Dr. Sadie Samsoondar

Ph.D. B.Sc.(Hons)

Dr. Sadie Samsoondar is a Caribbean geoscientist and palaeontologist whose local and international research brings a unique perspective to Caribbean Earth sciences. She is a specialist on Caribbean microscopic fossils. Raised in Trinidad and Tobago, she strongly advocates for public education about our Caribbean scientific heritage. “We, the Caribbean, have contributed significantly to the science of micropalaeontology [noun:// the study of microscopic fossils], largely between the 1920s till the 1970s and especially in Trinidad and Tobago. That is something to be shared, celebrated, and should be continuously supported and developed by local institutions and industries.” – Dr. Samsoondar 19th March 2026
Dr. Samsoondar holds a PhD in Petroleum Geoscience, is a scholarship recipient from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, for her academic research there (2017-2020), was awarded international funding from the Kugler-Werdenberg Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland, and the Swiss National Science Foundation for conducting Caribbean focused research there (2022-2024), and was given a seal of excellence by the European Horizon following evaluation by an international panel of independent experts (2025). Though focused in Switzerland, her international research also explored Caribbean natural history collections at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, USA, Natural History Museum, London, the Energy Institute, London, The Geological Society of London, the 9th International School on Foraminifera, Urbino, Italy, and several institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Samsoondar served as Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago (2025-2026) and is author to a scientific book on Trinidad’s geology, academic research papers, and geological magazine articles. Her experience spans academic research, museum curation, and applied geoscience within the energy sector. Today, Dr. Samsoondar is a specialist on the Caribbean’s historical geologic legacy with special interest on historical development of Trinidad and Tobago’s petroleum geology and micropalaeontology.

Her role as our Resident Science Author at Caribbean Publishing House reflects a strong commitment to making Earth science accessible, engaging, and relevant to a wide audience. In a region where few are familiar with palaeontology, Dr. Samsoondar invites readers into a fascinating and often overlooked world. Caribbean’s rocks, reefs, and fossils hold the story of our past and the foundation of our future, from shaping our geological history to underpinning industries like the energy sector.

Here, Dr. Samsoondar will bring science to life, showing that it is not distant or abstract, but exciting, relevant, and tangible. To young readers, her writings will shed light on unconventional careers like palaeontology while inviting readers of all ages to uncover forgotten information and engage with new, cutting-edge research that continues to shape our understanding of the natural world.

Above all, Dr. Samsoondar invites readers to ask questions, explore, and see the Caribbean not only as a place of beauty, but as a place of discovery—where science is alive, meaningful, and open to everyone.