Faculty & Staff
Academic Staff
Dr. Annita Montoute, Acting Director
Annita Montoute holds a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations (2009), a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations (2003), a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (1996), from The University of the West Indies and a Certificate in Education from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, St. Lucia (2002). She was a Research Fellow at the European Centre for Development and Policy Management in 2012. She has taught several courses at the graduate level (Post Graduate Diploma and Masters), including International History and Politics, Theory and Methodology of International Relations, Multilateralism and Global Governance, Political Economy of Development of International Organizations and International Relations of the Caribbean. Her research interests include Civil society, development and democracy and relations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific group and the European Union.
Dr. Jacqueline Laguardia Martinez (Coordinator MPhil/PhD), Senior Lecturer
Dr. Jacqueline Laguardia Martinez joined the Institute of International Relations as a lecturer in March 2014. She teaches courses on Small States in the Global System, the International Relations of the Caribbean, International Political Economy, World Economic History and Cuban History. Previously she served as Associate Professor at the University of Havana, Cuba from 1999-2014. Dr Laguardia holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Havana (2013), an M.Sc. in Economic Policy Management from the University of Auvergne, France (2002), and an M.Sc. in International Economics from the University of Havana, Cuba. She has earned three BSc’s, in Economics (1999), History (2004), and Cultural Studies (2012), all from the University of Havana, Cuba. Her research areas include Cuban Studies, Caribbean Studies, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Cuba-Caribbean Relations, Cultural and Creative Industries, the Environment and Sustainable Development. At present, Dr. Laguardia is also the coordinator of the MPhil/PhD in International Relations programme at the Institute of International Relations. Hailing from Cuba, Dr. Laguardia’s mother tongue is Spanish, and she is fluent in English and French.
Dr. Dave Seerattan, Lecturer
Dr. Dave Seerattan is an economist studying developing and Caribbean economies for over twenty years, particularly the financial sector in emerging economies. He is presently a Lecturer in International Money and Finance and the MSc Global Studies Coordinator at the Institute of International Relations, as well as OIC at the Caribbean Centre for Money and Finance at UWI, St. Augustine. He has researched and published in areas such as financial innovations, financial regulations, financial market microstructure, global foreign exchange markets, mutual fund performance in the Caribbean, fiscal reforms in the Caribbean and business strategy and competitiveness in the Caribbean. He has been a consultant in the areas of financial market development, regulatory systems for the financial sector, mutual funds performance, interest rate forecasting, business competitiveness, fiscal and debt sustainability in the Caribbean and economic impact analysis of solar industries. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Economics from the University of the West Indies and a PhD in Economics from Brunel University London, specializing in money and finance. He has co-authored and co-edited books on Financial Innovations, Regulation of Non-Bank Financial Institutions and Finance and Real Development in the Caribbean. Dr. Seerattan is the Editor of the Journal of Business, Finance and Economics in Emerging Economies and has served as a member of a number of Trinidad and Tobago Government Cabinet appointed and other regional committees on the financial sector.
Dr. Georgina Chami (Coordinator of PG Diploma in IR), Lecturer
Dr. Georgina Chami joined the UWI Institute of International Relations as a Research Fellow on August 1, 2014. Previously, she was an undergraduate Instructor in the International Relations Unit, Department of Behavioural Sciences (2011 - 2014) and provided lectures in the areas of International Organizations, Negotiations and International Security. She was the former Coordinator of the Caribbean Child Rights Observatory Network (CCRON) established in 2014 to monitor and analyze the rights of children within the Caribbean region. She was the recipient of a Central America/Caribbean Fulbright Visiting Scholars Award in 2010 and pursued research at Nova Southeastern University, Florida. Presently, she lectures in International Diplomacy at the Diploma and Masters levels. She is also the Faculty Advisor for UWI St. Augustine Campus for the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) which takes place annually in Boston, Massachusetts. Her research interests include Peace and Security, International Organizations, Global Governance and Civil Society. Academic affiliations include the International Studies Association and the Caribbean Studies Association.
Prof. Michelle Scobie, Senior Lecturer
Dr Michelle Scobie joined the Institute of International Relations as a lecturer in August 2009, teaching International Law, Global Environmental Governance, and International Economic Law. Dr Scobie obtained a Doctorate in International Relations (2006), and a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations (2000), both from the Institute of International Relations. She also earned a Post Graduate Certificate in Philosophy (1998) from Cilla Balestra International Study Centre in Rome, Italy. Also a practising lawyer, Dr Scobie attained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1991 from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and a Legal Education Certificate (LEC) of the Council of Legal Education (1993) from Hugh Wooding Law School, and was admitted to practice that year. Her main areas of research include Sustainable development, environmental governance, and international law, having published extensively on these topics. Dr Scobie is also a Co-editor of the Caribbean Journal of International Relations and Diplomacy.
Dr. Keron Niles, Lecturer
Dr Keron Niles is currently a Lecturer at the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus. Prior to that appointment, he was employed as the Business Unit Manager for Research and Policy at the Economic Development Advisory Board of Trinidad and Tobago. The secretariat to the Board is located within the Ministry of Planning and Development but the Board itself reported directly to the Office of the Prime Minister. He was directly responsible for the production of briefs that sought to outline the steps required to facilitate a sustainable green economy transition in Trinidad and Tobago. Within his portfolio, Dr Niles also had responsibility for promoting and facilitating economic diversification, particularly with respect to agriculture, the creative sector and the energy sector. He has previously served as a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Otago (New Zealand). His research (which was a continuation of his doctoral work done at the same University) focused on mechanisms and policies necessary to facilitate a transition to renewable electricity generation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean and Pacific in order to enhance their capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change and peak oil. As a certified youth worker and a published poet, Dr. Niles has been involved in international outreach projects in Guyana, Suriname, Haiti and Kenya. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Government (with minors in History and International Relations) from The University of the West Indies and a Master’s Degree in International Law from the University of Aberdeen.
Dr. Michał Pawiński (Coordinator of the MSc in Global Studies), Lecturer
Dr. Michał Pawiński obtained PhD from the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Tamkang University, Taiwan (R.O.C.) He has been a recipient of scholarship and grant from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of China in Taiwan. A member of the Department of Global Security and Strategic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. He is the co-author of a book People's Liberation Army published with the Polish Academy of Sciences in 2014, and an author of articles that appeared in International Peacekeeping, Journal of Military Ethics and Strategic Vision. His research is interdisciplinary, spanning across Social Psychology, Intercultural, and Strategic Studies.
Administrative Staff
Ms. Wenda Rocke
Senior Administrative Assistant - Ext. 82084
Secretary to the Board of the IIR, General Management and Oversight of the IIR Secretariat
Email: Wenda.Rocke@sta.uwi.edu
Mrs. Chinelle Chadee
Clerical Assistant III - Ext. 83235
Email: Chinelle.Moonsammy@sta.uwi.edu
Technical Staff
Mr. John Maloney
Technical Assistant - Ext. 83247
Email: John.Maloney@sta.uwi.edu
Support Staff
Ms. Harriett Modeste
Office Attendant - Ext. 84214
Email: Harriett.Modeste@sta.uwi.edu
Ms. Marion Bailey
Cleaner - Ext. 83235
