From 2005 to 2009, Howlett was chairman of the Music Producers Guild (MPG). Howlett was awarded a PhD on the subject of record production in 2009 and has lectured in music technology at several universities, including the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) (Pontypridd, Wales) and Thames Valley University (Ealing, England). In 2009, he became Head of Music at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. and is an Adjunct Professor for QUT. Howlett is married and has three children and a grandchild. He lives in West London.