Deputy Director, Institute of Marine Affairs

Rahanna Juman (PhD) is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), a government funded marine research institute in Trinidad and Tobago. As acting director, she is responsible for the implementation of policies approved by the Board of Governors, management of research projects, oversight of services provided by the Institute, and day to day management of the Institute.

Dr. Juman holds a doctoral degree in Zoology from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London.

Dr. Juman has been conducting research on coastal wetlands for more than 25 years, has authored two books on coastal wetlands, has published articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and produced several research reports.  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rahanna-Juman

In addition to her research programs with the IMA, Dr. Juman has been a part time lecturer (coastal zone management) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as a guest lecturer (coastal ecosystems management) at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine.

Dr. Juman has served on national inter-agency committees in Trinidad and Tobago (such as the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Inter-Ministerial Committee), functioned as the national focal point for international programs, and served on regional inter-governmental commissions (such as the Caribbean Sea Commission, Association of Caribbean States).  She also served on the board of directors of the Organization for the Promotion of Agroforestry, a non-governmental organization based in Haiti.

Dr. Juman has been a presenter at numerous regional and international conferences and symposia on topics such as wetlands, ecosystem services, climate change, coastal resilience, marine protected areas, marine spatial planning, coastal zone management, ocean acidification, and ocean governance.

Dr. Juman has received several awards for her scholarship, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, Watson International Scholars of the Environment Fellow, American Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the UNESCO/L’OREAL Post-Doctoral Fellowship for Young Women in Science.