The University of the West Indies is mourning the passing of Professor Michelle Mycoo, a globally recognized scholar whose research on climate change, urban development, and sustainable planning brought Caribbean realities into international focus. Professor Mycoo died on August 12, 2026, at the age of 64.
Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The UWI St. Augustine Campus, described her death as a profound loss to both the university and the wider Caribbean region. She said Professor Mycoo’s contribution to the institution went far beyond her globally recognized scholarship, pointing also to her dedication to students and her belief in research that directly serves the region’s needs. Calling her work on climate change and sustainable planning a demonstration of how knowledge can shape real solutions for Caribbean communities, Professor Belle Antoine said the university community was devastated by the loss.
Professor Mycoo’s academic legacy was extensive. She was named Best Researcher at the university’s Principal’s Research Awards and Festival in 2025, a recognition that reflected a career built on 147 publications, supervision of more than 60 graduate research projects, and nine internationally funded grants supporting multidisciplinary research and doctoral studies. Her scholarship drew more than 6,000 citations, cementing her reputation as one of the leading voices globally on climate change and sustainable development.
Her influence reached the highest levels of international climate science. Selected from more than 1,000 nominees worldwide, Professor Mycoo served as a Coordinating Lead Author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, released in 2022 a role that placed her at the center of shaping the scientific evidence used by policymakers globally. She was also ranked among the top 8% of global scientists chosen as Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report on Cities and Climate Change, and was among the top 17% of scientists selected as a Review Editor for the upcoming Seventh Assessment Report, due in 2029. Through these roles, she worked to ensure the vulnerabilities faced by cities and communities in small island and developing states remained part of the global scientific record.
Beyond the IPCC, Professor Mycoo held several prominent international appointments, including Vice-President of UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformations programme, as well as positions with the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Science Council, and Future Earth Coasts.
Her research was not confined to academic circles. It shaped policy discussions across CARICOM and with international bodies including the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank, informing debates on urban planning, disaster risk reduction, water security, and coastal resilience issues central to the Caribbean’s future.
Her body of work earned numerous honours, among them the 2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Human Development and the Commonwealth Association of Planners’ Women in Planning Award, recognitions that spoke both to the caliber of her research and its role in advancing more inclusive and resilient approaches to development.
At The UWI, colleagues remember her as more than an accomplished researcher. She was a teacher and mentor who invested heavily in developing the next generation of Caribbean researchers and strengthening the region’s capacity to study its own challenges. Her vision, colleagues say, was for Caribbean research to bridge academia, government, communities, and the private sector and for science to translate into real, transformative action for the region.
The University of the West Indies extended its deepest condolences to Professor Mycoo’s family, friends, colleagues, and students, noting that her research will continue to inform the region’s response to pressing environmental and developmental challenges, and that her vision for a more resilient Caribbean remains part of the legacy she leaves behind.