University College of the Cayman Islands director Tamsin Deasey Weinstein has received two fellowships in relation to her ongoing work in AI innovation in the education system in Cayman.
She has been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Perplexity AI Business Fellowship, a global AI programme designed to help empower professionals working on AI innovation, and also received the Principal Fellowship in Higher Education from Advance HE, a UK-based global educational leadership award that recognises only a select number of professionals worldwide.
Deasey Weinstein was recently appointed as co-chair of the Cayman Islands’ AI Committee for the Ministry of Education, where she is helping to lead efforts to integrate AI-driven innovation into the islands’ educational framework.
“This role places her at the helm of a movement that seeks to position Cayman as a leader in AI-enhanced learning, ensuring that students and educators alike have access to cutting-edge technology and AI-driven tools that will prepare them for the future workforce,” a press release from UCCI stated.
It noted that she has been working on fostering AI literacy and ethical AI adoption within the community and ensuring that “Cayman remains engaged in the global AI conversation while developing its own local AI initiatives”.
The fellowships
The highly competitive Perplexity AI fellowship provides participants with access to exclusive mentorship, hands-on AI training and direct engagement with industry leaders, according to the release.
UCCI said the business fellowship programme features “live fireside chats with some of the world’s most influential tech pioneers in the world”, including Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA; Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI; and Roy Bahat, head of Bloomberg Beta, among others. Participants also receive hands-on training in AI application development, with opportunities to build functional AI tools.
The release noted that Perplexity AI is an innovative artificial intelligence company founded in 2022, which has attracted significant investment from such individuals and organisations as Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and Databricks. As of December 2024, it had secured US$500 million in funding, elevating its valuation to $9 billion.
“As the only participant from the Cayman Islands, Deasey Weinstein’s selection places her at the heart of a global conversation on AI-driven business transformation,” the release noted. “This recognition underscores her growing influence in the AI sector and her commitment to bringing world-class AI expertise to Cayman’s education system and broader business community.
“Through the fellowship, the University will also gain access to Perplexity’s cutting-edge AI enterprise tools, equipping UCCI with the latest advancements to drive innovation both locally and internationally.”
The second fellowship, from Advance HE, recognises individuals who have demonstrated sustained strategic leadership in higher education. The release noted that this award is a testament to the impact of Deasey Weinstein’s work, “acknowledging her role in shaping educational policy, curriculum development, and institutional innovation”.
AI skills
The accolades last week come after Deasey Weinstein’s completion of an AI business leadership programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“This is an extraordinary time for Cayman,” she said in the release, “and I am honoured to be at the forefront of this transformation in artificial intelligence and helping to equip Caymanians with skills they will need now and in the future. All these accolades reflect the growing momentum we are seeing in AI education, policy, and innovation across the regional and globally. My hope is that through these initiatives, we can continue to build a future that is ethical, inclusive, and empowering for all Caymanians.”
Robert Robertson, UCCI president and CEO, stated, “Tamsin’s recognition on both global and national stages is a testament to her unwavering dedication to advancing artificial intelligence and education in the Cayman Islands. Her innovative leadership continues to position UCCI at the forefront of academic excellence and technological advancement. UCCI is a passionate believer in advancing the workforce of tomorrow and we will continue to work with public and private sector individuals to make this happen.”
Since 2023, Deasey Weinstein has championed AI education at UCCI, authoring the university’s first white paper on AI in education and leading the development of AI-focused curriculum for both students and faculty. She received UCCI’s AI Innovation Award in 2024.
She has also recently spearheaded the Future of Workforce in Cayman initiative, a national project aimed at addressing the growing skills gap across key industries. Launched in response to a 2023 Labour Market Assessment conducted by UCCI in collaboration with Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman and the Chamber of Commerce, this initiative has gained significant traction nationwide.
Through a series of high-impact roundtable discussions with leaders from finance, construction, tourism, IT and sustainability, the project has identified critical workforce challenges and developed actionable strategies to align education and training with industry needs.
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