Trinidad and Tobago has earned its first-ever medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), a historic breakthrough for the nation’s scientific community and the National Chemistry Olympiad programme led by The UWI St Augustine campus in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Reginald Mohammed, a student from Naparima College, secured a Bronze Medal at the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from July 10–19, 2026. He is the first Trinidad and Tobago representative to earn a medal at the Olympiad, the world’s most prestigious chemistry competition for secondary school students under the age of 20.The Trinidad and Tobago team also included Leon Copilah of Iere High School, Soren Narine of Fatima College, and Zeeshaan Lall of Naparima College.
FROM LEFT: Members of the T&T Chemistry Olympiad team Zeeshaan Lall, Naparima College; Soren Narine, Fatima College; Reginald Mohammed, Naparima College; and Leon Copilah, Iere High School; at the 57th International Chemistry Olympiad, held in Uzbekistan.
“This medal didn’t happen overnight,” said Dr Nigel K. Jalsa, Coordinator of the Trinidad and Tobago Chemistry Olympiad. “It represents years of deliberately raising the standard of our programme, challenging our students beyond the secondary school curriculum and helping them realise that they can compete with the very best young chemists in the world. Today, Trinidad and Tobago has shown that it belongs on that stage.”
The UWI and the Ministry of Education established the Trinidad and Tobago Chemistry Olympiad (TTChO) in 2019 during the Faculty of Science and Technology’s Science Week under the leadership of then Dean, Professor Brian Cockburn. The programme was created to identify and develop exceptionally talented secondary school students while preparing them to compete at the highest international level.
A statement from UWI St Augustine said the university “acknowledged the Ministry of Education, participating secondary schools, teachers, parents and the programme’s corporate sponsors whose continued support has made Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad possible.
“Competing at the international level requires significant financial investment, including registration fees, international travel and accommodation for students and mentors, making sustained partnerships essential to the programme’s continued success.”
While many countries have participated in the Olympiad for decades without earning a medal, Trinidad and Tobago has reached this milestone in only its fourth official participation. Since joining in 2021, Trinidad and Tobago has steadily strengthened its performance, first competing virtually before making its in-person debut in Switzerland in 2023, followed by participation in the United Arab Emirates in 2025, and now Uzbekistan.
Preparing students for that level of competition requires months of intensive instruction. Following the first round of the Trinidad and Tobago Chemistry Olympiad, the country’s highest-performing students participate in a demanding programme of online and face-to-face training delivered by faculty from The UWI’s Department of Chemistry while simultaneously preparing for their Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.
Former participants have gone on to distinguish themselves nationally in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), including Elizabeth Singh of Naparima Girls’ High School, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2025 International Chemistry Olympiad before earning the President’s Medal.
