Angelina Spilnyk
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Angelina Spilnyk is a PhD researcher within the SustAI Centre for Doctoral Training, where her work sits at the intersection of sustainability, artificial intelligence, and marine governance. With an academic background in international public and maritime law, her research focuses on how digital systems can support biodiversity protection and strengthen legal accountability in marine environments. Her current PhD research explores the use of AI to automate and enhance compliance with marine environmental regulations, particularly in relation to the protection of marine species and habitats affected by shipping operations. She investigates how ecological and legal data can be integrated into real-time decision-support systems. By focusing on shipping corridors, her work aims to develop tools that proactively identify environmental risks and support more responsive, enforceable ocean governance. Through participation in the Policy Associate Scheme, Angelina aims to deepen her understanding of policy development processes and strengthen her ability to translate interdisciplinary research into practical, evidence-informed policy recommendations. She views the scheme as an important opportunity to develop skills that will directly inform her doctoral research and support her long-term goal of working at the science–policy interface to advance sustainable and accountable ocean governance.