The Blue Food Futures Program will host two early-career researchers dedicated to elevating the role of blue foods in global food systems transformation.
The Blue Food Futures Program team is proud to welcome researchers Gladys Mwaka Holeh and Ruyel Miah as the 2026 Blue Food Future Fellows. Holeh and Miah are recognized for their work advancing blue food solutions for climate resilience, nutrition security, ecological sustainability, and social justice.
“We are delighted to welcome Holeh and Miah to the Blue Food Futures Program. They bring extensive field experience in Kenya and Bangladesh and a keen interest in connecting blue food science and policy,” said Josheena Naggea, Blue Food Futures Program Manager. “ Their contributions will be crucial in ensuring that emerging blue food research is effectively incorporated into food policy transformations.”
Now in its second year, the Blue Food Futures Fellowship aims to strengthen the link between blue food science, policy, and action. Fellows receive a 6-month research stipend to support fieldwork and policy engagement. Holeh, who is currently based at Ghent University in Belgium, will focus her research on her home country of Kenya. Miah is based at the University of Waterloo in Canada and will draw from his research in Bangladesh, his home country.
Holeh and Miah will also receive mentorship from blue food experts, present their findings at science and policy convenings, and join a global network of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
“We are excited for Holeh and Miah to apply their local expertise and policy interests across current Blue Food Futures Program research,” said Jessica Gephart, co-chair of the program’s science committee. “As we work to ensure that research is actionable, we need to embed policy relevance from the outset.”
Meet the fellows
“As a Blue Food Futures Fellow, I’m looking forward to turning place-based seaweed research into practical insights that strengthen nutrition, climate resilience, and equitable livelihoods in coastal communities. I’m excited to work with the program’s mentors and partners to co-develop policy-ready outputs that elevate African perspectives in global blue food discussions.”
Gladys Mwaka Holeh
Gladys Mwaka Holeh is a marine and aquaculture scientist, a research scientist at the Flanders Marine Institute, and a doctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium. She is also affiliated with the African Institute for Capacity Development. Her work focuses on sustainable aquaculture and the blue economy, with a special interest in artisanal seaweed farming along Kenya’s coast. Through field studies, community surveys, and lab analysis, she examines how seaweed can strengthen nutrition, climate resilience, and coastal livelihoods. She has also supported science-to-policy work through roles with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute and the Ocean Youth Academy, consultancies with KPMG and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and service as a board member at the Kenya Wildlife Research and Training Institute.
“Small-scale fisheries make an immense contribution to nutrition and livelihoods for millions of people, yet their role often remains undervalued in the global food system. As a Blue Food Futures Fellow, I look forward to working on amplifying the significance of small-scale fisheries for building sustainable, equitable, and resilient blue food transitions from a Global South perspective.”
Ruyel Miah
Ruyel Miah is an early-career researcher, originally from Bangladesh, currently working as a project coordinator on the Climate Change Adaptation project at York University and as a research associate at the University of Waterloo in Canada. His research sits at the intersection of governance, blue food systems, social equity, and planetary health, with a focus on small-scale fisheries in the Global South. Miah’s work aims to bridge the gap between science, policy, and community action to help design governance systems that simultaneously achieve ecological sustainability, nutritional security, and social justice for the millions of people who depend on coastal fisheries resources.