INCAR is the first Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research in Chile, which deals with a range of issues and gaps in current knowledge related to the development of sustainable aquaculture in our country. This is a research center of excellence made up of a group of researchers with strong academic backgrounds in the wide-ranging areas related to aquaculture (immunology, genomics, oceanography, epidemiology, genetics, molecular biology, economy, ecology, sociology and biogeochemistry).
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ORGANIZATION CHART

ACADEMIC BOARD
The Academic Board, conformed by all the Principal Investigators of the center, is the main corporate decision making body of INCAR.

Internal
Advisory
Committee (IAC)
The IAC is chaired by the Director of INCAR and its members are the 5 Principal Investigators of the Center, 1 Associate Researcher for each Research Line, 1 representative of INCAR’s postdocs, 1 representative of the graduate students, the Regional Director of Aysén and the Outreach Manager. The representatives are all democratically elected and one alternate member is also elected for every full member. The objectives of the IAC are: (i) To improve communication channels within INCAR, promoting efficient feedback from the members of the Center to the Director and the Academic Board, (ii) To increase the participation level of the members of INCAR in the decision-making process, (iii) To enhance the sense of identity and belonging to INCAR by the members of the Center, (iv) To increase the transparency of the decision-making process of the Academic Board, and (v) To promote a more efficient governance system for INCAR.

Institutional
Board
The Institutional Board is composed by the Vice-President of Research and Development of the University of Concepción, the Vice-President of Research of the National University Andres Bello and the Director of Research and Development of the Austral University of Chile. The main function of the Institutional Board is to facilitate and coordinate the inter-institutional relationships among the three universities involved in the Center in order to promote synergic interaction to strengthen INCAR’s science.

Advisory Panel
INCAR’s Advisory Panel is composed of the following members: Ms. Alicia Gallardo, National Deputy Director of Aquaculture of the Chilean National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA), Ministry of Economy, Government of Chile; Mr. Eugenio Zamorano, Head of the Aquaculture Division, Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Economy, Government of Chile (SUBPESCA); Ms. Cristina Torres, Marine Program Officer (Chile) of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF); Ms. Yohana González, General Manager of the Association of Mussel Farmers of Chile (AMICHILE); Dr. Alfredo Tello, General Manager of the Salmon Technology Institute (INTESAL; this institute is the research branch of the Association of the Salmon Farming Industry of Chile, SalmonChile A.G.) and Ms. María Eugenia Camelio, Director of the FONDAP program, CONICYT. The role of the advisory panel is to link INCAR with key public and private organizations so that the actions of the center (research, educational, training, outreach) remain relevant for public and private stakeholders of Chilean aquaculture and ensure our contribution to the sustainability of the sector.
AUTHORITIES



ACADEMIC COMMITTE
The Academic Committee is made up of the Principal Investigators of each research line:

Cristián Gallardo Escárate
Principal Investigator Aquaculture Genome Technology
crisgallardo@oceanografia.udec.cl
Doctor in Sciences, Aquaculture and Marine Biotechnology, Ensenada Scientific and Educational Research Center, Baja California, Mexico.
Marine Biologist, Northern Catholic University, Chile
Bachelor in Marine Sciences, Northern Catholic University

Ruben Avendaño Herrera
Principal Investigator Marine genomics and Native Resources
Aquaculture Engineer, University of Antofagasta, Chile, 1997
Bachelor in Marine Sciences, University of Antofagasta, Chile, 1997
Doctor in Biology, Santiago de Compostela University, Spain, 2005

Jaime Figueroa Valverde
Principial Investigator, Animal Health
Bachelor of Biological Sciences, Austral University of Chile, 1977-1980
Master in Science, mention Molecular Biology, Austral University of Chile, 1980-1985.
Doctor in Sciences, mention Molecular Biology, Hamburg University Germany, 1988-1990 and Austral University of Chile, 1990-1995.

Renato Quiñones Bergeret
Principal Investigator Environmental Sustainability
rquinone@udec.cl
PhD. in Ecology and Evolution, Dalhousie University, Canada, 1992
Bachelor in Marine Biology, University of Concepción, Chile, 1983
Marine Biologist, University of Concepción, Chile, 1984

Jorge Dresdner Cid
Principal Investigator Socioecononomic Sustainability
Filosofie Doktor (PhD) in Economics, Uppsala University, Sweden, 1989.
Master in Social Sciences (Economics), Uppsala University, Sweden, 1983.
Filosofie Kandidat (Degree) in Social Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden, 1977.

Doris Soto Benavides
Principal Investigator Integrative Program
Bachelor in Biology, University of Chile, 1979
PhD in Ecology, University of California (Davis-San Diego) State University, USA, 1988