The University of the West Indies (UWI), via its Climate Studies Group Mona (CSGM), collaborated with CCRIF SPC to launch an innovative postdoctoral fellowship focused on detection and attribution (D&A) research. A UWI release shared that this fellowship, valued at US$50,000, marks CCRIF’s inaugural direct funding dedicated to postdoctoral scholarly work, aiming to strengthen regional capabilities in tropical cyclone modelling and climate change attribution science.
As per the release, the fellowship has been awarded to Dr. Jhordanne Jones, an alumna of UWI, a NOAA Climate and Global Change Fellow, and a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Her research will produce detailed hurricane simulations, statistics on damage and losses, and opportunities for public outreach—aiming to establish The UWI and the Caribbean as key contributors to global climate attribution science.
“This fellowship is an important investment that will help The UWI produce the human capital needed to guide policy decisions informed by rigorous science, ensuring our societies build back better, ” commented Professor Densil A. Williams, the Principal of The UWI Mona Campus.
Preliminary findings highlight the fellowship’s significance:
– Hurricane Beryl (2024): Analysis indicated wind speeds surpassing historical benchmarks, ranking among the top 5% of storms under projected warming conditions.
– Hurricane Melissa (2025): A global weather attribution study, led by UWI researchers, determined that climate change contributed to approximately a 7% increase in wind speeds, about a 16% rise in rainfall, and made rapid intensification six times more probable—exposing the challenges small island nations face regarding adaptation.
The UWI added that this initiative expands upon a long-standing collaboration with CCRIF, which has contributed over US$1.8 million in scholarships, internships, and project funding since 2010. Together, says the release, the institutions are advancing Caribbean leadership in climate science, resilience finance, and the pursuit of global climate justice.
Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and Co‑Director of CSGM, added, “CCRIF’s investment in detection and attribution science is visionary. By supporting research that directly links extreme weather to climate change, CCRIF is helping to place Caribbean science at the centre of global climate justice efforts.”
