Dr. Esther Uzoma Kadiene is one of Sycomore’s Marine scientists. She is a marine and environmental biologist from Nigeria who holds dual PhDs in Marine Biology from National Taiwan Ocean University and in Environmental Biology, Population Biology & Ecology from Université de Lille, France. Her doctoral research examined heavy metal toxicity (especially cadmium) on calanoid copepods, comparing species and sex-specific sensitivity, bioaccumulation pathways (including a novel demonstration of oral uptake from water), life-history traits, gene expression patterns, and multigenerational effects. The work resulted in multiple publications in Q1 journals including Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Chemosphere, and Scientific Reports.

Dr. Kadiene has led applied field projects on seaweed resource exploration and identification in Nigerian coastal waters and the development of sustainable aquaculture and fisheries in Delta State, involving community surveys, water and sediment quality analysis, and practical recommendations for local fish farmers. In 2025 she completed the UNESCO-IOC International Traineeship (Italy) on satellite-based monitoring of coastal and inland water quality for climate resilience, ecosystem management, and sustainable ocean governance. She is also a certified Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operator and JNCC-certified Marine Mammal Observer (MMO).

As a Lecturer in the Department of Animal and Environmental Biology at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, she supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students and has established international research collaborations with institutions in Taiwan, France, Italy and the United States of America. Dr. Kadiene is passionate about bridging rigorous science with real-world marine conservation, pollution assessment, and blue-economy solutions. She is a diver currently in training and an ocean advocate.