On 2 October 2026, the Coastal Oceanography and Climate Change Research Center (COCC), Prince of Songkla University (PSU), hosted the Progress Meeting and 2nd Mini-Symposium, “Reinventing the Blue Lens: Advanced Technologies for Ocean Discovery,” at the Faculty of Environmental Management, PSU Hat Yai Campus. The event brought together participants both on-site and online to share research progress and explore new opportunities for collaboration in marine and ocean science.
The event was organized through the collaborative network of Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Kasetsart University (KU), and Chulalongkorn University (CU) under the Reinventing University initiative. The collaboration aims to strengthen academic excellence, international research partnerships, and innovative approaches to addressing challenges facing the marine environment.
The program opened with welcome remarks by Assoc. Prof. Sutinee Sinutok, Ph.D., Director of COCC, followed by opening remarks from Assoc. Prof. Sunton Wongsiri, M.D., Vice President for Research and Innovation, Prince of Songkla University.
A key part of the symposium was the scientific program, which featured presentations from 9 visiting professors and 9 Thai researchers within the network. Their presentations covered a broad range of topics, including marine and coastal science, climate change, remote sensing and data science, coastal ecosystems and blue carbon, marine pollution and environmental chemistry, aquaculture, genetics and biotechnology, and advanced technologies for ocean observation and discovery.
Bringing together expertise from different fields provided participants with opportunities to share research progress, methodologies, and emerging technologies. The discussions also helped researchers identify complementary areas of expertise and explore potential opportunities for interdisciplinary and international research collaboration.
The event concluded with a Networking Discussion, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Ponlachart Chotikarn, Ph.D., together with Ms. Natthida Thammakirati, COCC. The discussion provided an opportunity for participants to move beyond individual research projects and consider ways to build stronger, more connected research partnerships.
By connecting researchers, institutions, and diverse areas of expertise, the meeting represents an important step in strengthening the PSU–KU–CU marine research network and linking Thai researchers with international experts. Such collaboration can support the development and exchange of knowledge, technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches needed to better understand and respond to the challenges facing our changing oceans.
COCC sincerely thanks the visiting professors, Thai researchers, speakers, moderators, students, organizing teams, and all participants for contributing to the success of the event and to the continued development of a more connected marine research community.
