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“The very best thing (hands down) that ever happened to me is my family. When I started teaching, my husband Lloyd and I already had children. We saw the region, and in our case Jamaica, as the best place for raising our family and UWI as the best place in the region for teaching and research. I’m happy that UWI also chose me! I hope that I will be remembered as someone who encouraged the people with whom I interact, particularly young people, to be the best that they can be in whatever sphere they choose.”

Professor Yvette Jackson

PROFESSOR OF SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
AND CAMPUS COORDINATOR, GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
FACULTY OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES
MONA CAMPUS, JAMAICA
Tel: (876) 935-8708/8263 • Email: Yvette.Jackson@uwimona.edu.jm

PROFILE

Yvette Jackson, BSc, PhD, UWI, Mona, joined the staff of UWI in 1983 as Assistant Lecturer and moved through the ranks, becoming Professor in 2004. She is currently Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Mona. Her work at UWI and at the University of Alabama with Professor Michael Cava and Dr. M. V. Lakshmikantham, has generated over 35 publications in some of the best journals in the field, one recently earning the distinction of cover article and one of the top ten downloads of the publication year. Her participation in conferences and symposia, as an invited lecturer on various occasions, also contributes to her international presence. Professor Jackson has guided ten students to higher degrees (eight PhDs) and currently supervises four. Her research focuses on the synthesis and chemistry of novel compounds of pharmacological activity and she considers her major academic contribution to UWI to be the development of Synthetic Organic Chemistry as a vibrant, viable area of research at Mona. She has also helped to guide the nation’s understanding and development of better practices in the production of local products, including rum and sorghum syrup, resulting in improved market access potential and consistency in these products. Professor Jackson’s work has resulted in many awards, including Best Research Publication (Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences (2003), and the Principal’s Award for Outstanding Research Activity (2005), and grants from institutions including the Jamaica Agricultural Research Programme, Third World Organisation of Women Scientists (TWOWS), TWAS, DuPont de Nemours and Co., and UNESCO. She is Regional Editor of the journal Molecules and scientific consultant to the Jamaica Branch of Shire Biochem, Canada. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, member of the Jamaican Society of Scientists and Technologists, the Third World Organization for Women in Science, and the Caribbean Academy of Sciences. She is also a member of the Board of Governors, Hampton School.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Professor Jackson’s current research is in the area of synthesis and chemical reactions of heterocyclic compounds with biological activity. She is involved in:
• synthesis of rotenoids, some naturally occurring insecticidal compounds, and are exploring synthesis of analogues which have one or both ring oxygen atoms replaced by nitrogen
• synthesis and study of the pharmacological activity of some novel salts which have structural similarity to the well known diazepam (valium)
• synthesis of analogues of some known marine alkaloids. The naturally occurring compounds show tremendous potential against cancer and viruses, but are toxic to normal human cells.