MTS eDNA Technology Committee Seminar | Connecting Currents: Building Global Collaboration Across eDNA Societies

Date: December 11, 2025
Time: 12:30 PM PST / 3:30 PM EST
Register: Click here

This webinar will bring together leaders from emerging eDNA societies—including SeDNA, the Japanese eDNA Society, the emerging EU eOmics initiative and the MTS eDNA Committee—for a conversation about shared goals, regional perspectives, and opportunities for collaboration.

Speakers

Mehrdad Hajibabaei, University of Guelph

Dr. Mehrdad Hajibabaei is a global leader in environmental DNA (eDNA) science and applications. He serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics and Professor at the University of Guelph, Canada, leading a research portfolio on the use of genomics for biodiversity assessment and monitoring and eco-evolutionary studies. His research has produced over 200 publications and 28,000 citations (h-index 67). 

As Founder of eDNAtec Inc., Dr. Hajibabaei has driven the development and worldwide adoption of eDNA technologies that support industry, government and other stakeholders for environmental decision-making.

Dr. Hajibabaei is a founding force behind international eDNA standardization and governance, including establishing the International eDNA Standardization Task Force (iESTF) and the International Workshop on Environmental Genomics (IWEG). He has also served as the international liaison and steering committee member for Government eDNA Working Group (GEDWG). Through these efforts, he plays a central role in shaping global frameworks for the responsible and scalable use of eDNA.

Florian Leese, University of Duisburg-Essen

Florian Leese has been Full Professor of Aquatic Ecosystem Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, since 2015, where he also serves as Vice Dean of Research. His work focuses on advancing molecular tools for monitoring biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems, particularly under human-induced environmental stressors. He integrates field ecology with genetic and genomic methods to better detect and assess changes in species and community composition. A key aspect of his research involves the development and application of DNA-based techniques for improved aquatic biomonitoring. He played a central role in DNAqua-Net, a European network that brought together scientists and practitioners to promote the implementation of molecular tools in environmental monitoring. Through his work, he aims to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application, fostering international collaboration across science, policy, and industry. He is also actively involved in national (DIN) and international (CEN, ISO) standardization bodies, contributing to the development of standards for DNA-based biomonitoring and FAIR data practices.

Hiroki YAMANAKA, Ryukoku University

Hiroki is a Professor at Ryukoku University in Japan, where he also serves as the Director of the Center for Biodiversity Science. A freshwater ecologist with a background in eDNA research since 2009, Hiroki is passionate about advancing new techniques to extract a broader range of biological information from water, soil, and air. His goal is to look beyond simple species distribution to investigate factors such as biomass, developmental stages, and physiological states. A founding board member of The eDNA Society (2018), he currently focuses on standardizing methodologies and internationalizing the society to facilitate the global implementation of eDNA technology.

Anastasija Zaiko, Sequench

Anastasija (Ana) Zaiko is a marine scientist with a broad expertise in aquatic ecology, ecology of biological invasions and the development and assessment of molecular tools for monitoring and surveillance. She started her eDNA journey in early 2010s in Lithuania, applying molecular approaches to marine non-indigenous species detection, ballast water assessment and monitoring of the coastal ecosystems. After moving to New Zealand in 2014, she had leading roles in many national and international research programmes, projects and field expeditions, conducting experimental and observational studies in aquatic ecosystems employing a range of different surveillance techniques (traditional and molecular). In 2021, Anastasija took a leap from her purely academic career and opened a professional molecular lab Sequench, in Nelson, New Zealand and in Klaipeda, Lithuania, offering high-throughput sequencing services as well as wider range of molecular analyses and science underpinned solutions for environmental monitoring. In 2023, she was elected a President of the recently established Southern eDNA Society (SeDNAs), which stem from the informal collaboration of motivated eDNA practitioners across Australia and New Zealand and aims to promote science and industry collaboration to advance best practice eDNA methods and their wider adoption nature research and conservation.

Bettina Thalinger, Applied Biodiversity Research and Molecular Ecology Group at WasserCluster Lunz

As of January 2026, Bettina Thalinger will lead the Applied Biodiversity Research and Molecular Ecology Group at WasserCluster Lunz (Austria). The detection of trace amounts of DNA in environmental samples (eDNA) via targeted assays and metabarcoding are the methodological focus of her research on dynamic species distribution patterns, trophic interactions, and the connection between functional ecology and local biodiversity. Over the last years, her work spans aquatic and marine ecosystems with cetaceans (www.ewhale.eu), fishes, birds, and arthropods being the primary taxa under investigation. The inclusion of stakeholder groups, citizen science, and the dissemination of results to the general public are cornerstones of her research efforts. For almost 10 years she is part of standardization efforts in the eDNA community regarding the implementation of eDNA-based techniques into routine monitoring and the publication of associated datasets. Recently she is involved in the coordination of the European eDNA community for establishing eDNA^Europe, a European eDNA society.