Claude Roy is a physical oceanographer with expertise in fisheries oceanography and upwelling systems dynamics. As a scientist of the French Research Institute for Development (IRD), he spent extended periods of time in countries bordering upwelling systems, during which he contributed to the implementation of several regional « climate and fisheries » research and training projects. He has been involved in SPACC since the late 1990s and served as its co-chair from 2003 to 2008.