Dr. Bhaleka Persaud is a Research Data Management Specialist at the University of Waterloo where she is responsible for ensuring FAIR data management practices for both the Global Water Futures (Observatories) Programs and the Ecohydrology Research Group projects. Additionally, Bhaleka's responsibilities extend to research project management, where she provides essential support for administrative and budget-related tasks. Prior to her academic role at the University of Waterloo, Bhaleka served as the Chief Hydrometeorological Officer (Director) of Hydrometeorological Service Ministry of Agriculture in Guyana and was also the Government of Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), where she provided leadership to many weather, climate, water and other environmental initiatives to ensure Guyana’s commitment to United Nations (e.g., WMO/UNDP/UNEP) were met. Bhaleka holds a master’s degree in Weather, Climate, and Modelling from the University of Reading and a PhD degree in Geography from Wilfrid Laurier University.