Antiguan appointed Executive Director of the Centre for Excellence for Oceanography and Blue Economy

Photo courtesy UWI FIC. Retrieved from antiguaobserver.com

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Branson D Belle as the Executive Director of the Centre for Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy at The UWI Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda. The Centre aims to advance research and training in oceanography and sustainable maritime industries, contributing to the development of the blue economy in the Caribbean region.

According to a press release, Dr Belle, an Antiguan national, brings over 20 years of experience in cutting-edge technology development from renowned universities and research institutes. He obtained his PhD in Magnetic Materials from the University of Manchester (UoM), where he also earned a Master’s degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering with First Class Honours, and spent a year at ENSEEIHT in Toulouse, France. He was awarded the FC Williams (2000), IEEE (2001) and the Sir William Siemen (2003) awards for most outstanding academic achievements in his years at UoM. Belle then obtained an Overseas Research Scholarship award to pursue his PhD in Magnetic Materials at UoM.

After his PhD, Dr Belle worked as a Research Associate with Nobel Prize winners Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov. He co-founded 2-DTech Ltd, a materials and technology company later acquired by Versarien PLC. For the past nine years, Dr Belle has been a senior scientist at SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest research institutes, working in the departments of Smart Sensor Systems and Sustainable Energy Technology. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals and secured over $7 million in grant funding.