Meet the 2025 MTS Awardees
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2025 MTS Awards! Each year, we celebrate the outstanding accomplishments and dedication of the marine technology community. This year's awardees represent a diverse range of expertise and serve as inspiring examples of excellence across various areas, from technological innovation to volunteerism and mentorship. We are also proud to recognize a company that has made an extraordinary contribution to advancing marine technology. Our awardees exemplify a steadfast commitment to tackling challenges that have a lasting and meaningful impact on our interconnected global community.
See the full list of 2025 MTS Award Recipients below.
- MTS Special Commendation & Award - Dr. J Preetha Roselyn
- MTS Fellow - Aleks Karlsen
- MTS Fellow - Justin Manley
- MTS Fellow - Steven A. Ruberg
- Walter Munk Scholar Award & Commemorative Lecture - Alison B. Laferriere
- Compass Distinguished Achievement Award - Wendy Watson-Wright, PhD
- Compass Organizational Excellence Award - Open Ocean Robotics
- John P. Craven Mentor Award - Dr. Alexander López
- Ocean News & Technology Early Career Ocean Professional Award - Dr. Katherine Skinner
- Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration - Oliver Steeds OBE
MTS Special Commendation & Award
The MTS Special Commendation & Award is presented to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of outstanding accomplishments leading to significant advances in marine affairs and/or fulfilling the objectives and missions of MTS.
Recipient – Dr. J Preetha Roselyn: Dr. J. Preetha Roselyn is working as Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in SRM Institute of Science and Technology and Centre Head, Centre for Intelligent marine and energy systems. She completed her B.E (EEE) from Madras University in the year 2002, M.S (By Research) from Anna University in the year 2007 and Ph.D from SRM University in the year 2015. She has published 65 international publications among which 50 are SCI indexed journals, 4 lecture notes, 60 conference publications. Being an active researcher, she has received totally 6 funded grants including DST funded project and MODROB funded project from AICTE, 2 MOES funded project, Co-PI of 4 SATU projects and 5 internally funded projects. She has completed PhD for 6 research scholars and currently 8 scholars are pursuing their PhD under her guidance. The research interests include digital twin, grid integration issues of PV and Wind, Energy management system, microgrid controllers, power system stability, marine robotics and zero down time approach in industries. She has been reviewer for DST and UGC funded projects panels and reputed journals. She is the Chairman, MTS India Section and faculty advisory of the award-winning SRM MTS Student Section. She has received the IEEE publication award and MTS John P Craven mentor award, and she is an Honorary Rosalind member of London Journals Press.
MTS Fellow
Designation as a Marine Technology Society Fellow is one of the highest industry accolades. Since 1975, this title has been awarded to MTS members who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Society's objectives and who have distinguished accomplishments in their professional fields.
Recipient – Aleks Karlsen: Driven by a deep passion for maritime safety, Aleks specializes in dynamic positioning (DP) systems and the safe integration of emerging technologies. With a strong belief in the power of collaboration, he has played a pivotal role and worked closely with key industry players to shape and develop international standards that promote safer and more sustainable maritime operations. As an active member of the MTS DP Committee, he contributes his expertise to advancing best practices and guidance that support the global DP community.
Aleks’s work focuses on bridging innovation and responsibility—ensuring that new technologies not only enhance operational safety but also contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of marine and offshore activities. His mission: to help the maritime industry evolve safely and sustainably.
Recipient – Justin Manley: Justin Manley is an innovative technologist and executive with experience in startup, public corporation, academic, and public sectors. Mr. Manley has been working with marine technology and robotics since 1990 and is a recognized leader in uncrewed systems development and operations. After professional roles at MIT, supporting NOAA and in the private sector Mr. Manley founded Just Innovation Inc. in 2015. He supports diverse clients with a focus on robotics and ocean tech. Mr. Manley is a Senior Advisor to Oceankind and Venture Partner at AiiM Partners where he works to advance innovations for ocean conservation and commercial returns. He is an advisor to numerous ocean tech startups, and a co-founder of Seahawk Robotics which is commercializing patented drones for ocean operations.
Mr. Manley is extensively involved in the marine technology profession through a variety of leadership roles. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, a Life Member and Past-President of the Marine Technology Society (MTS), and a Fellow of the Institute for Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMAREST). Mr. Manley was a founding member of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Advisory Committee, currently a member of NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Advisory Board, and Co-chair of the UN Ocean Decade Technology and Innovation Working Group. In 2025 he was appointed to the Ocean Studies Board of The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He holds two patents in uncrewed systems oversight and security.
Recipient – Steven A. Ruberg: Steve Ruberg is a research physical scientist and engineer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. In addition to leading the lab’s Real-time Coastal Observation Network project, Steve’s focus is on obtaining winter, under-ice ecosystem observations using real-time cabled systems and autonomous vehicles. Steve also deploys remotely operated vehicles to understand the ecosystem impact of Great Lakes submerged groundwater sources.
Steve has long been a contributor to the MTS Great Lakes Section with significant contributions to the Lakebed 2030 TechSurge conference that was launched in 2019 at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan. Steve has participated in every Lakebed 2030 since this inaugural event and has been a catalyst for engaging and recruiting new conference attendees and presenters.
Walter Munk Scholar Award & Commemorative Lecture
The Walter Munk Scholar Award is jointly sponsored by the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans (WMFO) and the Marine Technology Society (MTS). The award is presented to a scholar currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral program and recognizes outstanding contributions in areas fostered by the sponsoring organizations. Established in 2019, the Award honors Walter Munk’s legacy of daring exploration and discovery through ocean scientific and technology research, ocean education, or ocean conservation. The award recipient is invited to deliver a virtual commemorative lecture on their contributions later this year.
Recipient – Alison B. Laferriere: Alison Laferriere is an ocean acoustics researcher specializing in signal processing for sensor systems and underwater acoustic applications. She holds S.M. and E.E. degrees in Electrical and Oceanographic Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Her doctoral research focuses on developing novel signal processing techniques for acoustic vector sensors and hydrophone arrays that incorporate knowledge of the physics of sound propagation and the ocean environment. She aims to design methods that extract meaningful information from acoustic measurements, using sound as a tool to observe, measure, and ultimately understand environmental variability, ocean processes, and biological activity.
Alongside her doctoral studies, Alison serves as a Scientist at Applied Ocean Sciences (AOS), where she designs, analyzes, and models ocean sensing systems for both research and defense applications. Her work at AOS includes the development of techniques for acoustic tomography and the design of networking protocols for distributed ocean sensors. Previously, as a Senior Scientist at Raytheon BBN, she led multiple research efforts in underwater acoustics and developed algorithms for high-precision positioning and environmental characterization using acoustic tomography.
Alison values working at the intersection of academic research and applied technology, with the goal of advancing ocean sensing capabilities and deepening our understanding of the marine environment.
Compass Distinguished Achievement Award
The Compass Distinguished Achievement Award is presented to any individual who has sustained a career marked by achievements that have had significant impact on the fields of marine science and technology.
Recipient – Wendy Watson-Wright, Ph.D.: Wendy Watson-Wright is Chair of the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), a body established in 1969 to advise the UN system on marine environmental issues. She was Executive Secretary and Assistant Director General of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) in Paris (2010-2015) and prior to retiring in 2019, was the inaugural CEO of the Atlantic Canadian-led Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI). She is an invited member of the World Economic Forum’s Friends of Ocean Action, a Director of the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility (which operates ROPOS, the Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Science) and an honorary lifetime member of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (Canada). She has evaluated numerous funding proposals for Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, contributed to the MTS Journal and been an invited plenary speaker at both Oceanology International America and Oi China. Dr. Watson-Wright held various senior positions within Fisheries and Oceans Canada, including eight years as its Assistant Deputy Minister, Science. A Killam scholar, she holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from Dalhousie University in Canada.
Compass Organizational Excellence Award
The Compass Organizational Excellence Award is presented to a company, government agency, program, or non-profit organization for outstanding contributions to the advancement of marine science and technology.
Recipient – Open Ocean Robotics: Open Ocean Robotics is a Canadian marine technology company dedicated to transforming how the oceans are understood and protected. Founded in Victoria, British Columbia, the company develops and operates solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) that collect ocean data in a safe, sustainable, and cost-effective way. Its flagship USV, the DataXplorer™, is designed for long-duration missions without the need for fuel or crew, enabling continuous operations with zero greenhouse gas emissions. Equipped with advanced sensors and AI-driven analytics, these USVs provide real-time insights for applications ranging from maritime domain awareness and defense to environmental monitoring, marine mammal protection, offshore energy support, and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing enforcement.
John P. Craven Mentor Award
The John P. Craven Mentor Award is presented to any established MTS Mentor invoking the long and impactful career of John Pina Craven. This award is conferred upon an MTS member who has demonstrated outstanding and sustained service to the field of marine technology through mentorship.
Recipient: Dr. Alexander López: Alexander López is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Rutgers University, where he leads the MS in Operational Oceanography (MOO) graduate program in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS) and serves as faculty in the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL). He teaches courses in Python programming, ocean modeling, integrated ocean observing, and field lab methods, and has mentored nearly two dozen graduate students in the MOO program, supporting their growth as marine technologists and researchers. His teaching philosophy centers on developing confident, skilled oceanographers through problem-solving, scientific literacy, and practical research experiences. He fosters a supportive, inclusive, curiosity-driven learning environment, using varied strategies such as discussion, group work, and real-time feedback to deepen understanding. Ongoing reflection and student input help him continuously improve instruction. His work exemplifies a long-term commitment to cultivating talent, advancing ocean observing education, and preparing the next generation of leaders in the marine sciences.
Ocean News & Technology Early Career Ocean Professional Award
The Ocean News & Technology Early Career Ocean Professional Award is presented to an individual within 10 years of their last degree or designation, who has shown leadership in MTS, and who works in a professional capacity in management, engineering or research and development in a marine technology field.
Recipient – Dr. Katherine Skinner: Dr. Katherine A. Skinner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Robotics at the University of Michigan. Her research spans robotics, computer vision, and machine learning with a focus on enabling autonomy for marine robotics. She holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Prior to this appointment, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology. She received an M.S. and Ph.D. from the Robotics Institute at the University of Michigan, and a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a Certificate in Applications of Computing from Princeton University. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters Best Paper Award.
Nominations for next year’s awards will be open in the beginning of 2026. For details regarding eligibility and nomination instructions, visit mtsociety.org/awards-and-honors.
MEDIA CONTACT
Chelsea Bladow
Director of Communications | Marine Technology Society
[email protected] | (202) 827-7172 | mtsociety.org