Vaibhav A. Mantri is a Sr. Principal Scientist and Professor in the Marine Biotechnology and Ecology Division of Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR), Bhavnagar, India. He has expertise in seaweed biodiversity studies, optimization of culture for seedling production, and experimental seaweed farming for improvement in agronomically important traits. He was engaged in research centered around improving cultivation techniques for economically important seaweeds to achieve year-round farming. This essentially required more focused attention on strain improvement, artificial seedling production, protocol to reduce epiphytic infestation, developing viable methods of farming as well as understanding the role of environmental determinants. He was also trying to establish the environmental implication of seaweed cultivation in tropical waters.