Dr. Ventura is a well-known international authority on the development and application of science and technology for socio-economic development. He has had over thirty years of experience in research and development, technological investment and the commercial application of research results.
Dr. Ventura has assisted a number of African, Asian, Latin America and Caribbean countries to re-examine, strengthen and innovatively apply their scientific and technological capabilities to meet changing local and international circumstances and demands.
He began his research career as a virologist but later became an avid student of the use of science to accelerate socio-economic development, especially in small states. He also has been an advisor to governments, and a consultant and team leader for a number of multi-lateral missions, including those of the UNDP, UNIDO, UNESCO, FAO and the OAS.
He was the first Caribbean professional to preside over the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD), in Geneva; and the first person to head both the UNCSTD and the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT) of the OAS, in Washington, at the same time.
Dr. Ventura is a significant contributor to the world’s literature on the use of science and technology for development and a sought after local and international speaker on the subject.
He possesses expertise in a number of areas, including science, technology and innovation policy, planning and implementation, and the application of modern technological solutions to agriculture, small businesses and industrial development. Dr. Ventura has also managed research and testing institutions, as well as, contributed to global debates and work that has led to improved ways in which science and technology can be used to reduce poverty and assist socio-economic development in developing countries.
Dr. Ventura is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of the West Indies, and has lectured and conducted research in five universities across the Americas. He presently is the Special Science and Technology Advisor to the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
