Jan Dierking is a marine ecologist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany and will be Chief Scientist of MSM126 Jellyweb Madeira, a deep-sea research expedition taking place in Madeira's waters in February 2024.

From Jan: I have a particular interest in fishes and jellyfish and their role in marine food webs and ecosystems, from temperate regions to the tropics. My research questions range from the individual (e.g., why is Baltic cod condition declining in a warming Baltic?) to the system level (e.g, what is the role of the “jelly web” in oceanic food webs?). To answer these questions, I have used a broad array of approaches, including stable isotope ecology to study migrations and trophic interactions and molecular approaches to assess connectivity and population structure. Whenever possible, I try to promote the transfer of scientific knowledge to support conservation and resource management, e.g., via HELCOM working groups in the Baltic Sea region, and have been named a Björn Carlsons Baltic Fellow for these efforts. I have been chief scientist on more than 10 seagoing expeditions to date, but MSM126 Jellyweb Madeira will be my largest one - I consider it an adventure of a life time and am truly excited about this unique opportunity to contribute to the understanding of the marine systems surrounding Madeira.

Jan will be presenting 'The 2024 oceanic expedition MSM126 "Jellyweb Madeira" -- including the habitats, biodiversity and food web functioning of the deep sea systems surrounding Madeira' at the MAD-Deep Symposium.