Professor Mona Kay Webber

Organisation: The University of the West Indies (UWI) (Mona Campus)

Position: Director

Background

Professor Webber is the Marine Ecosystem Specialist. She is involved in the Biological assessment/identification of Sargassun species and types, Field Assessments and Training & Dissemination aspects of the project. Consequently, she has developed the UWI’s Marine Labs’ protocols for collection, identification and assessment of relative abundance of Sargassum (currently being used) and has partnered with the Scientific Research Council (Jamaica) on assessing Sargassum’s Biomethane Potential. She is currently developing new experiments on the use of Sargassum on food crops and will liaise with famers as to its suitability. A Sargassum Watch group has been established at the UWI’s Marine Labs which will be expanded to other coastal organisations.

Professor Webber has over 30 years of experience in research and teaching in the Marine and Coastal Environment. Prior to her current positions, she was the Head of the UWI Department of Life Sciences, Associate Dean for student matters in the Faculty of Sciences and Technology and the Academic Coordinator for the UWI Port Royal Marine Laboratory. Her passion for teaching and the development of young scientists has seen her supervise over 35 graduate students.

Over the past three decades Professor Webber has conducted research on Ballast Water, Marine Invasive Species, Coastal Plant Propagation and establishment, Zooplankton as indicators and the Diversity and Genetic Distribution of Lobatus gigas (Queen Conch). Current research projects range from mangrove forest assessment and rehabilitation, seagrass assessments, water quality/micro-plastics in a eutrophic harbor (Kingston Harbour) and ichthyoplankton, fish biomass and use of Ecopath modeling to indicate success in Special Fishery Conservation Areas (SFCAs).