Mentors – Jamaica
Ms. Denise Henry
Research Program Manager
Alligator Head Foundation
Denise Henry is a Marine Biologist with over 15 years of experience in marine conservation and invertebrate ecology in Jamaica. Denise has worked on various coral and seagrass restoration projects, established and maintained coral and seagrass nurseries in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, and has been working with AHF since its inception in 2016. Her work extends to other islands in the Caribbean and her M.Phil. (Marine Biology, UWI) focused on echinoderm population dynamics.
Dr. Debbie-Ann Gordon-Smith
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry
The University of the West Indies-Mona
Dr. Gordon-Smith is an expert environmental and analytical water chemist and environmental hydrologist. Her specialty is groundwater and surface water transport in the terrestrial and marine environment (including submarine groundwater discharge) using radioactive and stable isotopes as tracers as well as the transport and behavior of nutrients and metals from natural and anthropogenic sources. Dr. Gordon-Smith also conducts hydrological studies across the island, waste recycling and reuse, optimization of chemical analytical methods in environmental studies, and works with numerous stakeholders to assess water resource management in Jamaica.
Dr. Camilo Trench
Chief Scientific Officer, Center for Marine Sciences at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory and Field Station
The University of the West Indies-Mona
Dr. Trench is a Marine Biologist and ecologist with over 15 years’ experience in Jamaican ecology, including teaching High School science, managing aquaculture (shrimp hatchery), monitoring Mangrove restoration and response to disturbances, and acting as a training facilitator in Environmental Awareness and the Flora and Fauna of Jamaica.
Dr. Sherene James-Williamson
Head of Department, Senior Lecturer, and Museum Curator, Department of Geography and Geology
The University of the West Indies-Mona
Dr. James-Williamson is a geologist by training and applies her knowledge to research in geoheritage, geoarchaeology, and geoscience education. She has recently been working on identifying the significance of geoheritage sites around Jamaica.
Dr. Thomas Stemann
Lecturer, Department of Geography and Geology
The University of the West Indies-Mona
Dr. Stemann is a geologist whose expertise lie in coral paleobiology and paleoecology in the Caribbean. Specifically, his research focuses on coral biodiversity in Jamaica from the Late Eocene through Miocene and biostratigraphy of Jamaican Cretaceous fossils.