ABOUT
Dr Keron Niles
Currently a Lecturer within the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus. Prior to that appointment, he was employed as the Business Unit Manager for Research and Policy at the Economic Development Advisory Board of Trinidad and Tobago. The secretariat to the Board is located within the Ministry of Planning and Development but the Board itself reported directly to the Office of the Prime Minister. He was directly responsible for the production of briefs that sought to outline the steps required to facilitate a sustainable green economy transition in Trinidad and Tobago. Within his portfolio, Dr Niles also had responsibility for promoting and facilitating economic diversification, particularly with respect to agriculture, the creative sector and the energy sector.
He has previously served as a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Otago (New Zealand). His research (which was a continuation of his doctoral work done at the same University) focused on mechanisms and policies necessary to facilitate a transition to renewable electricity generation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean and Pacific in order to enhance their capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change and peak oil.
At present, Dr Niles conducts research not only on climate change and the energy sector, but also on cultural industries as a pathway to local carbon growth. One component of his action research on cultural industries involved the establishment of Koru Green Ltd, a firm dedicated to commercializing creative content that currently represents the dynamic musical band known as Freetown Collective. As a certified youth worker for the past 21 years, and a published poet, Dr. Niles has been involved in international outreach projects in Guyana, Suriname, Haiti and Kenya..
Education
University of otago, New Zealand
PhD RENEWABLE ENERGY
2009 - 2012
UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND
LLM INTERNATIONAL LAW
2006 - 2007
UNIVERSITy OF THE WEST INDIES, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
B.SC. GOVERMENT
2003 - 2006