue Economy Assessment Framework for Atlantic Canada, which has shaped the direction of this panel.
With over two decades of experience spanning both government and private sectors, Marie-Chantal is known for translating complex science into actionable policy, fostering cross-sectoral coalitions, and embedding Indigenous knowledge systems into marine innovation frameworks.
She is currently focused on evaluating the Ocean Program’s impact and developing strategies to ensure NRC research continues to addresse global priorities and knowledge gaps in the Blue Economy. Her current research interest is to explore how the Bounded Global Economy model can be operationalized through the SDGs to measure the ‘blueness’ of companies and sectors. Her desire is provide the framework for tools that can guide both investment decisions and policy development. A confident and engaging bilingual speaker (English/French), she brings systems thinking, scientific credibility, and policy fluency to public forums, with a track record of shaping national conversations on ocean sustainability.