Expedition staff

Monika Schillat - Expedition Leader

Monika Schillat has been involved in the cruise industry since 1993 as Expedition Leader and Historian.

She has been lecturing and guiding as a historian and naturalist for various companies dedicated to ecotourism in some of the most remote regions of this earth, such as North-West Passage, Svalbard, Greenland, Chilean Fjords and the White Continent.

For the last nine years Monika has mainly traveled as Expedition Leader to the Antarctic, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and South Georgia, as well as to the Svalbard archipelago.

Originally from Germany, Monika immigrated to South America in 1989. She is a resident of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina where she lectures on Latin American History at the Patagonian National University "San Juan Bosco". Her specialty is Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and the South Atlantic Islands.

In addition to fieldwork, she is a published historian. Her works include several books on the history of Tierra del Fuego and the South Atlantic Islands as well as a couple of travel guides, an essay book on Antarctica, another one on the Arctic and an Antarctic Bestiary with her personal watercolor sketches.

Agustin Ullmann - Expedition Leader / Assistant Expedition Leader

Agustín Ullmann, born in Buenos Aires in 1976, he has worked in natural environments since 1995, guiding and coordinating educational groups of teenagers and kids on environmental education activities.

Once finished his studies as Park Ranger, he began a specialization in logistics and coordination of ecotouristic trips to Patagonia, travelling through different protected areas of the country.

At the same time, he turned into an Environmental Interpreter Guide in the Paraná Delta - guiding kayak and motor boat tours - and different protected areas of Argentina, including professional practices in many of them.

Some years ago he started receiving groups of incoming tourism, and started new training as Tour Leader and Guide in the Brazilian Mato Grosso and Northwest Argentina.

He works as a guide specialized in Antarctic ecosystems since the summer of 2004/2005 until now aboard the USHUAIA, growing professionally in this remote destination, as lecturer/naturalist and Assistant Expedition Leader at first, and now as well as Expedition Leader.

Agustín's interest for the environment and education is just a part of his formation. He also enjoys arts very much. He studied dramatic art and music.

Sebastian Arrebola - Expedition Leader / Lecturer

Sebastián Arrebola was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Tourism. He took a one-year mountain guide training course, climbing in different parts of Argentina such as Mendoza, Bariloche and Tierra del Fuego.

In 2000, he moved to Ushuaia where he became a guide in Tierra del Fuego. Concurrently, he worked on several vessels visiting sea mammals and bird colonies at the southernmost tip of South America. He sailed to many places around the world including to the Mediterranean Sea and around the mystic Cape Horn. In 2002, he moved to England, where he trained in sea survival, marine radio operations (short range), and first aid, all accredited by the Royal Yachting Association.

Sebastian is specialized in polar tourism and exploration history. His first trip to Antarctica was on board a 36 ft (12 m) sailing boat; during this one-month voyage he developed skills on ice navigation and learned first hand about the Antarctic environment and natural history. He has lead many expeditions, and has also worked several seasons on board the USHUAIA as Expedition Leader.

Dany Martinioni - Lecturer / Assistant Expedition Leader

Daniel Martinioni studied geology at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He is involved with scientific activities in Antarctica since 1988 and spent eleven austral summers working on geological field research at the James Ross Archipelago by the Weddell Sea. He forms part of projects of CONICET, the Argentine National Research Council, and IAA, the Argentine Antarctic Institute. Dany is staff geologist at the Andean Geology Laboratory of CADIC (research centre of CONICET) in Ushuaia. He taught as an assistant at the University in Buenos Aires, and, among his post-graduate activities, he was trained in sedimentology in Canada, working in the field in Canada and USA. Once in Ushuaia, where he decided to live with his family since 1993, he became also involved in the digital cartographic mapping project of the Province of Tierra del Fuego.

Dany helped as a guide during geological field trips of the Andean Geology Laboratory and offered presentations to a variety of audiences. He is now studying the Andean geology of Tierra del Fuego in the frame of his post-graduate program. He is focused on the Cretaceous-Paleogene stratigraphic evolution of the oil and gas producing Austral Basin of Tierra del Fuego; and continues with the research on the Cretaceous sedimentology and biostratigraphy of the James Ross Basin. He is very interested in the historic expeditions that established the basis for our present knowledge about the natural evolution of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Since 2006 he joins us as one of the geologists on board the USHUAIA.

Andrea Raya Rey - Lecturer / Guide

Andrea Raya Rey has a PhD from the University of Buenos Aires and she is specialist in marine biology.

She has been studying marine mammals and seabirds since 1992 in various sites along the Patagonian coasts. Andrea got involved in the cruise business ten years ago. She has been lecturing and guiding as a biologist and naturalist on voyages to Antarctica and Staten Island. 

Her main interest is the ecology and conservation of seabirds, especially penguins. She is resident of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, where she has a scientist position in a research institute that belongs to the Argentinean Research Council. 

She did part of her PhD at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, England, and is still doing cooperative studies together with the British Antarctic Survey, the Antarctic Research Trust (Germany), the Falkland Conservation (Falkland Islands) and the Centre de Etudes Biologiques de Chize (France). 

For the last twelve years she has been travelling to different sub-Antarctic islands, Staten and Noir Island, to study different aspects of different penguin species, as well as cormorants and giant petrels, such as their breeding behaviour, foraging ecology and movements as well as the oceanography of the southern ocean. 

As a biologist she has published several scientific papers and book chapters on seabirds and penguins but also she is involved in outreach and education activities where she lives. 

Andrea speaks English, Spanish and French.

Pablo F. Petracci - Lecturer / Guide

Pablo F. Petracci was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina; he studied Zoology at the Faculty of Natural Science and the Museum of La Plata, specializing in marine and freshwater ecology and conservation biology, mostly on migratory birds.

During 2003 he was the Coordinator of the "Migratory Bird Conservation Program" of the Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina. Thereafter he cooperated with the "Marine Program" of the same Foundation. Currently he is a consultant biologist of the Secretary of Sustainable Development and Environment of Argentina.

Pablo has worked at the Arctic Polar Circle in Alaska twice, during 2002 and 2004, for the Geological Service and for the National Park Service of the United States of America, doing research on Nearctic migratory birds and seabirds' ecology. This will be his third season on board the USHUAIA.

At present he works as a tutor in "Vertebrates Zoology III" at the National University of La Plata. He is also coordinating different projects on migratory endangered species (Olrog's Gulls and Austral Geese) and shorebirds in Argentina.

He has published three books, four chapters of books, more than 30 scientific papers in national and international specialized magazines, and gave many conferences and courses. In addition to his work as a biologist he is a nature photographer, sailor and kayaker. He has explored many Patagonian lakes and rivers by kayak.

Luciana Motta - Lecturer / Assistant Expedition Leader

Luciana M. Motta was born in Rosario, Argentina, and got her masters degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires in 2006.

Since she became a student, Luciana got involved in topics of Conservation of endangered species and Education, participating in different projects. Seeking a career that would always link science and education, she worked for 2 years as a Lecturer/Guide for the National Museum of Natural Science in Buenos Aires and as a Natural Science school teacher.

She was part of a marine science research group in the Argentinean Sea, Bahía de San Borombón, from 1999 to 2006, for the Franciscana Dolphin Conservation Project, an endemic dolphin species that is threatened by its interaction with coastal fishing gillnets.

Luciana worked in the U.S. in several opportunities (Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and for the Behaviour and Acoustics Ecology Laboratory at Florida State University) doing marine mammal research. Back in Argentina, she worked for 3 years as a Scientific Assistant for the Program of Environmental Management and Tourism of the Argentinean National Antarctic Direction.

Her experience working in aquatic ecosystems and management lead her to start a Ph.D. doing research on the impact of tourism and climate change in freshwater bodies of North Patagonia. Besides photography and music, she is very fond of the White Continent, and she joins us on board the USHUAIA since 2007 as an Environmental interpreter and Assistant expedition leader.

Lucas Jose Marti - Lecturer / Guide

The 32-year old biologist and ornithologists just loves birds.

A graduate from the National University in La Plata, he started to work for the Argentinean Antarctic Institute at King George and Nelson Islands for three summers. At the Argentinean Base Teniente Jubany, Lucas studied Southern Giant Petrels, skuas and penguins. On Nelson Island, at the Argentinean base camp Gurruchaga he added studies of gulls and cormorants to his previous experience. Lucas took part in different studies and field work, including breeding biology, diet and ethology and population monitoring.

In 2004 he worked for the first time on board the USHUAIA lecturing and guiding. Since 2005 he has also been leading bird-watching-tours in Brazil and Argentina.

When he is not travelling, Lucas works as an Environmental Consultant and teaches Ornithology at the National University CAECE. Also he's working in some bird monitoring programs carried out by the National University of La Plata and loves to train rugby players. Nowadays, he lives with his wife and their two children in La Plata's outskirts, the capital city of Buenos Aires Province.

Pablo Wainschenker - Lecturer / Guide

The journalist Pablo Wainschenker from Argentina has long been fascinated with Antarctica, not least by the many adventurous expeditions to the white continent around the turn of the 19th century. After researching in Argentina, Norway and Sweden, he wrote the script of the documentary film: "Trapped in the end of the world", on the 1901-1903 Swedish expedition to Antarctica led by Otto Nordenskjöld.

Hired by the Swedish Foreign Office, Pablo took part in the organization of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting held in Stockholm in 2005. Thereafter he joined the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS) as an editor. Working for the ATS, Mr Wainschenker has assisted the Committee for Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty as well as the working group on operational matters at the Antarctic Treaty meetings since 2006.

Pablo has also a keen interest in Antarctic governance and the links between scientific research and politics, the subject of his ongoing research and thesis. He first went to Antarctica in 2002.

Marcos Gazzolo - Lecturer / Guide

Marcos Gazzolo a Physical Educator, lives in Buenos Aires between winter and summer seasons. Apart from spending time with his family and friends he works in outdoor education with teenagers and children all over Argentina, which has been his passion for more than 10 years. In educational outdoor camps young people learn about the places through different dynamics and activities.

During 2004, after a season working as an Outdoor Educator Director in an U.S.A. Summer Camp, he decided to return to the U.S.A. to become an Outward Bound Instructor at one of the most important Outdoor Schools in the world. This led him to work at first for Outward Bound Spain and then at Outward Bound Ecuador, guiding and offering several activities and expeditions between June and August.

Marcos has also continued his training as an Outdoor Educator in the Chilean Patagonian branch of The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the most important Outdoor School in the United States.

In 2005 and 2006 he coordinated and guided several adventure activities such as trekking and horseback riding for Fitz Roy Expeditions in Los Glaciares National Park, southern Patagonia.

This will be his second summer as naturalist guide on board the USHUAIA and he enjoys exploring Argentina and other countries during the rest of his time.