David joined the World Bank in September 2020 as a Young Professional. His current engagement focuses on promoting the Blue Economy as a path to economic growth and resilience in the East Asia and the Pacific region, mainly in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. He was previously engaged in projects focused on the blue economy in the Caribbean and in Vietnam. Prior to joining the World Bank, he worked as a research scientist investigating the ecophysiology of marine microorganisms and their role in climate change within the global warming context. His time in active scientific research included expeditions to some of the world’s ocean-based hotspots for climate change, including the Antarctic Peninsula. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Microbiology from the University of Bremen, Germany and continues to support scientific research as a guest scientist at the University of Bremen in his spare time.