S.Çolpan Polat-Beken had her PhD (1995) in chemical oceanography at Institute of Marine Sciences of Middle East Technical University (IMS-METU) and associated professorship in 1999 on marine sciences with specific research topics linked to the oceanography of land-locked basins, biogeochemical processes and ecological studies in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean, Marmara Sea and the Black Sea. She worked as the responsible programme officer in MAP/MED POL Programme (Barcelona Convention) focusing on the coastal water pollution/eutrophication monitoring programmes at the Mediterranean scale during 2000-2006. She represented MED POL in MAMA (FP5) and IASON (FP6-SSA) projects and participated SPICOSA (FP6-IP) within a partner profile. She played a role in the preparation of the SEAS ERA (EU FP 7 ERA NET) Project and later she coordinated the work of producing a Strategic Research Agenda for the Black Sea (2011) as part of the Project. She prepared a regional gap analysis report (2007) of environmental policy implementation during 1996-2006 in the Black Sea and a report on the Implementation of Black Sea Strategic Action Plan (2008). Later, she prepared with a number of other regional experts, the “Diagnostic Report to guide improvements to the regular reporting process on the state of the Black Sea environment” (2010). She has a good knowledge of marine sciences and emerging issues in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean including gaps and needs at the regional levels. She has also a good knowledge on EU Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. She is currently leading a national scale Project on the understanding and applications of these two Directives for coastal and marine waters. The Project is being done for the Ministry of Environment in cooperation with a number of research organizations where the major output of the Project will be a proposal of a harmonized and integrated monitoring system for Turkish coastal and marine waters. She is also involved in the MISIS Project (MSFD Guiding Improvements in the Black Sea Integrated Monitoring System) being a preparatory action supported by the EC DG Environment. She is a member of the National Committee of Oceanography and Hydrography and currently acting as the vice-chair of the sub-committee responsible of preparation of the national marine research strategy and the programme. She has been working in the Marine and Inland Waters Unit of the Environment Institute of the Marmara Research Center /TUBITAK as a Chief Researcher since 2006.