ISC Members

International Scientific Committee (ISC)

Geoffrey Marshall - ISC Co-Chair

Deputy Managing Director

Water Resources Authority of Jamaica

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

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

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

Nia Ramsoogoon

Nia Ramsoogoon

Chief Hydrologist

Water Resources Authority of Jamaica

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
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

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