The Council is made up of 19 members with 20 votes.

• College 1, made up of faculty directors, has 5 members representing 10 votes.
  These faculties are OSU Pythéas, the Faculty of science, the Faculty of arts, letters, languages and human sciences, the Faculty of law and political science, and Centrale Marseille.
   
• College 2 also has 10 votes and is made up of 14 research unit directors who are the directors of the MIO, CEREGE, IMBE, DICE/CERIC, ESPACE, TELEMME, IRPHE, LMA, LCE, CDE, CPPM, LIS, IRSN and IFREMER.

Members in an advisory capacity: Members of the Institute Council in an advisory capacity are the Institute Director, the Deputy Directors, the Project Manager, the Director of the Doctoral College and a representative of the PhD students (one full member and one deputy). The latter will be appointed by the Institute Director on the recommendation of the assembly of students in the institute’s programme and PhD students funded by the institute.

Depending on the agenda, the Institute Council may invite experts on an ad hoc or permanent basis.

The Research, Training and Socio-Economic World and Internationalisation Committees contribute to and oversee the smooth running of projects at the Institute for ocean sciences.

In addition to the Institute Director, Deputy Research Director and Deputy Training Director, these committees are made up of Institute for ocean sciences’ members:

• The Research Committee brings together all the unit directors (or their representatives) making up the Institute for ocean sciences.
• The Training Committee brings together all those in charge of training in the areas covered by the Institute for ocean sciences.
• The Socio-Economic World and Internationalisation Committee brings together representatives of companies and international academic establishments involved in the areas covered by the Institute for ocean sciences.

In compliance with the practices of international research universities, the institute has a Scientific & Training Advisory Board (STAB) made up of 6 national and international members who are external to the University and who are tasked with supporting the scientific and educational trajectory of the institute and of shedding light on its national European and international positioning.

Members of the STAB

• Prof. Margaret Lehnen: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Californy, USA
• Dr. Daniel Repeta:  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
• Prof. Martin Visbeck:  GEOMAR Helmholtz-Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany,
• Prof. Patrick Christie: The Henry M. Jackson school of international studies, University of Washington, USA