Dr. Ian Church is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering and the Assistant Dean of Engineering at UNB. He leads the Ocean Mapping Group and is the chair of the Canadian Ocean Mapping Research and Education Network (COMREN). He specializes in ocean mapping research and training with 20 years of experience in the field. He runs the IHO/FIG/ICA S5 Category-A recognized degree program at UNB and won the UNB Allan P. Stuart Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022. His primary research interests are currently automated multibeam sonar data processing and quality assurance, applied physical ocean modelling simulations, and coastal vertical datums. He has a BScE, MScE and PhD in Geomatics Engineering from UNB and previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Marine Science with the Hydrographic Science Research Center at the University of Southern Mississippi (Stennis Space Center campus). He manages the seabed mapping Research Vessel Heron, based on Vancouver Island, and has been involved with sonar data acquisition, management and student training on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen since 2005.