CSGM Members

Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds is an interdisciplinary science researcher with background in Geography (PhD, high commendation) and Geomatics (postgraduate diploma). She has served in both academia and government, including as the formerSenior Research Analyst at the Jamaica Productivity Centre, Ministry of Labour and Social Security. She is also a former Geography lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus where she coordinated various interdisciplinary research courses, as well as lectured on the topics of World Economy, Agriculture and Food. Her academic background also includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography (Major) and Spanish (Minor), with first-class honours (BSc, Cumulative GPA: 4.06). She presently serves as a Chapter Scientist for Chapter 3 in WGII of the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report, and an Associate Editor on the Editorial Board of the Weather, Climate and Society journal. She also supports the work of the UWI Mona Climate Studies Group as a Technical Consultant for the Climate STRIDES Project (2026). Motivated by her faith in God and zeal to positively influence society, Dr. Buckland-Reynolds strives for excellence, with her work being internationally recognized, including being awarded the 2024 Editor’s Award by the American Meteorological Society for her reviewing service in the Weather, Climate and Society Journal. She was also selected as one of two recipients of the 2023 L’Oreal/UNESCO Women in Science Caribbean Award, the 2023 ICETEX International Experts Exchange Award for study in Colombia, and with her PhD research in drought management also being shortlisted in the top 10 globally for the 2023 Allianz Climate Risk Award by Munich Re Insurance, Germany. She also received journal awards, including Best Paper by a Graduate student from the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography (2022), with her paper having among the top 10% citations by Wiley Publishers in 2022. Dr. Buckland-Reynolds continues to mentor young women in science in partnership with the UWI-UNICEF Walking in Her Footsteps Mentorship programme. Sarah is also extensively involved in outreach and ministry, including founder of a registered Jamaican charity, and a board member of the Caribbean Network of Christian Scholars. She hopes to inspire others through her journey and positively contribute to her nation and region’s productivity and development.

Dr. Jayaka Campbell is a Physics Lecturer in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Dr. Campbell's Ph.D. is in computational physics, his M.Sc. in Physics and his B.Sc. in Electronics. His area of specialisation is in climate change and he uses super-computer systems to analyse huge amounts of climate data to develop models to inform us of the likely impacts of the changes in temperature and rainfall on ecosystems and people. He also researches ways to mitigate against climate change e.g. renewable energy.

Rajne M. Reynolds is a PhD candidate and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geography and Geology, UWI Mona, specializing in palaeoclimatology. He investigates sediment cores recovered from mangrove ecosystems to document periods of environmental change and extreme weather that extend beyond the current instrumental meteorological record. In addition to palaeoclimatology, Mr. Reynolds has also been trained by regional and international institutions in disaster risk financing and predictive weather hazards and has served as a member of one of the Caribbean’s foremost thinktanks on climate studies: The Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM) since 2017. He has collaborated in significant research outputs, including serving as a researcher in the preparation of the State of the Caribbean Climate Report (2020) and assisting with research with the CSGM on drought early warning systems through the 2023 internship with the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF). Mr. Reynolds has also co-authored the Climate Profile for Jamaica for the “COP26 Futures We Want - Jamaica Country Profile” with researchers from the Cambridge University (2021). His long-term goal is for his research to provide information on the frequency and intensity of prehistoric tropical cyclones that impacted the Caribbean region to improve climate adaptation efforts.

Terick Simpson is an emerging Climate Physicist currently pursuing an MPhil in Applied Physics (Climate Science) with a specialized focus on assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources in the Black River Watershed. His research is centered on developing detailed hydrologic models of surface and subsurface water flows within this watershed, analyzing both present conditions and projected future impacts of climate change using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) model data. This work aims to inform and support the development of evidence-based strategies and policies to enhance water security and bolster agricultural resilience in the parish, ensuring sustainable resource management in the face of climate variability and long-term change.