About
Dr. Vance P. Vicente obtained MS and PhD degrees in Marine Sciences in 1973 and 1987 from the Department of Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico (UPR). After completing his MS degree, he became Assistant Science Program Coordinator of the Puerto Rico International Undersea Laboratory (PRINUL), the world’s first mobile undersea laboratory. From 1976 to 1982 he was a Research Scientist of Benthic Ecology for the Marine Ecology Division, Center for Energy and Environmental Research (CEER) at UPR under programs sponsored by the U.S. Energy Resource and Development Administration. He began Ph.D. studies in 1982 while working as an environmental scientist at CEER. Between 1989 and 1996 he held supervisory positions while performing technical/scientific duties for both: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and for the National Marine Fisheries Service. During this time period he received seven (7) Federal Government Special Achievement Awards. Dr. Vicente has also worked as a guest scientist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Since 1990, Dr. Vicente has been a Member of the Habitat Panel Committee, U.S. NMFS/NOAA, and Member of the Scientific and Statistics Committee, U.S. NMFS/NOAA. At present he is also a member of the Puerto Rico Climate Change Committee (PRDNRE) and a founding member of the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS.org). Also since 1990, Dr. Vicente has held academic responsibilities as Lecturer, ad honorem Professor, Advisor, Graduate Committee Member (MS and Ph.D. candidates) and Graduate School Representative of the University of Puerto Rico and other universities.
In 1996 he formed Vicente & Associates, Inc., a marine environmental consulting firm specializing in marine studies involving ecological evaluations and monitoring of marine systems exposed or potentially exposed to different pollution sources including oil spills, thermal effluents, heavy metals and other anthropogenic sources in the Caribbean, West Africa, and Madagascar. Dr. Vicente has a long list of scientific and technical publications in referred journals, books and technical reports and has served in international panels all related to the marine environment. Regarding marine pollution studies in the Caribbean Sea, Vicente was a principal investigator of benthic ecological studies conducted on the South Coast Industrial Site between 1980 – 2011 under the Center for Energy and Environment Research (University of Puerto Rico) and for the EcoEléctrica LNG Import Terminal and Cogeneration Project. This project led to the successful mitigation and monitoring of sea grasses and corals for which EcoEléctrica received the USEPA Region 2 Industrial Environmental Quality Award. Other notable projects include: regional coordinator for the damage assessment and restoration program of the Morris J. Berman Oil Spill as well as leading efforts to evaluate the effects of the Mystery Oil Spill on mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs on the south coast of Puerto Rico. Dr. Vicente has also performed all marine studies related to the installation of the first marine fiber optic cables in the Caribbean for AT&T, and New World Network. His work in this area continues to this day as he studies the long-term impacts of marine fiber optic cables to benthic communities (coral and other) on the Atlantic coast of Puerto Rico. Dr. Vicente has since been invited by the US-EPA, NOAA, the Nature Conservancy, the San Juan Bay Estuary Program and by the Government of Puerto Rico as an expert on various meetings regarding impacts to marine and estuarine resources associated with climate change and other stressors, and to the use of ecosystem based approach to mitigate environmental problems affecting the marine environment. At present, Vicente continues monitoring coral reef, sea grass beds and other Essential Fish Habitats, designated Critical Habitats, and Marine Protected areas in the US Caribbean.
