The Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona congratulates Leneka Rhoden and Janielle McKoy, who are among the 13 recipients of the 2024 Chevening Scholarships.

Leneka Rhoden:  Leneka Rhoden (Graduate student, Department of Life Sciences) is an Environmental Management Professional with experience working across the Caribbean region on environmental sustainability, focusing on biodiversity and energy conservation. She is experienced in renewable energy structures and biofuel production, developing marine protected areas frameworks, creating ecosystem management plans, managing projects and promoting environmental conservation strategies.

Leneka champions climate change mitigation through scientific initiatives, analyzing resources such as Sargassum for energy production and ocean conservation. She has made significant contributions to Jamaica’s energy sector through her work at the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport (MSETT). She has been instrumental in developing the Electric Vehicle Policy and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Policy for Public Buildings, promoting the transition to renewable energy and enhancing the country’s energy resilience.

Leneka serves as the Caribbean Regional Coordinator for the High Seas Alliance (HSA) and is an Advisory Board Member of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI). Her responsibilities involve promoting the ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty, reviewing critical policies related to ocean governance, focusing on integrating science, policy, and law to protect marine ecosystems both within and beyond national jurisdictions, fitting into the climate change framework.

Leneka will be pursuing a Master of Laws (LLM) in Energy and Climate Change at Queen Mary University of London. Her studies will cover areas such as Climate Change Law, International Natural Resources Law, Nuclear Energy Law, and Energy Law Principles governing sustainable energy management, electricity regulations and energy transition. This is critical for Jamaica’s development agenda as the country seeks to increase renewable energy feed into the grid by 2030, and the resilience of the energy infrastructure is essential in the face of intensified hurricanes exacerbated by climate change.

Janielle McKoy:  Inspired by her mother’s selfless dedication, sets a high bar for herself academically, aiming for excellence as her minimum standard.
She graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI), with a Bachelor of Science degree (Honours) in Medical Physics. Currently, Janielle is employed as a Scientific Officer at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Science (ICENS). In this role, she has gained invaluable experience in radiation safety and nuclear security.
Looking ahead, she is eager to further her studies in this field.
She will pursue a Master of Science degree in Medical Physics with Radiobiology at the University of Oxford.

Janielle believes that this programme will equip her with the necessary knowledge and experience to contribute to advancements in the field locally, with a particular focus on cancer treatment through radiotherapy. Driven by a passion to deepen her understanding of cancer’s causes, behaviour, and effective treatment, she is committed to improving the local health sector.

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