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Madeleine recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology and a minor in Geography. Through co-op placements across Canada, including a term at the Huntsman Marine Science Center in New Brunswick, Madeleine developed a deep appreciation for the incredible biodiversity of our oceans and the urgent need to protect it.

Having grown up on Grand Cayman, she is excited to be back home and contributing to CCMI’s education and research teams. She is eager to expand her knowledge of Cayman’s vibrant reefs while inspiring others to care for these fragile ecosystems. In her free time, you will find her capturing stunning shots of wildlife, both above and below the water.

Ryan McLaughlin is originally from California, and even though he did not grow up on the coast, the ocean was still a major part of his life. His passion for the ocean lead him to attend Humboldt State University in Northern California. Throughout his studies, he monitored and surveyed the rocky reefs of California with ReefCheck. Ryan first visited CCMI in 2019, through a summer program with Rutgers University, completing a three-week Coral Reef Ecology Course. In the spring of 2020, he graduated with a major in Marine Biology, a minor in Scientific Diving & a certified Divemaster with NAUI.

After graduation, Ryan furthered his diving career by getting certified as a SCUBA Instructor & First Aid Instructor through NAUI and working at Catalina Island Marine Institute as a dive Instructor and helping kids ages 12-18 explore the island and marine life through hikes, kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving.

Chandré is a passionate person with a profound love for the ocean and humanity. Her objective is to inspire others to appreciate and preserve the ocean and to educate them about marine life through demonstrations, teaching, and research. Her passion stems from a life in Sodwana Bay, South Africa, where she has been exploring the reefs and marine life since birth. She has been exposed to diving at three years old and qualified as soon as possible at the age of 11. She is currently studying a BSc in Environmental Management and aims to specialise in marine biology. As a swimming instructor and coach, she is a natural teacher. Exposed to people of all ages and cultures, Chandré has developed a passion for teaching people to love the water and inspiring them to conserve our blue planet.

Nicole Rotelle moved around a lot growing up, living in 10 different states in the US and abroad in another country. Although her home was constantly changing, she always found her way back to the ocean.

During her undergraduate studies, Nicole spent a year on the island of Oahu in Hawaii doing sea turtle research, She also studied abroad in Copenhagen in a polar biology programme. After time in the Arctic, Nicole quickly realized she wanted to return to a warmer climate.

Nicole recently graduated from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science with her Master of Professional Science in Marine Conservation. She was a coral disease and restoration intern with the National Park Service in St. Croix, USVI, and she completed her master’s thesis project assessing reef changes in response to coral disease events.

Abbie grew up in central England, about as far away from the ocean as physically possible in the UK. Despite this, she was fascinated by the marine world from an early age, and driven to make a difference with her career, which led her to an undergraduate degree in journalism and masters in marine ecology and conservation.

Abbie’s early career was spent working on research projects across the Caribbean and Indo-pacific, primarily focused on coral reef ecology, followed by the last five years working in science-to-policy with a statutory scientific advice body for the UK and UK Overseas Territories Governments. Since joining CCMI at the end of 2023, Abbie’s focus allows her to combine the two facets of her experience, her love of science with her passion for communications to bridge the gap between research and public engagement with conservation.

Kate has worked with CCMI since 2009. She has an MSc in Sustainable Development and over 20 years experience as a marketing and communications professional. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter, looking at youth, media, and ocean stewardship. Kate and her team manage the grant writing, donor management, fundraising, communications, and strategic advancement for CCMI – everything is done in house.

Kate took a sabbatical from her career in 2007 to work as a dive instructor in the Cayman Islands. This was her first move to immersing herself in the marine environment for a living and remains her passion today. Kate is determined that the general public is given the opportunity to have a better understanding of the marine environment via outreach and education from key research discoveries so they can protect it for the future.

Rob Hedges is on his second stint with CCMI – he is well remembered for his leadership and abilities as our Ops Director from 2011-2015. Joining us again in 2019 as the Business Manager and based in the UK, Rob oversees the financial, HR, and systems aspects of the company.

Rob has an academic background in coastal marine biology and over 10 years experience managing marine and tech operations. Previously, he was an ops and training manager at busy dive operation in Grand Cayman, and is also an IDC staff instructor. Rob combines a fantastic understanding of marine research in the field with the application of running a business. Rob therefore brings a wealth of experience to CCMI and will be responsible for keeping us compliant and up to date, as per the UK, US and Cayman Islands charity/non-profit regulations.

Dr Goodbody-Gringley is CCMI’s Director of Research, heading up CCMI’s Vision 2025 Reef Resilience and Restoration Research team. Previously, Dr Goodbody-Gringley was an Assistant Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) where she led the Reef Ecology and Evolution Laboratory.

Dr Goodbody-Gringley’s research focuses on population structure, reproductive ecology, and genetic connectivity of a variety of organisms that inhabit tropical coral reef ecosystems ranging from inshore shallow reefs down to the mesophotic zone, with the goal of understanding how ecosystems function in order to maintain biodiversity. To address questions related to reef health, evolution, resilience, and recovery, she combines large-scale in situ ecological surveys, small-scale laboratory experiments, and molecular ecology. Dr Goodbody-Gringley’s current projects include a collaboration with A. Trembanis from the University of Delaware using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in combination with technical diving to map deep reef systems and couple the physical environment with biological communities. She is also working with H. Putnam from the University of Rhode Island and J. Bruno from the University of North Carolina to determine thermal tolerances of corals to climate change and the capacity for corals to adapt over a single generation. In 2019, she traveled to Israel to work with T. Mass from Haifa University to explore how patterns of development differ between corals on shallow and deep reefs in the Red Sea.

Gretchen completed her BSc at the University of Georgia and her Ph.D. at Harvard University in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. She then held postdoctoral positions at Mote Marine Laboratory and University of Bologna, Italy. Gretchen has a broad background in benthic marine ecology and is particularly interested in the evolution of life history strategies and how that in turn serves to structure population dynamics and maintain genetic diversity.

Originally from Australia, Bree began her career as a children and family photographer, capturing precious moments throughout Australia and the UK, specializing in maternity and newborns. For the past 11 years, Bree has called the Cayman Islands home, where she enjoys life with her young family and savours time spent in the stunning crystal blue waters. With over 15 years of experience, her passion for the hospitality and tourism industry all began in a ski resort in Canada.

Throughout her career she has taken on various roles that have contributed to her expertise in event management, including restaurant development, serving & mixology, personal chef, and graphic design.

“One of the aspects I love about being in this industry is how quickly adaptable you become to the ever-changing pace and environment. But also, the incredible people you meet – from your colleagues to your guests, you are never short of an amazing story!”

Dr Isabelle Schulz is a passionate marine biologist and advocate for ocean conservation, with a diverse background in research, policy, and management. Originally from Germany, Isabelle pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Biology followed by a Master’s degree in Marine Biology in Germany, followed by a Doctorate in Marine Ecology with a specialization in phytoplankton ecology at the prestigious Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. During this time, she conducted groundbreaking research that contributed to our understanding of the intricate dynamics of marine life.

Following her doctoral studies, Isabelle spent four years as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, then relocated to Brussels, to champion German marine research on an international platform. There she advocated for sustainable practices and policies to safeguard our oceans’ health through the German Consortium for Marine Research and JPI Oceans.

Isabelle was Station Manager at AWIPEV, an Arctic research station in Norway. She now brings her wealth of experience to CCMI in the much warmer Caribbean to run the Little Cayman Research Centre.

Balt grew up in the coastal island town of Arrowsic, Maine. As an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, he worked as a biological field assistant, surveying everything from ticks in New Hampshire to mosquitoes in Greenland to hermit crabs off the Maine coast. In 2018, Dartmouth’s Biology Foreign Study Program brought him to CCMI, which rekindled a love for marine life from early childhood. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies.

Prior to joining CCMI in 2023, Balt worked for the California Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. As a hydrologic technician, he was involved in water quality monitoring in the Sacramento River Delta and San Francisco Bay, included calibrating instruments, troubleshooting data buoys, maintaining time-series data as a local data manager, and cruising through the Delta at the helm of various small research vessels.

At CCMI, Balt is involved with boat operations and general station upkeep.

Caiti Allison is a Science Communicator with a Master’s in Ichthyology and Fisheries Science. Inspired by a lifelong connection to the ocean, she has built a career dedicated to bridging the gap between people, science, and the natural world.

Caiti’s worked as a PADI Divemaster in South Africa, Mozambique, and Indonesia, where her firsthand experiences in marine ecosystems fuelled her passion for ocean conservation. She advanced her studies at Rhodes University, South Africa, before transitioning from academia to storytelling – blending visual and written narratives to amplify critical ocean issues.

Professionally, Caiti has worked as the Science Communicator on the One Ocean Hub Deep-Sea Capacity Development Cruise off South Africa’s Amatola region. She later joined CCMI as the Reefs Go Live Intern, helping with the production of live underwater broadcasts. As the Content Creator and Digital Engagement Coordinator at Save Our Seas Foundation, Caiti developed a calling for impact-storytelling, honed by her exposure to the wealth of research and conservation efforts from scientists, conservationists, and educators. Today, she continues her mission as a Science Communication Consultant for CCMI.

Lowell first came to the Cayman Islands in the early 2000’s to work seven years with Sam McCoys Lodge in Little Cayman before leaving on roll over for a year. When he returned to Cayman, Lowell came to CCMI in 2008, starting as a part-time employee and quickly  moving into a full time role after Hurricane Paloma. As Maintenance Manager, Lowell is responsible for keeping CCMI’s facilities maintained and captaining the boats. Originally from Guanaja, Honduras, Lowell is a PADI divemaster and has an outstanding knowledge of the waters surrounding Little Cayman. He runs a safe and successful dive operation at CCMI and has developed a strong reputation among the repeat researchers and education groups. He has participated in many field research activities and has invaluable experience of the overall operations of the research facility. Lowell enjoys passing this knowledge onto to young students and researchers alike.

Devon Robinson joins CCMI with more than 30 years of experience in international and local cuisine. Cooking has always been his passion, and he has obtaining many certificates and a diploma in his chosen career. Devon has a lot of experience in high-end restaurants where he jointly worked with other executive chefs to ensure efficient and timely preparation of meals. Devon enjoys creating menus and preparing foods from scratch using a mix of authentic recipes that he has mastered over the years. This includes a strong background in vegetarian cooking!

Robyn joined CCMI in 2018, and has lived in Grand Cayman since 2009, when she moved to the island from Bermuda. An environmental educator by trade, Robyn worked as project manager with the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and Tower Marketing, where she planned and organised projects such as Taste of Cayman and the Cayman Finance Student Education and Work Experience Programme. Her passion in life is helping people find their passion, especially if that is protecting and conserving ocean ecosystems. At CCMI, Robyn is the Grand Cayman based contact, responsible for organizing fundraising events, supporting education programmes on Grand Cayman, and supporting the development efforts as CCMI grows and implements new and exciting programmes.

Carrie founded CCMI in 1998 and developed the organisation with a strong focus on protecting the biodiversity of coral reefs through research, education and conservation. As a professor of oceanography, Carrie has dedicated over 20 years to marine research in the Cayman Islands.

Carrie is an oceanographer and in 2016 was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for work on the effects of rising sea level on coastal communities in the Indian Ocean. She established CCMI in 1998 and developed the Little Cayman Research Centre with a vision to advance the frontiers of coral reef science, conservation and education. Her Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics is from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. As CCMI’s founder, her deep-rooted curiosity is in the extinction risks of modern corals and she is concerned about the influence reef degradation has on coastal communities. She has partnered with collaborators from all over the world who work on topics including impacts of ocean acidification and climate change on corals, algae, and fish.

In an effort to bring attention to threats to reefs, she organized the 2016 symposium in London to “Rethink the Future for Coral Reefs’ with CCMI’s royal patron, His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex. She contributed to the United Nations Chronicle, writing on the Sustainable Development Goals for the ocean and served as a member of the UN World Commission on Marine Protected Areas. As an educator, her greatest aspiration is for children to be ocean literate and she is invested in supporting early career scientists, especially in bringing science to society and in engaging women in science.

Desrine has been an invaluable member of CCMI’s team since 2023, serving an important role to our staff and visiting students and researchers alike. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for maintaining a clean and welcoming environment, Desrine plays a crucial role in ensuring the Little Cayman Research Centre is always in top condition.

Her commitment to cleanliness and organization not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of our space; it also contributes to the health and safety of our staff and visitors. Desrin’s work ethic is unmatched, and her friendly demeanor makes her a favorite among colleagues and guests alike.

Her dedication to her role is evident in every corner of our facility, making her an indispensable part of our team.

Eva is from Middlebury, Vermont, and she graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Biological Sciences, concentrating in Marine Biology. During her studies, she spent time at Shoals Marine Laboratory and the University of Queensland in Australia, and over the past year she has gained hands-on experience in coral restoration and reef grazer research in the Florida Keys.

At CCMI, Eva will be working on the Blue Carbon Offset & Biodiversity Programme, supporting research into how healthy marine ecosystems can help fight climate change. She is especially excited to keep developing as a marine biologist while experiencing life on Little Cayman.

Fun fact: Eva has logged more than 145 dives and is always eager to jump back underwater!