Jacqueline is a marine scientist and conservation leader with over two decades of dedicated work focused on seagrass ecosystems, currently based at Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute in Mombasa.

Jacqueline is the recipient of the 2019 NK Panniker Award for capacity building from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) General Assembly. She is a past President of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

Currently, Jacqueline holds the position of Chair of the Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce. Additionally,  She is contributing as a Lead Expert in the Ocean Panel Expert Group in the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.