UWI Inaugural Conference Draws Top Student Talent from Eleven Countries

The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Friday, October 9, 2026—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has made a clear statement about the role of undergraduate research, leadership and entrepreneurship in the region’s development. Its inaugural International Undergraduate Student Leadership Conference and Entrepreneurship Expo (IUSLCEE), held September 23–25 at the UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica, brought together student researchers, entrepreneurs and leaders from 11 countries across the Caribbean, North America and Africa to compete for 16 challenge trophies and awards.

The award winners reflected the conference’s international reach. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence went to Nicole Valencia of the University of Winnipeg, Canada for “Al Dente Axons: What Pasta Can Teach Us About Brain Imaging.” Mark A. Joseph Jr. of University of Trinidad and Tobago was runner-up for his research on “Evolving Collaboration and Communication Among Engineering Students: The Emerging Roles of Technology, Mentorship and Human-AI Interaction.” In the Entrepreneurship Expo, Tatyanna Ross of the University of Trinidad and Tobago was a double winner. Her business, Chadon Beni Vinaigrette, earned the Chancellor’s Award for Established Entrepreneurship, and she also received the award for Most Outstanding Exhibition. Agreement Sibiya of North-West University, South Africa received the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Emerging Entrepreneurship for her AI-powered fashion platform, Bambo Queen ReStyle Africa.

Students from all five UWI campuses engaged with peers from Canada’s University of Winnipeg and Brock University, South Africa’s North-West University, the University of Trinidad and Tobago, the University of Guyana, and Jamaican institutions including the Caribbean Maritime University, Northern Caribbean University, Shortwood Teachers’ College and the College of Agricultural Science and Education.

Themed “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders Toward 2050: Imagining Roles, Rights, Responsibilities and Relationships,” the IUSLCEE was conceptualised and delivered by the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies under the leadership of Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies and Conference Chair, Professor Canute Thompson. The three-day hybrid programme was built on three pillars: leadership, research and entrepreneurship. Plenary sessions set the policy context, students presented their research, and an Entrepreneurship Expo brought 14 young entrepreneurs face-to-face with industry.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles challenged students and the institution alike. He said the University must prove itself as an incubator of ideas with real-world impact, not merely a credentialing body.

Professor Thompson described the conference as “a place for ideas and new thinking.” He called it the start of a sustained investment “purposed to shape the future of undergraduate studies,” aimed at rethinking how students are prepared and “how we create a better world and a stronger region.”

Research presentations ranged from the economics of enterprise and the ethics of innovation to governance, social justice, technology and the future of work in the Caribbean. Discussions also covered youth unemployment, technological disruption and the need for a new generation of globally minded, socially responsible leaders.

Government ministers the Hon. Delano Seiveright, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, and Dr the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, addressed the conference’s opening ceremony. Both voiced support for the conference’s mandate to develop undergraduate leadership, research and entrepreneurship.