Dr. Marilyn Brandt

Dr. Marilyn Brandt, Research Professor and Director of Reef Response, University of the Virgin Islands

I've been part of the SEAS program since the beginning as I was the first USVI Workforce Fellow supervisor when the program launched so I've had a front-row view of what this kind of investment can do over time. What I've seen, repeatedly, is that it works.

Currently I'm hosting three fellows, each contributing something distinct. Sam Gittens Jr. has been with my lab for nearly a year, supporting coral restoration operations and research into sea urchin die-offs. His technical skills and time management have expanded significantly, and his written and presentation communication have grown alongside them. Jan-Alexis Barry came back to marine science with real-world experience from Coral World and DPNR, and he's now managing the seawater system that supports our coral and mangrove restoration work. Alanica Canonier is applying her math and programming skills to calculate carbonate budgets at our long-term monitoring and restoration sites. This work directly answers critical questions about reef function and future resilience.

That last point matters. Because of Alanica, we can ask questions of our data that we simply didn't have the bandwidth to pursue before. Because of Sam and Jan-Alexis, we've been able to expand coral spawning work to new species and train more high school and undergraduate interns. These aren't peripheral contributions, they've extended the reach of the science.

There's also something harder to quantify but just as real. Having fellows in the lab has diversified our perspectives in ways that have directly shaped how we communicate our work and engage with the community. That dimension of impact wasn't something I anticipated as fully when I first started mentoring, but it's become one of the things I value most.

The USVI has long depended on outside professionals to fill roles in marine and environmental science – people who cycle in and out and take their knowledge with them. Navigating Home is building something different: a homegrown workforce with local knowledge, sustained commitment, and the kind of institutional memory that makes a scientific community durable. That's what the territory needs, and it's what I've watched this program deliver.

Editor’s note: Dr. Brandt also hosted Nicholas Durgadeen and Chloé Camacho.