SDG 7: Affordable & Clean Energy

Cutting-edge solutions to meet energy demands

Name	Areas of research	Description
Eve Andrews	renewable energy circular economy offshore wind	Circular economy in offshore wind. Tools for renewable energy companies to select affordable steps towards a circular low carbon energy generation network.
Benjamin Bach	data visualization data science public engagement	Working on data visualization and making data accessible and understandable by experts and non-experts. Data visualization is essential in understanding complex processes and data sets. Especially, techniques from storytelling and visual communication have huge potential to communicate findings and information to large and diverse audiences.
Euan Brechin	quantum information refrigeration technologies	Interested in the use of earth abundant molecule-based magnets for cryogenic refrigeration and information processing, replacing the critical resources currently employed, including Helium and the Lanthanides.
Julio Bros-Williamson	digital twins & living labs climate change resilience healthy buildings	Interested in low embodied carbon materials and techniques in the built environment, energy-efficient technological solutions for the refurbishment of existing buildings, and climate change adaptation and resilience of buildings by developing solutions and low carbon building services.
Charles Cockell	space astrobiology microbiology	Interested in sustainable biotechnology in space to support human space exploration.
Michael Cowley	chemistry discovering new chemistry for a sustainable society	Working on the chemistry of the most abundant metals in the Earth’s crust - aluminium and silicon - to provide synthetic methods to prepare bulk and fine chemicals with lower energy costs and without reliance on limited reserves of precious metals.
James Cumby	materials AI batteries	Creating new materials for future energy technologies, with the aim of diversifying and improving energy storage systems. To do this I combine synthetic chemistry with artificial intelligence to discover materials faster and more efficiently.
Katherine Dunn	electrosynbionics bionanotechnology renewable energy	Research on electrosynbionics, which involves the development of devices that use biological or bio-inspired components to generate, use or store electricity. This includes biophotovoltaics and biobatteries.
Yuta Era	biotechnology recycling catalysis	Aiming to convert waste metals to useful products such as catalysts, with a particular focus on catalysis promoted by biogenic metal nanoparticles.
Andrew Free	biotechnology anti-microbial resistance biogeochemical cycling	Interested in the application of microbial communities to bioremediation, sustainable waste treatment and energy generation from waste. We also have interests in the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance and approaches to tackling it.
Chris French	biotechnology biomass pathway engineering	Research on biomass degradation for sustainable non food-based feedstocks, also metabolic pathway engineering for conversion of sugars to valuable products as alternative to chemical processes.
Daniel Friedrich	renewable energy heating and cooling data-driven engineering	Develop and apply mathematical methods to practical problems in energy system design and optimisation, in particulat for decarbonising thermal energy systems.
Ross Grassie	quantum AI sustainability	Interested in the potential of quantum computing to address sustainability challenges.
Bjarnhedinn Gudlaugsson	energy transition renewable energy energy policy	Understanding decisions and policies in the context of the energy transition, energy system and policy implementation to provide practical information and support policy-making.
Julian Hall	optimization software open-source energy system modelling	Leading the development of HiGHS, an open-source linear optimization software that will enable non-governmental organizations, early-stage companies, and government ministries in lower income countries to use meaningful models for sustainable energy system modelling.
Aliakbar Hassanpouryouzband	sustainable chemistry renewable energy thermodynamics	Development of tools to enable hydrogen as a low-cabon energy pathway, and the use of sustainable chemistry technologies such as climate engineering, water desalination, gas storage, cold energy storage, etc.
Claire Hobday	energy decarbonising heating and cooling	Tackling issues of heating and cooling through understanding and developing solid-state refrigerant materials. We do this by analysing the structure of materials via diffraction and computational methods and understanding how the refrigerant properties are altered.
Louise Horsfall	sustainable biotechnology resource efficiency synthetic biology	Translating academic research into novel industrially-usable platforms for the sustainable production of scientifically improved enzymes, bio-based chemicals and other bio-derived materials by exploiting new analytical and bio-based technologies. Our disruptive innovations will lead to the development of unique and sustainable new products, derived from wastes and by-products, and demonstration of their cost-efficient and energy-saving production using novel biomanufacturing technologies.
Yuner Huang	renewable energy sustainable construction green material	Application of advanced steel solutions in renewable energy infrastructure, and structural optimization for sustainable construction such as demountable structural solutions.
Amanda Jarvis	green chemistry biotechnology	Development of greener and more efficient methods for chemical production, with a focus on using knowledge from both Chemistry and Biology to design better catalytic processes.
Susan Jarvis	sustainable Food systems agritech animal welfare science	Interested in Sustainable Food Systems, and in particular the role of animal welfare science to ensure sustainable and socially acceptable food production systems. Leads the delivery of UG programmes and courses in Global Agriculture and Food Security, as well as the DDI Agritech Talent programme aimed at upskilling learners in data science and technology relevant to sustainable food systems.
Caroline Kirk	environmental remediation green energy storage	Materials chemistry solutions for environmental issues using low cost and sustainable methods. This includes innovative and novel approaches for remediation of potentially toxic elements, developing new materials for applications in green energy storage and production of sustainable and low carbon cements.
Marc Krautzberger	renewable energy technological solutions to manage the nexus between climate change and poverty social science and policy	Interested in how policymakers and firms manage competing demands (e.g. economic vs. environmental goals) in the process of developing and providing technological solutions in response to societal challenges.
Sam Lau	chemical separations desalination polymer science	Interested in recycling plastic waste into polymer membranes and microporous polymers for chemical separations. We also deploy Green Chemistry principles to make these materials by deploying green solvents and biorenewable materials.
Wei Li	environmental remediation greenhouse gas removal clean air net zero	Development of low energy solutions for multiple greenhouse gases removal at the climatically relevant scale to enable a transition to a net greenhouse gas neutral future.
Sergio Lopez Dubon	renewable energy data science testing	Testing and improving tidal blades for a lie efficient and cheaper tidal energy.
Francisca Martinez Hergueta	composites recycling manufacturing	Life cycle assessment of sustainable composites. Development of recycling routes for thermoplastic materials and remoulding processes compatible with the structural requirements of the transport sector. Prediction of the mechanical response using finite element analysis and artificial intelligence/machine learning models.
Michela Massimi	renewable energy, science policy	Focus on methodological/conceptual problems concerning the use of scientific models for projections (in high-energy physics, nuclear physics as well as in climate science), the cross-section between science policy and modelling, and epistemic injustices concerning science.
Alasdair McDonald	renewable energy wind energy electrical technologies	Leads the University teaching and research in wind energy. In the UK, wind energy (including offshore) is set to be the biggest contributor to low carbon, low cost electricity generation in the coming decades.
Encarni Medina-Lopez	satellite data for coastal environmental applications renewable energy AI	Expertise in water and energy and how these two interact in the natural environment. My research focuses on the development of tools to improve the monitoring of coasts and oceans using remote sensing and artificial intelligence.
Dimitri Mignard	water-energy-food nexus agritechnology desalination	Technologies for irrigation, desalination and energy access, assisting with access to clean water, food production and reforestation, all using clean energy, and dedicated to serve poor communities in low income countries.
Andrew Millar	science policy biotechnology	Interested in systems thinking, open research practices and science policy for partnerships, and potentially to biotechnology for a circular economy in industry, food and health.
Dominic Moran	environmental agricultural and food system economics	Interested in definitions and metrics of sustainability, economic appraisal of technological options using non-market valuation, and behavioural and political appraisal of technology adoption.
Donald Noble	ocean energy innovation cost-reduction pathways	Contributing to models and technology roadmaps to highlight the benefits of ocean energy and potential cost-reduction pathways towards commercialisation. Working alongside technology developers and other stakeholders to facilitate the development and commercialisation of ocean energy (wave and tidal-stream).
Diego Oyarzún	biotechnology synthetic biology AI data science	Computational modelling and data science for better biotech solutions to global sustainability challenges.
Bart Pander	autotrophic biotechnology business	Interested in non-photosynthetic autotrophic microbiology and biotechnology.
Androniki Papathanasi	renewable energy net zero buildings eradication of fuel poverty	Interested in domestic energy consumption patterns and socio-technical sustainable low-carbon energy solutions to carbons Scotland's building sector and eradicate fuel poverty by 2045.
Alexandra Price	renewable energy regenerative economy.	Work in renewable energy - designing tools to help researchers design control policies to make a step change in the viability of wave energy. Also interested in decarbonisation, including clean heat, co-housing, and regenerative economics.
Subramanian Ramamoorthy	AI technology in education healthcare technologies	Expertise in Robotics and AI, with broad interests in the applications of these technologies to helping address societal problems. I am particularly interested in the application of predictive modelling and design methods to advancing healthcare technologies, and technologies for energy and sustainable systems. Also, as an educator, I am keen to explore ways to improve the quality and access to education.
Win Rampen	renewables decarbonising heating	Working on grid scale energy storage, and interested in decarbonising building heating with heat pumps, and technologies to help decarbonise agricultural/off road and construction machinery.
Judy Robertson	data literacy	Academic lead for Data Education in Schools. We're looking for researchers who work on sustainability themes using data who might want to explain their work to school children. https://dataschools.education/. Our seminar series for teachers is themed around the sustainability goals this year.
Neil Robertson	drinking water solar rural	Expertise in materials chemistry for application in low-cost solar photovoltaics, and electrical energy storage via batteries and supercapacitors. We also work on photocatalytic water treatment for rural communities in India, which would also be applicable to similar communities around the world. This is focused on villages where untreated surface water is currently being consumed.
Susan Rosser	engineering biology biotechnology biomedicine	Expertise in engineering biology approaches to engineer cells to perform novel functions e.g. build pathways for the production of biosurfactants, develop enzymes for cold water cleaning and new ways for biology to build things in general. My research is also focused on developing cell and gene therapies that are cheaper, more effective and widely available.
Michael Rovatsos	AI and its application to sustainability	Focus on AI algorithms that can support the development of technologies supporting fairness, equality, and social justice. As part of my role at the intersection of research and innovation, I am also interested in many other areas of sustainability where AI and data science can be applied.
Giulio Santori	negative emission technologies energy	Development of negative-emission engineering devices
Ione Smith	renewable energy recyclable composites tidal turbine blades	Developing key offshore renewable energy technologies whilst minimising waste and impact. Evaluate the use of recyclable thermoplastic resin in the manufacture of a composite tidal stream turbine blade and the impacts on blade performance.
Sean Smith	net zero future infrastructure construction technology	Delivery of net zero pathways, backcasting for green economy skills and construction innovation for future infrastructure.
Iain Struthers	renewable energy energy system environmental impact	Life Cycle Assessment of prospective energy technologies and systems to assess the environmental impacts of technologies for a sustainable future. Specialised in offshore renewable energy, and other energy system technologies.
Joyce Tait	life science innovation policy and regulation responsible innovation	Focus on genetic technology solutions to challenges relevant to Net Zero and biodiversity policy objectives, considering: development of business models and value chains for innovative technologies; regulatory systems, standards and guidelines and how they can support of constrain innovation.
Job Thijssen	battery materials sustainable reformulation jedi (justice equity diversity inclusion)	Interested in soft matter for sustainable energy materials, for example hybrid solid electrolytes for safer batteries, as well as the role of inclusion in current physics curricula.
John Thompson	energy efficient communications renewable energy sustainable infrastructure	Energy efficient solutions for wireless communications and internet of things systems. These technologies will help to underpin practical solutions in many application domains such as: low carbon energy generation; sustainable industry and infrastructure; smart cities.
Camilla Thomson	renewable energy environmental impact energy systems	Developing analytical tools for better evaluating the environmental impacts of energy systems and technologies. This aims to inform the rapid transition to low-carbon energy systems and support sustainable development. This is achieved by both evaluating emerging technologies, and exploring how they can be best combined and developed to produce energy systems that are secure, equitable, economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable.
Mark Wilkinson	renewable energy sustainable industry	Researching the geological storage of hydrogen to match supply from renewable energy to demand, the same with underground storage of compressed air, to enable the transition to sustainable and clean energy. we are also investigating Carbon Capture and Storage to decarbonise otherwise difficult CO2 emissions including cement manufacturing and iron and steel production.

This article was published on 2024-10-15