The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Juliet Daniel, a distinguished Barbadian-Canadian cancer biologist.
Professor Daniel, a professor at McMaster University in Canada, was no stranger to The UWI. She delivered many seminars here and as recently as February last year, she brought a cohort of Canadian students to connect with their UWI Cave Hill counterparts under the renowned McMaster African Caribbean Leadership Exchange (MACLeads) Programme. That programme provides high impact leadership training for young people to tackle challenges in the Global South, especially in Africa and the Caribbean.
“Science thrives on curiosity and resilience,” she told her young audience on that occasion. “If you are passionate about biomedical research, seek mentorship, take advantage of programmes like MACLeads, and continuously develop your skills. Representation in science matters – your perspectives and research contributions are invaluable to the global scientific community.”
Renowned for her research on triple negative breast cancer (TBNC) a disease that disproportionately affects young women of African ancestry, Professor Daniel’s work led to the identification in 1999 of a new cancer gene which she named Kaiso. The Kaiso gene is a critical regulator of cell growth and movement, and has opened new avenues in the understanding and treatment of cancers.
Professor Daniel was the recipient of Barbadian national honours – the Gold Crown of Merit; a UWI Vice Chancellor’s Award; as well as a UWI honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree (bestowed at a Cave Hill Campus ceremony held virtually in March 2021 under COVID restrictions), in recognition of her outstanding contribution to cancer research.
The citation delivered at her conferral ceremony described her as “a Caribbean woman who has shattered stereotypes and broken barriers with the precision and tenacity of a highly skilled scientist, the celebration of ancestral voices, and the pride and industry of her homeland, Barbados.”
Reacting to her passing, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said Professor Daniel will be remembered for applying her “brilliant mind” to improving health and saving lives, particularly for women, and noted her valued contribution to the UWI medical community.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Cave Hill, Professor Clive Landis, described her as “an exceptional scholar” whose work left an indelible mark on global cancer research, highlighting her identification of the Kaiso gene as a defining achievement. He added that her legacy extended beyond science, reflecting a life of excellence, mentorship, and service.
Cave Hill academics also paid tribute to Professor Daniel’s warmth, energy, and dedication to mentorship. Her research colleague Professor Angela Alleyne recalled her colleague as a Barbadian “gem,” noting that “being around Juliet felt invigorating and special,” and highlighted her commitment to creating opportunities and mentoring students across the Caribbean and beyond.
For more than three decades, Professor Daniel mentored and served as a role model for women in science and engineering. In more recent years, her research focused on triple negative breast cancer and disparities in cancer mortality, drawing attention to the significantly higher death rates among Black and Hispanic women.
The Cave Hill Campus extends sincere condolences to her family, colleagues, students and friends, as it honours a life devoted to science and human health.
Tributes
Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles
Professor Juliet Daniel will long be celebrated for the application of her brilliant mind to the project of health improvement and saving lives, particularly in the case of women, throughout the world. In the UWI medical community we benefitted from much of her strategic science and social sensibility. This context, and indeed content, has long enabled us to claim her Canadian collegiality in sustaining our science agenda. She is indeed one of us. Our condolences are extended to family and friends.
Dean Damian Cohall
Professor Juliet Daniel is a friend of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, The UWI, Cave Hill and will truly be missed by members of the faculty and students who had the privilege of working collaboratively with her. Most recently, she assisted of Dr. Stephanie Date, a recent PhD pharmacology graduate, with access to her lab and other research resources at the Department of Biology, McMaster University. Dr. Date is one of many students who benefited from her altruistic ways and mentorship through guidance on their theses to post-doctoral fellowships. May her soul rest in love!
Dr. Simon Anderson, Director: George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre (GA-CDRC), CAIHR
In Memoriam – Professor Juliet Daniel
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
— Alfred Lord Tennyson, Crossing the Bar
It is with profound sadness and a deep sense of loss that we mark the passing of Professor Juliet Daniel — scientist, mentor, advocate, and one of the most remarkable human beings many of us have had the privilege of knowing.
Juliet was a giant in cancer biology. Her discovery and naming of the transcription factor Kaiso — and her landmark work demonstrating its role in aggressive triple negative breast cancer in women of African ancestry — changed the scientific landscape and inspired over 10,000 studies worldwide. Her personal research accumulated over 6,000 citations, but numbers alone cannot capture what drove her. As a breast cancer survivor herself, Juliet’s science was never abstract. It was personal, purposeful, and always in service of the people most overlooked by the research community for which she worked tirelessly to transform.
I first met Juliet at the Africa-Caribbean Cancer Consortium meeting in Jamaica in 2019, and from that moment on, it was clear she saw possibilities where others saw barriers. Through the uncertainty of a gathering pandemic, she quietly mobilised colleagues across Canada, US, and the Caribbean, forging collaborations that led to successful competitive CIHR research grants and the co-creation of the Barbados Living Laboratory — a vision now adopted at the highest levels of government and one that will shape research and innovation in the Caribbean for generations to come. The University of the West Indies honoured her with an honoris causa doctorate in Science. It was richly deserved. In March 2025, McMaster named her a Distinguished University Professor to honour her significant and lasting impact in cancer biology. Juliet’s numerous accolades include the Gold Crown of Merit from Barbados, the inaugural Canadian Cancer Society Inclusive Excellence Award, the ONYX Magazine (Florida) Woman of the Year Award, and recognition as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by WXN.
For 21 years, Juliet was the only Black female scientist at McMaster University. She met that reality not with bitterness but with an open door — mentoring hundreds of students, championing women in STEM, and personally committing to lifting others as she climbed. She raised funds for mammograms for women in Barbados and Jamaica. She educated communities about cancers disproportionately affecting Black women. She gave, and gave, and gave. She piloted undergraduate student exchanges between McMaster and UWI Cave Hill Biology students, always looking to inspire the next generation.
Juliet always believed this work would endure. We honour that belief by carrying it forward — with the same passion, dedication, and love for humanity that she embodied every single day.
Sleep in peace, Juliet.
Dr. Jeanese Badenock Dean, The Faculty of Science and Technology
The Faculty of Science and Technology joins the UWI Cave Hill Campus in honouring the life of an exceptional friend, scientist, and Barbadian woman who lived her life with honour and dignity. She has left an indelible mark on the scientific community and will be remembered with great respect and admiration. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Professor Angela T. Alleyne
It is with a heavy heart that I write these words at this time. My dear friend and colleague, Professor Juliet Daniel, was one of those “gems” of Barbados that we hear so much about. She even left us while we were celebrating Heroes Day in Barbados. She lived a big, beautiful Juliet life to the fullest as best as she knew how. As I think of her, I smile because she smiled with an inner warmth that embraced everyone. Being around Juliet felt invigorating and special. Professionally, I have known Juliet for approximately 15-16 years, since my early years as a lecturer in the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences at UWI Cave Hill. She quickly recognized my ability and made me feel immediately as if we spoke the same language, since we had similar backgrounds and shared experiences as women scientists.
One of her first lectures in 2011 was entitled “Dancing from top to bottom,” and, in true Juliet style, she danced as she happily engaged us in her exploits in breast and prostate cancer and the Kaiso gene, which she had discovered in her postdoctoral research. She went on to give many seminars in our Department and to give talks in Barbados on triple-negative breast cancer research and Kaiso, always taking that approach of engaging the audience when explaining complex scientific facts about molecular markers in breast cancer.
Students were enthralled and always crowded around after these sessions, as she happily engaged with them and sought opportunities or advice she could offer. Several Biochemistry students I taught visited her lab at McMaster, and a couple went on to the Biology Department there. They have since successfully earned PhDs and are building research careers in science, thanks to her. She gave opportunities not only to our students but also to many minority students from the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa by mentoring and opening up her large network of researchers in Canada and beyond. Intuitively, she understood the strength and determination it takes to conduct scientific research away from home, the struggle to succeed in an environment that may be stacked against black female scientists, and the support needed in our careers.
Juliet enjoyed research, meeting people, encouraging students, and facilitating others. In her last years, we worked together on the Barbados Living Lab, the McMaster African and Caribbean Leadership Exchange (MACLeads), and the Canada Caricom Initiative (CCI) annual symposia. These initiatives were people-driven and used science to solve problems. That was her mission. She sought to give back to an island she loved dearly, a region that made her who she was, and an adopted home that shaped her through opportunities that she made her own. Her accolades and awards are many. She made a difference in the lives of many. Her legacy will live on through her research on the “Kaiso” gene and the many alumni who graced her lab, as well as others whose lives she touched. May she rest in peace.
Source: The UWI Cave Hill