University also invested over 2 million dollars for the creation of DeepSense, a partnership between industry, academia and government focused on using ocean related data and artificial intelligence to better support commercial enterprises. In January 2020, the CEO position was taken up by Dr. Anya Waite who had previously served as the organizations Scientific Director. Throughout 2021 and 2022, OFI dramatically expanded its engagement with public and research groups with a series of webinars to inform ocean and coastal governance and introduce social sciences and humanities-led research and with the introduction of an annual Carbon Workshop to discuss the ocean's changing ability to absorb carbon, in particular the importance of ‘Deep Blue Carbon.’ Training and Education The Ocean Graduate Excellence Network (OGEN) was launched by OFI in 2021, with current funding partners including the National Research Council of Canada, Mitacs, Graphite Innovation Technologies, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The program provides individualized training and research opportunities to graduate students. OFI's International Postdoctoral Fellowships offer opportunities for early-career PhDs to conduct collaborative research at Dalhousie University, with travel to one of OFI's partner institutions in Europe or the United States. OFI has supported fellowships with international partners such as WHOI, GEOMAR, AWI, and ISBlue. OFI's Visiting Fellowships program helps to develop ocean leaders by providing opportunities for early-career PhDs to conduct research at one of OFI's Canadian institutions or at one of OFI's eight international academic partner institutions. In spring of 2022 OFI sponsored undergraduate students from Dalhousie University in Halifax and Memorial University of Newfoundland on a 16-week expedition aboard the research sailing vessel Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The students participated as crew members as they sailed the Pacific Ocean, following an ocean sustainability course offered through Norway's University of Bergen. Conferences OFI hosts a broad open conference on a biennial basis, gathering experts, researchers, and leaders from around the world to discuss and debate topical issues in ocean research. 2018: First OFI Conference: The first OFI conference was held in St. John's Newfoundland and attended by over 330 delegates from across the globe. The conference covered areas such as: How Science, Partnerships and Innovation Will Secure a Future for the Ocean; Our Changing Ocean; Identifying Ocean Solutions; and Industry Perspectives on the Importance of Ocean Research. 2022: Second OFI Conference: The second OFI Conference took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia with more than 200 delegates engaged in four main themes: Achieving