Sebastian Unger leads the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies’ (IASS) work on ocean governance.

He has a background in Biology and Political Science and 15 years of experience in international ocean policy. His research focuses on global governance processes for ocean sustainability, including the development of a new international agreement for marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the governance of deep seabed mining.

In 2007 Sebastian was appointed as Deputy-Secretary to the OSPAR Commission, the international convention for the Protection of the North‐East Atlantic. He was intensively involved in the development of the world’s first network of marine protected areas on the “High Seas” and coordinated the negotiation of new international legislation in the fields of biodiversity, impacts from human activities, and the offshore oil and gas industry. Previously he served at the German Federal Foreign Office as desk officer for international maritime affairs.