UWI Celebrates Professorial Appointments in Science, Economics, and Innovation

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has elevated five of its distinguished lecturers to the esteemed rank of Professor. This noteworthy recognition not only reflects their scholarly excellence but also underscores their significant contributions to various fields including economics, biochemistry, power systems, mathematics, and applied computational science.

The newly appointed Professors are renowned in their respective disciplines and have made important strides in understanding critical Caribbean issues, ranging from macroeconomic theory to women’s health and agricultural resilience.

These professorial appointments, effective as of October 8, 2025, were made on the recommendations of internal and independent external assessors. The process included a detailed review of the quantity and quality of candidates’ research, publications and other professional activities.

Meet the new professors.

Cave Hill Campus

Professor Angela T. Alleyne – Professor of Genomic Plant Pathology

Professor Mahalia Jackman – Professor of Economics and Inclusive Development

Mona Campus

Professor Andre Haughton – Professor of Applied Macroeconomics

St. Augustine Campus

Professor Arvind Singh – Professor of Intelligent Energy Systems and Sustainability

Professor Sreedhara Rao Gunakala – Professor of Mathematics

MORE ABOUT THE PROFESSORS

Professor Angela T. Alleyne

Professor of Genomic Plant Pathology, Angela T. Alleyne conducts research that applies genomic technologies to study diseases of tropical root crops.  Her work has deepened understanding of plant–microbe interactions, disease resistance, and pathogen characterisation in tropical agriculture. Her major projects are: the identification and characterisation of viruses affecting Caribbean sweet potato; molecular diagnostics of cassava superelongation disease; investigations of yam anthracnose to inform farmers’ management practices in Guadeloupe and Barbados; and fungal microbiomes for their potential to promote plant health. Beyond plant pathology, she uses molecular markers in biomedical research on uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) among Afro-Caribbean women, offering insights into the genetic basis of disease prevalence in Afro-Caribbean populations.

A distinguished UWI alumna, Professor Alleyne gained a BSc Biochemistry at The UWI Mona Campus, and MPhil and PhD Biology degrees from the Cave Hill Campus. She also completed postdoctoral research at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and postgraduate training in molecular diagnostics at the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University. She served as Assistant Professor of Biology at Edward Waters University, Florida, before joining The UWI Cave Hill Campus as a Lecturer in 2008. At the Campus, Professor Alleyne has supervised 15 graduate researchers and 26 taught master’s students. She is Coordinator of Biological Sciences, and the Biochemistry Major, and developed the Diploma/MSc in Biosafety—the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences’ only taught master’s programme.

She has published 40 peer-reviewed papers, including six book chapters, as well as 26 non-refereed works, including seven technical reports for organisations such as the Government of Barbados and CARDI. She serves as an editor for Plant Health Progress (American Phytopathological Society), Plant–Pathogen Interactions in Frontiers in Plant Science, and PLOS One, and as a reviewer for more than 15 academic journals.

Assessors describe Professor Alleyne as a “distinguished expert” and a “highly valued and internationally recognised” scientist whose research “utilises next-generation sequencing and the latest genomic analysis across a diverse range of disciplines.” Her studies are deemed “carefully thought through and targeted at solving real problems,” underscoring both their scientific depth and social relevance. She has contributed to research initiatives that attracted nearly USD 2 million in funding from international agencies, including the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Barbados.

Professor Alleyne has been an active member of the American Phytopathological Society since 2001 and was elected a full member of the Royal Society of Biology in 2018. Her work has earned her distinctions such as the Canada–CARICOM Faculty Leadership Award (2022), the UWI Principal’s Award for Academic Excellence (2017 and 2024), and recognition as one of the “40 Faces of Plant Pathology” by the British Society of Plant Pathology (2022).

Professor Mahalia Jackman

Professor Mahalia Jackman, Head of the Department of Economics at The UWI, Cave Hill Campus, is recognised as the premier Caribbean researcher in inclusive development. Assessors commend her as having “established a very strong reputation as a scholar in the field of development economics,” noting that while her work is deeply rooted in Caribbean realities, it also “makes a broader contribution to the larger development literature.”

Professor Jackman’s scholarship is recognised for its methodological strength and scope. In a field where research on inclusion is often qualitative, she applies rigorous quantitative techniques to complex social and economic questions. Assessors described her research output as “distinguished” and “impressive in breadth,” noting its balance across micro—and macroeconomic analyses and its attention to both theoretical and applied dimensions of development. They also highlighted her capacity to produce a strong portfolio of single-authored and collaborative works.

Her publication record includes 54 journal articles, three short monographs, and a technical report prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank titled Gender Analysis of Select Public Programmes and Services in Barbados (2019). She has presented her research at more than 35 international conferences and seminars across North America, Europe, Australia, and the Caribbean. Professor Jackman is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies and was a visiting scholar at Leeds Beckett University and at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Queensland, Australia.  She also holds membership with the International Association for Feminist Economics and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

Professor Jackman has a commendable teaching record. She has supervised 15 graduate researchers, chaired PhD examinations, coordinated several graduate programmes in Finance and Economics and contributed significantly to curriculum and programme development including championing new and revised undergraduate programmes. Her academic contributions have been recognised with the Principal’s Award for Excellence – Outstanding Research Accomplishments (2023) and the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning/Student Guild Certificate for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2019).

Her expertise extends to public policy and advocacy. Professor Jackman has featured as a guest columnist for the Barbados Business Authority; served as an expert witness for the African Services Committee on LGBT conditions in Guyana, and as a member of the Regional Expert Steering Committee for the Multi-country Study on Economic Costs of Violence against Women convened by UN Women and the CARICOM Secretariat.

Professor Jackman joins a distinguished cohort of UWI scholars who achieved professorship before age 40.

Professor Andre Haughton

Professor Andre Haughton is an economist whose work in applied macroeconomics, econometrics, and international monetary economics has significantly contributed to understanding Caribbean economies in a global context. Assessors have described his research as “distinguished,” “technically well done,” and “indicative of his maturity and competence as a macroeconomist.” His use of “sophisticated time series methodology” and focus on practical policy relevance have produced findings that deepen the applied macroeconomic literature and capacity to bridge academic research and applied policy. Another assessor observed that his research brings value by applying macroeconomic analysis to “novel settings… particularly Jamaica and other Caribbean economies, where it is possible to evaluate macroeconomic causality in clearer, less complex environments.”

He is a graduate of The UWI, Mona Campus, where he earned both his BSc and MSc in Economics, along with a PhD in Economics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. He has lectured at The UWI since 2011 and previously taught at the University of Essex. At Mona, he has served as Chair of the Research Seminar Committee, Chair of the Staff-Student Liaison Committee, and a member of the Campus Research Ethics Committee. He is also Chair and Founder of the Social Sciences Cannabis Research Group.

Professor Haughton’s publication record includes two books: Developing Sustainable Balance of Payments in Small Countries: Lessons from Macroeconomic Deadlock in Jamaica (2017) and Overcoming Productivity Challenges in Small Countries: Lessons from Jamaica (2022). The books published by Palgrave Macmillan are deemed by assessors noteworthy for an academic economist at Professor Haughton’s stage in his career. He has authored 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, including publications in the top-rated Energy Economics and Economic Modelling; 2 book chapters; and 7 technical reports prepared for government and international agencies, including projects sponsored by the World Bank. He has presented 23 conference papers and reviewed for journals such as the Journal for the Advancement of Developing Economics.

In addition to his academic work, Professor Haughton wrote “The Briefing” column for the Jamaica Gleaner, which, since 2012, has published over 200 articles explaining and contextualising economic developments in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean for lay citizens. He has also contributed to public life as an Opposition Senator for the Jamaica’s People’s National Party.

Professor Haughton’s contributions have been recognised with several honours, including the Distinguished Research Award from the Allied Academics Academy of Entrepreneurship (2012), Most Outstanding Researcher in the Faculty of Social Sciences, The UWI Mona Campus (2017), IMF Distinguished Academic Fellowship (2017), and Most Outstanding UWI Alumni for the Decade 1999–2008 (2018). Most Outstanding Publication in the Faculty of Social Sciences, The UWI Mona Campus (2024).

Professor Arvind Singh

Professor Arvind Singh is Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Campus, and Professor of Intelligent Energy Systems and Sustainability. His research in Electric Power Systems focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Optimisation, and Grid Integration of Renewable Energy. His forward-looking work examines energy democratisation in prosumer-based market structures and aims to develop holistic, socio-technical frameworks to enable the sustainable energy transition.

Assessors describe Professor Singh as “persistent and motivated,” commending his steady output in reputable peer-reviewed journals and his ability to bring “new perspectives to complex problems through innovative approaches.” His research on power transformer diagnostics and advanced measurement techniques has produced findings of immediate relevance to the field.

A UWI alumnus, Professor Singh earned his BSc in 2003 before completing an MASc (2006) and PhD (2009) at the University of British Columbia, Canada. His publication record includes 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, 19 conference papers, and five technical reports. He serves as a reviewer for several international journals and conferences, and as a member of the leadership team for the IEEE Sustainable Energy Systems for Developing Communities Working Group.

Professor Singh has established partnerships and memoranda of understanding with organisations such as T&TEC, Ellering AS, Tallinn University (Estonia), Anton de Kom University (Suriname), and Brandenburg University (Germany), as well as several private-sector partners. As a consultant, he contributed to the Carbon Mitigation Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago, supporting commitments under the Paris Accord. To date, he has secured over TT$1.4 million in funding, supporting initiatives ranging from pandemic-response innovations to the creation of the Sustainable Energy Transition Commons, a collaborative research and training space, including renewable energy education through student-led community projects.

Within The UWI, Professor Singh has been an active academic leader and mentor. He has led the Faculty of Engineering’s Blended Learning Committee, chaired undergraduate and postgraduate programme review committees leading to major programme updates, and continues to serve on several Faculty, Campus, and University committees. As former Deputy Dean for Enterprise Development and Outreach, he expanded the Faculty’s public engagement and helped establish the Campus’s Continuous Professional Education (CPE) Framework.  As Head of Department, he has strengthened the Department’s R&D capacity through new partnerships, strategic investments in equipment, and opening new physical research spaces.

Professor Singh is also a founding member of the UWI St. Augustine Campus’, Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre, where he leads the intelliGRID research group built on his work in AI applications to Power Systems. Beyond academia, he contributes to the preservation and advancement of Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago through the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), which he leverages to open multidisciplinary research in cultural innovation and heritage initiatives.

Professor Sreedhara Rao Gunakala

Professor Sreedhara Rao Gunakala has an outstanding academic career spanning three decades and encompassing teaching, research, and leadership in mathematics and applied computational sciences. Currently Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at The UWI St. Augustine Campus, he formerly taught at the Ramanujan Academy of Mathematical Sciences, and S.V. University College of Engineering in India; and at Haramaya University, Ethiopia. He delivered a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Analysis, Algebra, Numerical Analysis, and Mathematical Modelling.

Professor Gunakala’s research focuses on computational fluid dynamics, with applications spanning engineering, geophysics, and biomedical sciences. His areas of expertise include nanofluid flow modelling, biomechanics, couple-stress fluid flows, non-Newtonian fluids, convective heat and mass transfer, transport in porous media, magnetohydrodynamics, and fixed-point theory. His work has contributed to emerging biomedical applications such as magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia for cancer treatment, cardiovascular diagnostics, and drug delivery systems. As one assessor notes, “A key strength of Dr. Gunakala’s work lies in its interdisciplinary relevance. His transition from classical heat and mass transfer problems to biomedical applications is both timely and impactful.” Another adds, “His ability to integrate computational methods with real-world applications has placed him at the forefront of research in nanofluids and biomedical transport phenomena.”

Over his career, Professor Gunakala has published more than 80 journal articles. In the last decade, his publication record has included 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book chapters, and 14 conference proceedings. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Mathematics Research and Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering and is a reviewer for several high-impact international journals, including the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.

At The UWI, Professor Gunakala has designed and implemented five new MSc Mathematics courses in Topology, Complex Analysis, Functional Analysis, Theory of Integration, and Finite Element Analysis, reflecting global academic trends and industry needs. He has supervised 3 PhD (+1 ongoing), 1 MPhil, and 11 MSc (+2 ongoing) research projects, and has served as an examiner for MSc/MPhil /PhD research since 2010.

His contributions have been recognised internationally. The Royal Society of London awarded him the Commonwealth Science Conference Fellow Grant, and he has been a Principal Investigator on projects that have secured multiple grants from The UWI St. Augustine Campus Research and Publication Fund. In 2023, he received the Principal’s Research Award for Most Outstanding Faculty Researcher in the Faculty of Science and Technology. Since 2016, he has served as Vice President of the Latin America and Caribbean Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics (LACCOTAM).