I hold a Ph.D. Mathematics (High Commendation), M.Phil. Statistics (High Commendation) and B.Sc Mathematics (Double Major, First Class Honours). I pursued these degrees at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus (UWI-STA). My academic path started here as student in 2005, and in 2008 I assumed the role of Part-time Demonstrator marking courses and teaching tutorial sessions.  In 2010, my passion for lecturing began as I taught my first Level II Course in Probability Theory and I spent several years as a Teaching Assistant and Instructor until 2019. 

From 2018 to 2019, I served as the Coordinator of the Mathematics Help Centre (MHC) at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus, assisting students in any Faculty with difficulties in quantitative courses, while managing and mentoring tutors providing support services at the MHC. The service was well subscribed by students in various Faculties with over 500 visits in its first semester. In 2019, my trajectory expanded to lecturing in other Faculties including Social Sciences and Engineering, as well as virtually at the School of Science, Computing and AI at The UWI, Five Islands Campus (UWI-FIC). 

To date, I have lectured more than 10 Quantitative courses in Mathematics, Probability and Statistics for close to 15 years at the University of the West Indies (UWI) campuses. These have been in both face-to-face and online formats, in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the UWI. I have managed cohorts of various sizes: 

• large (60 – 150 students), 

• medium (20 to 59 students) and 

• small (less than 20 students). 

In 2019, my trajectory expanded to lecturing in other Faculties including Social Sciences and Engineering, as well as virtually at the School of Science, Computing and AI at the UWI, Five Islands Campus. In the Department of Behavioural Sciences at  The UWI-STA, I lecture the Advanced Statistics and Research Methods for Psychology Course (PSYC 6013) as part of the Masters in Applied Psychology Programme. I also designed and currently facilitate the Level I, undergraduate online course, Introduction to Probability and Statistics course (DISC 1011) at the School of Science, Computing and AI at the UWI, FIC. In the last 5 years I have facilitated have taught the following courses, with 90% pass rates on average, aligned with positive student and peer feedback. These include:

Undergraduate courses

• DISC 1011 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics  (Sem I) *

Postgraduate courses

• PSYC 6013 - Advanced Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology (Sem I)*

• ECNG 6710 - Research Methods (Co led this course; facilitate the Statistics Component)- (Sem II)*

*Current roles  and/or Courses taught in Academic Year, 2023/2024.

For more on my Teaching Philosophy, including Roles and Responsibilities, click here. 

In addition to my role as a Statistics educator, I simultaneously serve as a Project Officer involved in strategic planning and statistical consulting at the University Office of Planning at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. In addition to providing statistical metrics for Staff and Student Satisfaction Surveys, I also lead the development of One UWI Model Prototypes, where I created and deployed models for Tuition Cost for scenario analyses and Student Retention with predictive risk of dropout for students at the UWI Campus. These model prototypes have been well-received at University Meetings with all the UWI campuses (Mona, Cave Hill, Open Campus, St. Augustine, Five Islands). These are part of a ‘Lead with Data Campaign’ along with the One UWI Business Intelligence Models, for uptake at campuses at their discretion. I am passionate about the prospects for the integration of these models for valuable data-driven insights.

Lecturing, Mentoring and Leadership

I have active involvement in statistical consulting, research and outreach. My research interests include multidisciplinary applications of mathematical and statistical models for sustainability in STEAM fields which has produced a number of research publications. I have also acted as a Reviewer for several highly esteemed journals. I have worked on a number of research publications and interdisciplinary projects including applications of predictive modelling in higher education and climate change. I was  also part of a cross campus team with the UWI, Five Islands and St. Augustine Campuses, achieving first place in the Growth & Resilience Dialogue (GRD) 2022 Climate Resilience Data Challenge, involving the development of AI application prototypes on key climate data issues in the OECS region. 

I also hold various technical and advisory roles and I also hold various professional affiliations including the American Statistical Association (ASA) and Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), aligned with my technical expertise. In October 2022, I was named the first Women in Data Science (WiDS) Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador for the global Datathon 2023 Challenge. My team has organized independent events as part of the annual WiDS Worldwide conference by Stanford University, featuring outstanding women in the field of Data Science.  In 2023, I was named a High Impact Ambassador for my exemplary work in provided workshops, webinars, and resources to motivate, support and educate data science enthusiasts, while highlighting women in the field. 

In 2024, I joined forced with the UWI, St. Augustine and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Trinidad and Tobago, to host the first every "Empowering women to harness the power of data science: Inspiring Inclusion" Forum at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. The event was open to the public and featured esteemed female speakers with varied academic backgrounds including Mathematics, Computer Science, Sociology, Biotechnology, Engineering and Entrepreneurship. This is a testament to my continued commitment to promote statistics literacy for all.

Click here to see an overview of the exciting Women in Data Science activities hosted. 

Professional Affiliations

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)  UK | July 2024 

• Women in Data Science  (WiDS) Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador

• Deputy Chair, Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC) Advisory Board, as part of the DRCC Technical Advisory Committee 

• Fellow, Royal Statistical Society

• Member, American Statistical Association (ASA)

• Member, Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)

• Member, Society of College and University Planning (SCUP)

• Member, Association of Caribbean Higher Education Administrators (ACHEA)

• Executive Member , UWI Alumni T&T Chapter (UWIATT); World of Work (WOW) Committee, UWIATT Mentor 2023-2024

• Member, TTLAB

For more details, please see my Curriculum Vitae - Dr. Addison (updated May 2024).

Feel free to visit my LinkedIN Professional profile for more information about my career highlights. You may also contact me via e-mail at: letetia.addison@sta.uwi.edu.