The University of the West Indies, Mona, regrets to inform you that our former colleague, Professor Emeritus David Barker, passed away on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Professor Barker joined The UWI Mona in 1980 as a Lecturer in the Department of Geography.  He was promoted to Senior Lecturer and served as Head of Department from 1994-1996. He was later promoted to the rank of Professor in 2005 and appointed the Head of the Department of Geography and Geology from 2005 until his retirement in 2012. His early work focused on indigenous knowledge systems and land degradation in small farming communities. Over the last 15 years, he led a vibrant group of graduate students whose research examined food security and sustainable rural livelihoods in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. He was co-founding editor of the journal Caribbean Geography in 1983, a peer-reviewed, self-financing journal published out of the Department of Geography & Geology at The UWI.

In 2015, The UWI conferred the title of Professor Emeritus on Professor Barker. He had remained a dedicated and active researcher and continued to teach and mentor graduate students until 2019.

In light of this death, The UWI flags will be flown at half-mast on Monday, February 28, 2022. The University and the Faculty extends condolences to the family and friends of the late Professor Barker.