Areka Rattery is a Jamaican analytical chemist with over 13 years of experience in analytical chemistry and applied research. She currently works as an Analyst at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and previously served as a Scientific Officer at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS), University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. Her experience includes environmental analysis, trace metal characterisation, food safety and materials testing.
She holds a BSc in Applied Chemistry (Major) and Food Processing (Minor), as well as an MSc in Food and Agro-Processing Technology. She is currently pursuing an MPhil in Physical Chemistry at UWI Mona under the supervision of Dr Peter Nelson, with plans to continue to PhD research through the MPhil programme. Her research involves developing imine-based chemosensors for detecting heavy metals, particularly copper, aluminium and lead.
She is interested in developing more affordable and accessible ways to monitor metal contamination in water and, potentially, biological samples such as urine and blood. Her interest in green chemistry and sustainability grew through her MSc research, which examined the composition and environmental implications of paper-based food packaging in Jamaica.
This work earned her the Best Poster Presentation award at the 29th Mona Symposium on Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2024. She later received the Sustainability and Circularity NOW Best Poster Prize at the 30th American Chemical Society Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in 2026. In 2025, she was selected to attend the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Summer School at the University of Vermont, where she also submitted a poster co-authored with Dr Raylee Dunkley, titled Innovative Uses of Cassava Starch Waste from Jamaican Agro-processors.
In addition to her research, Areka is involved in standards development at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, serving on the Standards Technical Committee and National Mirror Committee for Modified Starch Derivatives and By-products. She is particularly interested in finding ways to make analytical techniques more accessible while incorporating green chemistry into research and technology development. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to better approaches to water quality monitoring and environmental protection, particularly in Jamaica, where affordable and practical solutions are important
