Dr. Bénédicte Charrier is a senior scientist from CNRS working at Station Biologique Roscoff, France. She is a specialist of macroalgae morphogenesis and development, with an expertise on the filmentous alga Ectocarpus siliculosus. She is currently the Chair of the European network "Phycomorph", supported by the Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Association (2015-2019), which aims to coordinate research in growth, reproduction, and morphogenesis of macroalgae in Europe and in association with Asian and North American laboratories. Dr. Thomas Wichard is a research group leader at the Institute for　Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry of the Friedrich Schiller　University Jena. The main focus of his research group is to elucidate　the mutualistic interactions between bacteria and the marine macroalga　Ulva ("cross-kingdom-cross-talk"). The group applies various　methodologies in analytical chemistry, chemical ecology and molecular　biology to understand the basis of eco-physiological processes. Dr. CRK Reddy is a Chief Scientist in Seaweed Biology and Biotechnology Cultivation at CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute in Bhavnagar, India. He is an expert in marine macroalgae, making significant contributions to macroalgae tissue culture and protoplast techniques including genetic improvement of seaweeds, seaweed biomass for chemicals and biofuels, seaweed biodiversity, and seaweed biology and cultivation.