Alexander Barth (M) holds a PhD in Oceanography and his major contribution is given by new ideas in data assimilation. He significantly contributed to the project “Global Ocean Predication with the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM)”. His scientific ideas have led to a high number of presentations at science meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He was awarded the 2010 Outstanding Young Scientist Award for his achievements in the field of data assimilation in oceanography, to which he has contributed original ideas on the development of assimilation strategies for regional ocean models.