Dr. Cinda Scott has over two decades of experience in the biological and marine sciences. She is one of the earliest voices in bringing awareness to issues of ocean equity and has a wide range of experience with marine governance and conservation. Her research is interdisciplinary and examines cultural valuation of mangrove ecosystems and mangrove habitat complexity, as well as coral reef ecology and drivers behind Marine Protected Area (MPA) success and failure. For 11 years she served as Director of The School for Field Studies, Center for Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies program in Panamá. During her tenure in Panamá she led efforts to support direct conversations and open lines of communication between policy makers and local residents, including coastal dependent communities in one of the most diverse regions of Central America.

While in Panamá, she contributed to Ocean Nexus as a Strategic Advisor and as a visiting Research Fellow starting in 2021. Dr. Scott accepted the position of Co-Director in August of 2025. She has participated in international interdisciplinary working groups and published with researchers from around the world who are dedicated to fostering justice and equity in ocean governance. Her work has contributed to advancing initiatives on the establishment of Ocean Equity as a fundamental component of the UN Decade of Ocean Science.  

Dr. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in Biology and Environmental Studies and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. Prior to her leadership role in directing the Faculty, Staff and Students in Panamá she gained administrative and teaching experience as a program manager on the NSF supported ‘Innovation through Institutional Integration’ Program at New York City College of Technology where she matched students with opportunities in STEM and worked alongside the Provost to improve STEM education. Dr. Scott has taught in the fields of marine ecology and biology and emphasizes that every student should be culturally competent to conduct either sociological or ecological research. She currently teaches as an Invited Lecturer at the University of Chicago’s course “Marine Ecosystems: from microbes, to conservation, to climate change, and beyond.” Dr. Scott is fluent in Spanish and English, with working knowledge of Portuguese.