Prof Jana was born in Sumedang, West Java in 1954 and obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Indonesia in 2004. He has served as a senior researcher at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), since 2005 and as a Lecturer in Natural Resources at the National Resilience Institute of the Republic of Indonesia (LEMHANNAS RI), since 2011. He has long been interested in seaweeds from several aspects. Since 1983 he has undertaken research on the development and application of technology on food and pharmaceutical technology from marine natural products, with a special focus on macro and micro algae. A Council Member of the Asian Pacific Phycological Association (APPA) from 2011, since 2015 he has also served as a Seaweed Value Chain Expert for the UNIDO-SECO SMARFT-Fish Programme. Prof Jana is currently active in the Indonesian Tropical Seaweed Innovation Network (TSIN) platform which aims to promote innovation in the seaweed sector through virtual networking.