Personnel
DIRECTOR
Dr. Daniel MARIE, BSc (Joint Hons.)[Chemistry & Environmental Studies], PhD & Post Doc.[Chemistry]
Dr. Daniel Marie was promoted to Director of the Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) on July 19, 2024. He holds a B.Sc. Joint Honours degree in Chemistry and Environmental Studies (EVS) and a Ph.D. in Natural Product Chemistry. He received a scholarship from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) for his M.Phil/Ph.D at the University of Mauritius and was awarded a scholarship from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (AUC) to complete his Ph.D. research work at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2002, Dr. Marie won the “Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie” (AUF) postdoctoral fellowship, which allowed him to pursue a year of research at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium. He joined the MOI in 2000 as a Project Officer in Chemical Oceanography and later became a Principal Research Scientist in 2009. He also served as Officer-in-Charge of the Institute from December 2012 to January 2014, August 2015 to June 2016, and December 2020 to July 2024. On July 1, 2016, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Mauritius Oceanography Institute. As a researcher, Dr. Marie has pioneered marine-derived pharmaceutical research and contribute largely to the overall development of Oceanography in Mauritius.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Mr. Javed MOSAHEB, BSc [Marine Biology], BSc [Biochemistry with Molecular Biology], MSc Coastal and Ocean Management
Mr. Javed Mosaheb has worked as adviser at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre for 8 years before joining the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in June 2005. His research interests are mainly in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment, Coastal Erosion and Marine Ecology. He was the focal point person for Mauritius for COI/EU Coral Reef Monitoring Regional Project. He is the main author of a book on "Biostatistics" and co-author of the "Field Guide to Coastal Fishes of Mauritius". He has also published several research papers.
PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTISTS
Dr. Manvendra SINGH, BSc [Physics & Geology], MSc [Geology], PhD [Geoscience]
Before joining the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, Mr. Singh has been working in the private sector for more than four years. He joined MOI in July 2008 as a Research Scientist. For his MSc, he undertook research studies on Experimental Petrology and Mathematical Geology on 'Ultrahigh Temperature Metamorphism'. His PhD work at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt, Germany was on 'Seismic Anisotropy, Crustal Thickness Variations and lntraplate Seismicity in the South-West lndian Ocean.' Currently, his main project is the 'Study of Local Seismicity around Rodrigues–CIR Region Using Array Techniques (collaborative project with Frankfurt University)' and analyzing seismological data collected from Mauritius, under RHUM-RUM (a French–German collaboration), project at the Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. He was also involved in the Continental shelf Project of the Republic of Mauritius.
Mr. Prakash MUSSAI, BSc [Zoology], MSc [Marine Biology & Oceanography], MSc [Project Management]
After his studies, Mr. Mussai followed a one-year training at Albion Fisheries Research Center under the Skills Development Programme. He joined the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in May 2005 as Research Assistant and has worked on the project 'Database of Marine Organisms'.
RESEARCH SCIENTISTS
Mr. Oocheetsing SADASING, Assigned duties of Acting Principal Research Scientist, BSc Hons [Biology with Environmental Science], MSc [Marine Biology & Oceanography]
Mr. Sadasing followed a one year training at Beach Authority under the Skills Development Programme and worked at the Mauritius Research Council before joining the Mauritius Oceanography Institute as Research Assistant. He was appointed Associate Research Scientist in October 2008 and is presently working on the project for setting up a 'Pilot Farm for Pearl Culture'.
Mr. Avin RAMANJOOLOO B.Sc. (Hons.) [Chemistry], MSc [Chemistry]
Mr. Ramanjooloo joined the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in July 2009 as Associate Research Scientist in Chemical Oceanography. He is currently working in the Marine Natural Products research group where he is investigating the biological activities of marine sponges with the aim of discovering new bioactive compounds that could be used for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer. He followed an in-service training course in isotope hydrology at University D’Avignon, France and was involved in the Sub-marine Groundwater Discharge project.
Mr. Sarvanen CURPEN, BSc (Hons.) [Biology with Environmental Science], MSc [Bioinformatics]
Mr. Curpen worked as a Research Assistant for the MOI from September 2002 to December 2003 before proceeding for further studies in the UK. Following his master’s degree, he worked as a science technician for the Imperial College of London, UK and as a Bioinformatician for the University of Wits, South Africa before taking employment as Associate Research Scientist at MOI in October 2009. Mr. Curpen is working in the Biological Oceanography unit with special focus and has developed the marine diversity and genetic database. His research interest is mainly in areas of Bioinformatics, Metagenomics , Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.
ASSOCIATE RESEARCH SCIENTISTS
Mr. Kamlesh RAMDHONY, B.Sc. [Medical Technology with Specialization in Clinical Laboratory Technology], M.Sc. [Biotechnology]
After his studies, Mr. Ramdhony joined the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in December 2011 as Associate Research Scientist. He is interested in Marine Biotechnology and is currently working on industrially important microalgae and Ballast Water Management project.
Miss Prerna ROY, B.Sc. [Biotechnology ( Enterprise)], M.Sc. [Molecular Medicine & Cancer Research]
Miss Roy has been appointed as Associate Research Scientist, at the MOI, since 2011. She is currently working on the project ‘Bioprospecting of Mauritius Waters’ and is involved in identifying potential cancer drug leads from marine- derived substances and elucidating their mechanism of action. Her research interests encompass cancer research, marine biotechnology and cellular biology amongst others.
Mrs. Rajni SOOROOJEBALLY, B.Sc. [Biotechnology], M.Sc. [Aquaculture and Ocean Studies]
Mrs. Sooroojebally has worked as a laboratory technician in a private food microbiology laboratory for two and a half years before joining the Mauritius Oceanography Institute as Associate Research Scientist in December 2011. Her research fields of interests are commercially important micro algae and other marine natural resources.
Mrs. Preeti OOGARAH-BISSESSUR, B.Sc. [Chemistry], M.Sc. [Pharmaceutical Analysis and Quality Control]
Mrs. Oogarah holds a Bachelor`s degree in Chemistry from University of Mauritius and a Master`s degree in Pharmaceutical Analysis and Quality Control from King`s College London. Ms. Oogarah has worked under the Service to Mauritius Programme at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and as Research Assistant at the University of Mauritius before joining the MOI in March 2013. She is currently working in the Bioprospecting Mauritius waters project.
Mr. Oomarsing GOOROOCHURN, B.Sc. (Hons.) [Biology with Environmental Sciences], M. Sc. [Coastal and Ocean Management]
Mr. Gooroochurn joined the public sector in September 2003 as Environment Enforcement Assistant at the Ministry of Environment. He then moved to the Ministry of Fisheries as Technical Officer in July 2006 where he served at the Competent Authority – Seafood and the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (Vessel Monitoring System). In October 2011, he was temporarily transferred to the MOI to work on the AMESD project following which he was subsequently appointed as Associate Research Scientist in June 2013. Mr. Gooroochurn is currently part of the Physical /Satellite Oceanography Unit of the MOI.
Dr. Danishta DUMUR NEELAYYA, Ph.D. [Environmental Sciences]
Dr. Dumur holds a BSc in Biology with Environmental Sciences and a MPhil from the University of Mauritius. Following her doctoral studies at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland, UK) and 6 months’ employment at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development under the Service-To-Mauritius Programme, Dr. Dumur joined the MOI as an Associate Research Scientist in 2014. She is currently part of the Biological Oceanography team, working on the DNA barcoding of marine organisms. Her primary research interest is in the area of microbial ecology, with focus on phytoplankton/microalgae, chemotaxonomy and biogeochemistry.
Miss Rohinee BHIWAJEE, BSc (Hons.) [Geology], MSc. [Geology]
Ms. Bhiwajee has joined the MOI in July 2017 as Associate Research Scientist. She completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Banaras Hindu University (India). For her masters, her dissertation work was based on “The temporal changes of benthic foraminifera assemblages across the MIS 7/8 boundary at IODP site U1387 Northeast Atlantic Ocean”. She is currently part of the Marine Geosciences Unit, working on beach erosion and benthic foraminifera from the lagoons and beaches of Mauritius.
Mrs. Anishta AUDIT-MANNA, B.Sc. [Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Genetics], M.Sc. [Biochemistry]
Mrs. Audit joined the MOI as an Associate Research Scientist since August 2017. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Genetics and a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Bangalore University (India). She is currently part of the Chemical Oceanography team, working on various projects namely Submarine Groundwater Discharge and Micro plastics.
Mr Murughen SADIEN, BSc [Physics with Electronics], MSc [Physics/Astrophysics with specialty Spatial Technics and Instrumentation], MSc [Physics and Chemistry of Ocean and Atmosphere]
Mr Sadien joined the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in September 2017 as Associate Research Scientist. He is interested in the study of the dynamics of ocean, trajectory modelling using numerical models and use of remote sensing for oceanographic applications. He holds two master’s degree from the University of Paul Sabatier, Toulouse III, France.
For his masters, he has done his internships at L'Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP, Toulouse), L'Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer (OBB, Languedoc-Roussillon) and Laboratoire d’Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS, Toulouse). His master thesis was based on the study of the Spatial and Temporal Variability in the atmosphere of MARS. He has worked on the detection of interstellar molecules using IRAM Telescope and modelling of Line Spectra using MCMC and on the study of Remote Sensing Technology for meteorological application.
IT SECTION
Mr. Vivekanand BHANTOO, IT Manager
Mr V. Bhantoo has worked in a local company from January 2005 to April 2007. Subsequently, he was employed by a private organisation in London (United Kingdom) in 2007. Successively, in December 2009, he worked in an IT company in Mauritius. Mr V. Bhantoo has joined the public sector in September 2015 and is working at the Mauritius Oceanography Institute since end of August 2018.
Mr. Eric MARTIAL, SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR
BTech. (Hons.) [Computer Science & Engineering], MSc [E-business]
Mr. Martial has been working in the private sector before joining the Mauritius Oceanography Institute in February 2005 as Project Officer in IT (now re-styled as Systems Administrator). He has several years of experience in the field of Information Technology. Mr. Martial has set up the server and local area network of the Institute. He designed and developed the interface (Web and CD) for the ‘Database of Marine Organisms of Mauritius’. He has also devised the software for the electronic attendance system and a platform for document sharing on the LAN. He has been involved in the African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) project since 2008 as systems administrator, developer and trainer. He led the MOI-AMESD team from March 2011 to June 2013. He also led the team which worked on the Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) project for the Indian Ocean Commission Region.
Mr. Prathav ASKOOLUM, BENG(Computer Science), Msc (Software Engineering Projects & Management), IT OFFICER
Mr. Askoolum holds an MSc (Software Engineering Projects & Management) From the University of Mauritius and a Bachelor in Engineering in Computer Science for Birla Institute of Technology (India). He has been previously working as Software Engineer in the private sector before joining the MOI in January 2017 as IT Officer.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANT/SENIOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANT
Mr. Chettanand. SAMYAN, STA
Mr. Samyan, seconded for duty from the Ministry of Fisheries as diver, has been appointed as Technical Assistant/Senior Technical Assistant in November 2005.
FINANCE STAFF
Miss Nivedita GOPAL – Accounts Clerk
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE
Miss Ranjeeta BOYJOONAUTH, BSc (Hons.) [Communication Studies], MA [Public Policy and Administration] - Public Relations Officer
DOCUMENTATION OFFICE
Mrs. Asha MOONESAWMY, BA (Hons.) [Library and Information Science] (Registered as Professional Librarian; Mauritius Council of Registered Librarians, Member of the Association of Professional Librarians of Mauritius) - Documentation Officer
PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY OFFICE
Mr. Kunal KUTWAROO-Procurement Officer
SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER
Mrs. B. JAHAJEEAH,Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, BSc (Hons) Occupational Safety and Health Management, B. Eng Chemical and Environment Engineering
Mrs Bhinashi Jahajeeah has more than 16 years of work experience in the field of occupational safety and health. She holds NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health, BSc (Hons) Occupational Safety and Health Management and B. Eng (Hons) in Chemical and Environmental Engineering
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Mrs. Lutchmee KUREEMAN, BSc (Hons.) [Public Administration & Management], MBA [HR with Knowledge Management] - Administrative Secretary
Mrs. Maheshwaree JOYRAM, BSc (Hons.) [Public Administration and Management] - Office Management Assistant
Mrs. Nazli TEGALLY - Confidential Secretary
Mrs. Sarika SUKAI - Front Desk Officer
Miss Bhavna Varsha RATHOA – Human Resource Officer
Mr. Manoj ANGATEEAH - Clerical Officer/Higher Clerical Officer (redeployed from the Mauritius Ex Services Trust Fund, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development)
Miss Diasha GOBURDHAN - Management Support Officer
Mr. Visham JAUNKEEPERSAD - Management Support Officer
TECHNICAL OFFICER
Mrs Harree Somah Luxmibye [BSc (Hons.) Biology] and [MSc Molecular and Cellular Biology]
Mrs Harree Somah Luxmibye holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Mauritius. From September to October 2016 she has worked as Supply Educator (Biology) at Gaetan Raynal State College. She has joined the MOI in December 2016 through the Service to Mauritius Programme under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. She is currently part of the Biological Oceanography team working on the Assessment of living resources in the EEZ of Mauritius. She has a keen interest in using various Molecular biology techniques in marine sciences.
LABORATORY ATTENDANT
Miss Yushma BHUJUN, BSc (Hons) Biology (Minor: Marine and Coastal Environment Science)
Ms. Bhujun was previously working as Laboratory Technician in a private food microbiology and chemistry laboratory for 1 year and 10 months before joining Mauritius Oceanography Institute as Laboratory Attendant in July 2018. She holds a degree in BSc (Hons) Biology (Minor: Marine and Coastal Environment Science) from University of Mauritius. Her dissertation was based on “DNA-based phylogeny of selected bivalves of Mauritius”. She is currently involved in the inventory of chemicals and in carrying out first line maintenance and the general care of laboratory equipment.
SUPPORTING STAFF
Mr. Dharmanand MUNSAH (Vinay) - Driver/ Office Attendant
Mr. Velloo COOPEN (Azagen) - Driver / Office Attendant
Mr. Vishwamitra MICHEL - Driver / Office Attendant
Mr. Avishek BEEJAN- Driver / Office Attendant
Mrs. Mala RAJIAH - Handyworker
