Former Trinidad PM Keith Rowley to resume volcano research

Former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has announced plans to return to his original passion — volcano research — following his retirement from public office. Speaking at a Men in Leadership forum at Bishop’s High School in Tobago on Saturday night, Rowley revealed that he will be back in the field as early as next month.

“Now that I have retired from politics, the very first thing I want to do is to get back into volcanoes,” Rowley said in response to a question from Chief Secretary Farley Augustine about his post-political future. “So as a result of that, I’ve agreed next month I’m going to Montserrat, where we celebrate a conference of 30 years of the volcano that destroyed Montserrat.”

“I’m diving straight back into that, not as a job, but as intellectual stimulation,” he added.

A geologist by training, Rowley previously served as head of the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre before entering politics. At the forum, he reflected on his early career in volcanology and his motivation for choosing a field that remains critically important to the Caribbean.

“I had the opportunity on more than one occasion to stand between populations that were threatened and volcanoes that are virtually a super whatever and ... I felt that is the biggest sacrifice that I could have made,” he said.

Rowley noted that his decision to specialize in volcanology came at a time when the Caribbean had no formally trained professionals in the field, despite millions living near volcanic centers.

His upcoming trip to Montserrat will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano, a catastrophic event that devastated much of the island and permanently displaced thousands.

While Rowley did not specify what role he will play at the anniversary conference, he said the return to science is about staying mentally engaged in something that continues to excite him. Though he has not ruled out offering advice as a former leader, he made it clear that his future involvement in politics will be limited.

Keith Rowley emphasized that stepping back into volcanology is not just a personal journey, but one that underscores the continued need for regional expertise in disaster preparedness and response.