My name is Mustafa Yucel and I am a marine biogeochemist focusing on elemental cycling in oceans, particularly focusing on the deep-sea. Having been trained in USA as a chemical oceanographer, I have conducted postdoctoral research in France (UPMC) and Germany (GEOMAR). Since April 2015, I have been appointed as a faculty member in METU Institute of Marine Sciences in Turkey and currently I am the Vice Director of the institute responsible with research coordination and international collaborations. I have published over 30 international publications and spent a total of 13 months in deep-sea expeditions across the globe, participating in 5 dives to ocean floor with research submersibles Alvin (USA) and Nautile (France). I am particularly interested in developing research and innovation approaches for emerging blue economy sectors in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. I am actively contributing to the preparation of a new Black Sea SRIA within the framework of the Blue Growth Initiative for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea.