About Jonisha's Work

Being born and raised in the US Virgin Islands has provided me a deep-rooted passion for environmental conservation for my home and locations like it as I saw, first hand, how vulnerable our ecosystem is and how colonialism contributes to the taking of our natural resources. While pursuing my BS in Physics from the University of the Virgin Islands, two category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, devastated my home, along with many other islands across the Caribbean. Being left without power for months post-disaster grew another extension of my passion for energy resilience alongside this environmental conservation. Small Island Developing States like mine have a unique economic and environmental position which makes them extremely vulnerable to both the effects of climate change and the financial burden associated with recovery, as a result, of long-term colonialism, capitalism, and an overall oppressive society that has made many countries limited in opportunities. This experience and my combined goal of environmental conservation and energy resilience led me to pursuing my current degree in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering studying offshore renewable energy at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. My research is on the design, construction, and techno-economic analysis of tidal energy technology for site specific application in isolated island communities. The goal of this research is to increase technical opportunity for enhancing local energy systems with emphasis on community involvement and independence. My research interests include marine energy, energy transition, energy resiliency, Caribbean energy infrastructure, and energy equity.