Dr Teo KARAYANNIS

Head, Marine Biosafety, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Dr Theofanis (Teo) Karayannis joined the Marine Environment Division of the IMO Secretariat in March 2014 and since August 2017 holds the position of Head, Marine Biosafety, being in charge of biosafety-related topics (ballast water management, anti-fouling systems and biofouling management) and the associated IMO instruments (the BWM and AFS Conventions and the Biofouling Guidelines). He is also IMO’s focal point for inter-agency partnerships related to marine biosafety. Prior to joining IMO he worked for Lloyd’s Register, as a Senior Specialist in the Strategic Research and Technology Policy Group, and prior to that he held a position in the Marine Pollution Prevention and Cargoes Department of the Greek national maritime Administration. Dr Karayannis has a Diploma in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (Greece) and a PhD in Ship Science from the University of Southampton (UK).