The University of the West Indies is pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Phyllis Coates-Beckford Senior Lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences to the rank of Professor.

A plant pathologist, Professor Coates-Beckford holds the Bachelor of Science (Special) degree in Botany from The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, the Master of Science degree in Mycology and Plant Pathology from the University of London and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. Both the M.Sc and Ph.D. theses were in Plant Nematology which is a specialist area within the wide field of Plant Pathology.

Dr. Coates-Beckford has had a distinguished career in plant pathology and has demonstrated a strong and consistent record of academic achievement in research, teaching and administration. Her research has focused on various aspects of fungal and nematode pathogens and in various crops such as banana, breadfruit, yam, coconuts and sorrel.. Her research emphasis has ranged from topics of basic biology to management of diseases, focusing mainly on the biology and management of various diseases of economically important crops in Jamaica. In addition, she has made a substantial contribution to studies on the effects of pathogens on seed germination, the biology of several plant parasitic nematodes and on alternatives to chemical control, particularly the use of soil solarisation and plastic mulches.

She is a demonstrated communicator of her research interests and results. Her work has appeared in several international scientific publications and she has also published papers and submitted reports of her work in various national and regional journals and trade-association bulletins.

Professor Coates-Beckford has made a very strong contribution to undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes of the UWI through instruction of both undergraduate and graduate courses and through graduate student supervision. She has introduced, designed and/or upgraded several undergraduate courses, utilizing new technologies, and initiated, planned and is currently coordinating the Master of Science degree programme entitled “Plant Production and Protection”

She is also an active and contributing faculty member, having served as Head of the Department of Botany and the Department of Life Sciences on several occasions. Dr. Coates-Beckford has also served as a member of non-university committees, and as a reviewer of manuscripts for scientific journals.

She is a member of the European Society of Nematologists, the Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America, the Society of Nematologists, the American Phythpathological Society and the Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences. Professor Coates-Beckford has also served as Consultant for a number of institutions including the Scientific Research Council, the Jamaica Bureau of Standards, the Coconut Industry Board of Jamaica, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Investment Bank of Jamaica.

In 1994, she received the Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America Special Award, given to scientists who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the Science of Nematology under difficult operational and financial conditions.