ISC Members

International Scientific Committee (ISC)

Geoffrey Marshall - ISC Co-Chair

Deputy Managing Director

Water Resources Authority of Jamaica

Geoffrey Marshall is a hydrogeologist by training with over 27 years experience in Jamaica’s water sector, entirely within the Water Resources Authority (WRA). He began as a Hydrology Technician at WRA in 1997, before earning a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Washington and Lee University, and a Master of Science in Hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He rejoined WRA in 2006 as a Hydrogeologist, subsequently serving as Senior Hydrogeologist in charge of the Permits and Licences Unit and then Chief Hydrologist in charge of the Planning and Investigations Unit, before his current appointment as Deputy Managing Director, with oversight of WRA’s Technical Branch. He led the preparation of the National Water Resources Master Plan for Jamaica, which was launched in 2022. He has also served as a Project Counterpart with the International Atomic Energy Agency, leading Technical Cooperation projects in isotope hydrology, and currently co-chairs the Scientific Committee of the 2nd Islands Water Congress. Geoffrey is a Justice of the Peace, a Distinguished Toastmaster, and a trained Mediator and Restorative Justice Practitioner.

Francesco Sindico - ISC Co-Chair

Professor in Law

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland

Francesco Sindico is a Professor of International Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde Law School in Glasgow, Scotland. Within IWRA, he has led the International Scientific Committee of the First and Second Edition of the IWR Islands Water Congress and co-leads the Islands and Water Task Force. As a consultant and through a secondment he has collaborated with the Scottish Government Islands Team working on island governance and climate change related projects. He now heads from the University of Strathclyde the Secretariat of the European Islands Policy Network, that brings together island policy officials from Scotland, Ireland, Finland and Croatia. Francesco’s work and research has focused on Scottish islands, but he has also been working on matters relevant for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from a public international law perspective, and from a climate change law angle. In this last area he is actively involved with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) where he leads the Climate Change Law Specialist Group of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.

Kamana Beamer

Director of Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies

University of Hawaii, Hawaii, USA

Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer is the Director of Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa, and the inaugural Dana Naone Hall Endowed Chair in Hawaiian Studies, Literature, & the Environment at Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge. He serves a dual appointment in the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and in the William S. Richardson School of Law as part of Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. Dr. Beamer has multiple publications in the study of aloha ʻāina and the Circular Economy (CE). His books include Waiwai Water and the Future of Hawaiʻi (2025), Islands & Cultures: How Pacific Islands Provide Paths Toward Sustainability (2022), and No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation (2014).
In 2021, he concluded two consecutive terms as a Commissioner on the Hawaiʻi State Water Resource Management Commission. After eight years of service, his accomplishments include restoring water to forty-five streams across Hawaiʻi and challenging the U.S. Navy on issues at Red Hill. He served one term as an inaugural commissioner on the Mauna Kea Stewardship Authority from 2022-2024. In addition to his academic and government service, Dr. Beamer is a makua, mahiʻai, song writer, organizer, and activist in movements to advance aloha ʻāina and water justice.

Laurie Brinklow

Assistant Professor and Co-ordinator of Master of Arts

University of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Dr. Laurie Brinklow is an Assistant Professor of Island Studies and Co-ordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies program / Chair of the Institute of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Canada. There she facilitates and supports research on sustainable communities on islands around the world, teaches Island Studies, and supervises graduate students. She is President of the International Small Island Studies Association, Iceland’s Honorary Consul to Prince Edward Island, and is a recipient of the Order of Prince Edward Island. Author of the poetry book My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press, 2022), she is the co-editor (with Andrew Jennings) of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism (Island Studies Press, 2024) and (with Jean Mitchell et al.) of Turning the Tide: Climate Change, Social Change, and Islandness (Island Studies Press, 2026).

Kate Brown

Executive Director

Global Island Partnership, New Zealand

Kate Brown is a founder and executive leader working with islands to build durable, values-aligned solutions for biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development. As Executive Director of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) and founder of He Toka Tū Moana, [Name] supports island governments, Indigenous organisations, and global partners to turn commitments into meaningful action—grounded in place, people, and long-term impact.

Óluva Eidsegaard

Geologist

Geologist Jaröfeingi (Faroese Geological Survey), Faroe Islands

Óluva Reginsdóttir Eidesgaard holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Geology from Lund University, Sweden, and a Ph.D. from the University of Copenhagen. Since 2011, she has worked as a research geologist at the Faroese Geological Survey (Jarðfeingi) in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.

Her early research focused on offshore reservoir exploration, logging interpretation, petrophysics, and formation evaluation in volcanic basins. Over time, her work expanded to include groundwater, geothermal energy, and carbon capture and storage.

From 2023–2024, she led the project Investigation of the Groundwater Potential in the Faroe Islands, which initiated the first geochemical mapping of groundwater aquifers to support sustainable drinking water supply and energy production. She has also contributed to national water legislation, including drafting the Faroe Islands’ first groundwater law and developing new water legislation.

In 2024, she served as Co-Chair of the International Scientific Committee for the IWRA 1st Islands Water Congress in Tórshavn.

Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith

Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Technology

University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Jamaica

Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith is a Lecturer in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Her research focuses on the investigation of chemical contaminants in and their impacts on tropical aquatic systems. This includes water pollution studies, surface and groundwater tracing and investigation of submarine groundwater discharge using stable and radioactive isotopic measurements, and the impact of climate change on tropical water chemistry and coastal/marine ecosystem health.

Dr. Gordon-Smith is a member of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) Executive Council and Co-Chair of the Caribbean Regional Hub. She manages the Water Research Laboratory at The UWI which supports a team of multidisciplinary, multicultural and multinational researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her work is published in various local and international journals, book chapters and technical reports.

Tieki Guy

Tieki Guy

Monitoring Officer

Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Jamaica

Ms. Guy is a graduate of the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) where she obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Major Tourism Management in 2013.
Ms. Guy has experience in Trade Facilitation, Policy Development and Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Techniques, Project Management, Supervisory Management and Events Planning and Management.
In her current role as the Monitoring Officer at the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, she monitors and assesses projects that are implemented by Jamaica’s water agencies, thus ensuring compliance, and that regulations and guidelines are established.
Lastly, Ms. Guy strives for excellence in all that she does.

Christopher Husbands

Former General Manager

National Water and Sewerage Authority, Grenada

Shaneica Lester

Lecturer in the Faculty of Geography and Geology

University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Jamaica

Dr. Shaneica Lester is an Environmental Geographer and Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Jamaica, specialising in water security, environmental governance, and climate change adaptation in Caribbean Small Island Developing States. Her work examines human-environment interactions in freshwater systems and uses nexus-based approaches to analyse the relationships between water, ecosystem services, and building resilience.
Dr. Lester serves on the Water Resources Authority Board of Directors and the Land Development and Utilisation Commission in Jamaica. Recently, she contributed to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) as a Fellow and contributing author. Her research and applied work span urban and rural contexts across the Caribbean, engaging vulnerable communities, farmers, and youth to strengthen climate resilience and sustainable water management. She is committed to advancing science-policy integration, inclusive water governance, and capacity building to support sustainable development.
Laurayne Lucky

Laurayne Lucky

Executive Director

Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association, Trinidad

Laurayne is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), a leading regional non-governmental organization established in 1991 and dedicated to advancing the sustainable management of water and sanitation in the Caribbean. Since assuming the role in 2023, she has provided strategic leadership to strengthen regional cooperation, promote innovation, and champion resilient, climate-smart water and sanitation services across the Caribbean.

With more than nineteen years of experience in the water sector, Laurayne has built an extensive career spanning utility operations, regional development, strategic leadership, and institutional strengthening. Her expertise includes strategic planning, project management, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, drought planning and management, integrated water resources management (IWRM), stakeholder engagement, governance, and organizational change management. She has been instrumental in fostering partnerships among Caribbean governments, utilities, regional institutions, development partners, and the private sector to accelerate investment and improve the sustainability of water and sanitation services throughout the region.

Before joining the Association, she spent over sixteen years with the national water utility of Trinidad and Tobago, where she led and contributed to strategic initiatives focused on operational excellence, climate adaptation, water resource management, and organizational transformation. As Executive Director, Laurayne has positioned CWWA as a leading regional advocate for water security, safely managed sanitation, wastewater management, circular economy approaches, disaster resilience, and sustainable financing. Through her role, she continues to coordinate and spearhead initiatives that strengthen utility capacity, promote regional knowledge sharing, expand partnerships with international development agencies and multilateral organizations, and advance innovative financing mechanisms to support Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in addressing the growing impacts of climate change.

Laurayne is also a passionate advocate for sustainable development and believes that achieving universal access to resilient water and sanitation services requires strong governance, policy and regulatory reform, regional collaboration, technological innovation, and meaningful community engagement. Her leadership continues to focus on building a more resilient, inclusive, and water-secure Caribbean for present and future generations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, postgraduate qualifications in International Trade and Commerce, and training in several water and sanitation-related areas.

Nia Ramsoogoon

Nia Ramsoogoon

Chief Hydrologist

Water Resources Authority of Jamaica

Nia Ramsoogoon is Chief Hydrologist at the Water Resources Authority, with over a decade of experience in water resources management, hydrogeological assessment, and national water planning. She leads the Resource Planning and Investigations Unit, overseeing hydrological research, groundwater and surface water development studies, and the continuous update of Jamaica’s National Water Resources Master Plan. Her work integrates scientific analysis with policy and development planning, including evaluation of environmental impacts, water allocation, and source protection. Nia holds a MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a BSc in Geology. She has received specialised training in groundwater modelling, isotope hydrology, and climate resilience. She regularly represents Jamaica on regional and international technical platforms and contributes to advancing sustainable water management in small island developing states.

Ronald Roopnarine

Lecturer in the Faculty of Food and Agriculture

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad

Dr. Ronald Roopnarine is the Deputy Dean for Outreach and Internationalization and a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Food and Agriculture at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. His expertise spans Disaster Risk Resilience, Sustainable Land and Water Resource Management, and Agri-environmental Disaster Risk and Climate Resilience, with a specialized focus on the vulnerabilities and adaptation needs of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Dr. Roopnarine has led and supported numerous initiatives aimed at strengthening community resilience and reducing multi-hazard risk. His work integrates geospatial analysis, participatory methods, and nature-based solutions to address threats such as flooding, drought, and land degradation. He has contributed to the development of Community Flood Early Warning Systems (CFEWS), national landslide and flood risk assessments, and frameworks for integrating Nature-Based approaches into DRM planning. He has played a pivotal role in the national and regional reporting of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 indicators, as well as in the development of a Wastewater Reuse Standard for Trinidad and Tobago. His applied research has supported the design and implementation of projects on water safety planning, salinity and land degradation mapping, slope stabilization, and climate-smart agriculture.

Noelia Cruz Pérez

Assistant Professor (PhD), University of La Laguna
Canary Islands, Spain

Dr. Noelia Cruz Pérez is an Assistant Professor with a PhD in Regional Development (Cum Laude) and is the recipient of the Extraordinary Doctorate Award for her research on the environmental impact of port and hydraulic infrastructure. With a multidisciplinary background as a Civil Engineer and Agricultural Engineer, she specializes in water management and sustainable development.

Her career includes extensive involvement in international research projects, including H2020, INTERREG, and ERASMUS+, focused on climate change mitigation and circular economy solutions. She currently serves on the 2030 Agenda Committee and the Climate Change Expert Panel for the Government of the Canary Islands, where she advises on the implementation of regional sustainability policies.

Andrea Spencer

Andrea Spencer

Director of Water Policy

Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Jamaica

Andrea is a resourceful and results-oriented professional with years of experience in Policy Development, Strategic Planning, Performance Monitoring, and People Management. With strong interpersonal, communication, and decision-making skills, she works effectively with diverse stakeholders.

She holds a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Public Administration (Major) and Psychology (Minor) from The University of the West Indies, Mona. She has also completed professional training in Business Analysis and Enterprise Risk Management from UWI, Mona, and Supervisory Management from the Management Institute for National Development. Andrea is a Justice of the Peace for Jamaica, and her hobbies include reading and travelling.

Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor

Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Technology

University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Jamaica

Michael Taylor is Professor of Climate Science and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Mona Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI). He is also Co-Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM), a research body that explores climate variability and change in the Caribbean region.

He is widely published and cited for his scientific work on the impacts of climate change on the Caribbean’s small island states. Professor Taylor served as a Coordinating Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. He is the recipient of the Silver Musgrave Award for Science (2013) and the 2019 ANSA Caribbean Laureate for Excellence in Science. In 2021, he was named among Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential Academics in Government globally. Most recently, he authored a chapter in Greta Thunberg’s The Climate Book.

Professor Michael Taylor is a Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences.

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