Kirsten Isensee has been a programme specialist at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 2012. Her work focuses on ocean carbon sources and sinks, trying to distinguish the natural and anthropogenic influences on the marine environment in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing to the achievement of the outcomes of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. She provides technical assistance to emerging ocean science activities and facilitates collaboration between scientists, policymakers and stakeholders, via networks such as the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network, the International Blue Carbon Initiative, the International Partnership for Blue Carbon, the Integrated Ocean Carbon Research Working Group and the Global Ocean Oxygen Network. She co-leads the Ocean Decade Programme ‘Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability’. In addition she oversees the production of the Global Ocean Science Report and supports the publication of the State of the Ocean Report. She received her diploma and her PhD in marine biology from the University of Rostock, Germany.