Caribbean III: Curaçao to Aruba

Engineer

I’m a Brazilian materials engineer, sailor, and ocean advocate currently circumnavigating the world with my family aboard our 39-foot sailboat, Songster.

After a career as a manufacturing engineer in the pharmaceutical industry, specialising in data analysis and process optimisation, I traded corporate life for life at sea. Sailing across oceans and living in coastal communities has given me a unique perspective on the relationship between people and the marine environment, deepening my commitment to tackling plastic pollution and protecting ocean ecosystems.

Having lived in Curaçao, I developed a strong connection to the Dutch Caribbean and its marine environments. I’m involved with Impact Blue Foundation from Aruba, supporting initiatives that combine research, education, and practical action to protect the ocean.

I first joined eXXpedition in 2019, sailing from Panama to the Galápagos Islands. I’m now returning to eXXpedition for its second and third Dutch Caribbean legs as a representative of Impact Blue Foundation, bringing together my engineering expertise, experience as a sailor, and passion for ocean conservation. I hope to help connect scientific research with the people and organisations creating solutions, turning what we learn about marine pollution into meaningful, lasting change.

Communications Specialist

Laura Tenenbaum is a public speaker, oceanography professor, award winning innovator in the field of science and climate communication. She worked as the Senior Science Editor at NASA for a decade, is wildly popular on social media, and is also a former trapeze artist. The foundation of her expertise lies in her ability to translate complex scientific jargon into language the public can comprehend without compromising accuracy or nuance.

Scientist

Dr. Taylor Uekert is an interdisciplinary scientist dedicated to solving waste and climate challenges with a circular economy. She has a B.S. in nanoengineering from the University of California San Diego and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge, where she studied sunlight-driven systems for turning waste into fuel. Currently, her research explores the environmental, economic, and supply chain impacts of emerging chemical manufacturing and plastic recycling strategies through transparent and accessible modeling approaches.

Taylor is also an avid science communicator. She has co-founded a podcast about the sustainability of everyday household items, informed media and policymakers about plastic recycling, and led outreach efforts on nanoscience, solar technologies, and life cycle thinking.

Outside of work, Taylor loves biking and skiing through the Colorado mountains, reading and writing fantasy, and experimenting with new baking recipes. She is excited to connect her passions for sustainability, science, and storytelling by joining eXXpedition!

Ocean Explorer

Grace is an ocean rower, adventurer and seasoned sailor with salt in her veins. Originally from Wales, she now lives full time in Australia, in a beautiful farmhouse with her husband Charlie, her two little step girls and their sausage dog, Chino. A devoted full-time step mum, Grace lives for adventure and is a fully qualified Yachtmaster.

Her sailing résumé is as varied. She has worked on superyachts, on flotillas and on RIBs, so she’s as comfortable on a luxury deck as she is skimming across the waves at speed. She also holds a degree in advertising and recently completed a Harvard University certification in Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice.

Grace’s adventures have taken her to the top of the world and across an ocean. In 2019 she trekked to Everest Base Camp, and in 2023 she rowed the Atlantic with Team Vibe the Wave. The crossing took 48 gruelling days, and halfway through, the boat was struck by a 7ft marlin that almost sank it. She came out the other side with a deep understanding of teamwork, resilience and what it takes to keep going when conditions get tough.

Wherever she can, Grace is in the sea, whether that’s whale watching, snorkelling, surfing or simply floating. On land, there’s nothing she loves more than relaxing under the night stars beside a campfire.

Grace is joining eXXpedition because she has seen how much the ocean gives us, and she wants to help protect it alongside a crew of women who feel the same.

Sailor and Photo Editor

Shannon is an avid sailor/racer from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. She has seen the devastating amount of plastic pollution first-hand during her various ocean voyages. Most of her career as a photo editor has been with National Geographic, inspiring youth to care about the planet. Now it’s time to get out from behind the desk and make some real-world change! Shannon is an adventure seeker who thrives when traveling and reveling in the beauty of our natural world.

Environmental Engineer

Kathryn Youngblood is an environmental engineer committed to building practical, science-based pathways toward a circular economy. Over the past decade, she has worked with governments, producers, nonprofits, and communities on data-driven solutions to plastic pollution. Her expertise spans geospatial analysis and modeling, stakeholder research, project management, and science communication. Kathryn helped develop and scale the Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP), a community-level baselining tool now conducted in more than 60 cities across 16 countries. She also directs Marine Debris Tracker, a community science app that has logged more than 10 million debris items in over 90 countries. With eXXpedition, Kathryn helped design the science program and built the dashboard that visualizes crew survey data. She is passionate about working with partners to turn research into meaningful, on-the-ground change.

Engineer

Julie Lassonde is a Canadian civic leader, executive, and philanthropist with extensive leadership across higher education, the arts, and the corporate sector.

She serves as Chairman of the Board for the Lassonde Art Trail, Canada’s largest public art initiative. Opened in 2026 across 62 acres and featuring over five kilometres of trails in downtown Toronto, the project permanently integrates accessible, world-class contemporary public art into the city’s waterfront.

Julie is deeply engaged with her alma mater, Brown University, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the School of Engineering and sits on the Provost’s Advisory Council. Her governance experience spans prominent institutions across Canada and internationally, having held board and leadership roles with the National Gallery of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum, York University, the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation, and the Pierre Lassonde Family Foundation.

Earlier in her career, Julie held executive and board roles across the mining and financial services sectors. A civil engineer by training, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University, as well as an Executive MBA and a Master of Arts in Art History from Brown University. In recognition of her distinguished contributions to civic leadership, industry, and the arts, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Utah.
Julie is married with three children and divides her time between residences in Connecticut and Bermuda.

Science Educator

Andrea is an environmental scientist and avid outrigger canoer who has dedicated her career to protecting the environment across research institutions, middle schools, and environmental consulting firms. Seeing plastic pollution firsthand in the ocean, on the beach, and in local waterways every day in Southern California has made her deeply passionate about being part of the solution.

Her current work focuses on raising awareness of plastic use in her community through collaborative research, educational outreach, and creative problem-solving. Andrea is excited to participate in this upcoming expedition and is looking forward to working alongside the crew and the community to deepen the collective understanding of the plastic pollution crisis and build actionable solutions together.

Island Waste Systems & Circularity Researcher

Shari’s mission began during her first visit to her family’s homeland, Indonesia. Growing up in the Netherlands, she spent every Wednesday in parks and forests with her late grandparents, where her grandmother taught her about nature. When she arrived in Indonesia, she was devastated to find the pristine landscapes she had always heard about covered in plastic. Ever since, she has been determined to study the sources of plastic pollution and how to tackle it.

Her travels across six continents, many solo, have taken her from deep in the Amazon to rural Tanzanian villages and repeatedly shown her the same gap: no waste management infrastructure, and communities drowning in a waste crisis they did not create.

Today, she is a PhD researcher at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, with a master’s from the UNEP-Tongji Institute. Her research focuses on waste management, the circular economy and policy in Small Island Developing States across the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Believing no one knows the islands like locals do, she speaks with local stakeholders and uses a systems approach to identify solutions that islands can implement themselves.

Outside work, she is happiest hiking, surfing and exploring new islands. By joining eXXpedition, she will study not only the islands themselves but also the ocean that connects them.

Photographer

Ana is a Brazilian photographer and creative professional based in São Paulo. Her work spans photography, art direction, and visual storytelling, with a focus on creating images that balance a strong editorial sensibility with a thoughtful approach to the world around us. Over the years, she has developed campaigns for fashion and lifestyle brands, exploring the relationship between light, color, composition, and the emotions that images can evoke.

Alongside her commercial practice, Ana is interested in exploring photography as a way to observe, question, and connect with the world beyond the frame. Her participation in eXXpedition reflects a growing desire to bring her creative practice into dialogue with environmental issues and the impact of human activity on the planet. Through this experience, she hopes to expand her perspective, explore new ways of documenting our relationship with the natural world, and use visual storytelling to encourage greater awareness of the challenges facing our oceans and environment.

Curious about human behavior and the ways we relate to our surroundings, Ana is drawn to experiences that challenge familiar perspectives and create space for new questions. She sees photography not only as a way of making images, but also as a tool for paying attention, creating connections, and making complex subjects more tangible.