Mattie Rodrigue is a seasoned ocean science professional with extensive experience with ocean exploration initiatives, marine science research, program development and facilitation. She is the Science Program Director at OceanX. She is responsible for all scientific expedition coordination and planning, scientific publications and technology development, leads OceanX scientific partnerships, and spearheads the scientific curriculum for the OceanX Young Explorers Program and other outreach initiatives. Prior to joining the OceanX team, Mattie earned a Master of Science degree in Marine Biology, and a Master of Science degree in Marine Policy from the University of Maine, while running a multidisciplinary fisheries research program with local fishing communities along the coast of Maine. While living in Maine, Mattie also worked for a non-profit, Maine Center For Coastal Fisheries (MCCF), primarily running and facilitating the MCCF research, and fundraising portfolios.
After completing her graduate degrees, Mattie was selected for the prestigious John D. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, placing her at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting to NOAA leadership. Mattie worked on domestic and international ocean, weather, and climate policy initiatives as well as ocean exploration and technology programming for NOAA. When Mattie is not sailing on board OceanXplorer she is living happily in Brooklyn with her plants, all species of cactus.