Energy, Materials and Environment Research Centre
The Energy, Materials and Environment Research Centre is the focal point for cross-university research interests that are multidisciplinary with a background in the policy governing, societal impacts of, synthesis, optimisation and application of materials and engineering systems for the sustainable use and production of energy.
Our key research aim is to develop whole energy systems to mitigate climate change. We undertake interdisciplinary research focused on the complete energy system, focusing multiscale concepts from materials engineering, policy and governance, storage and demand, across electricity and heat to deliver change in the interplay between energy, economy and society.
We focus on:
- Heating and cooling. Using creative and novel approaches, we have made significant impact in reducing the energy demands for London Boroughs to individual buildings. This covers a whole energy systems approach and is being used to deliver significant improvements in reducing energy demand.
- Materials modelling and synthesis. Here our approach is to develop new approaches to produce common materials more sustainably or develop next generation functional materials for energy storage or energy transformation, such as catalysts.
- The impact of scale. We incorporate the understanding of scale when determining policy or strategy. Our interests cover local, to national and international scales determining local energy policy and decentralised energy options.
- Policy, oversight and international trends are important when considering any national change. We focus on the global policies to deliver low carbon transitions, government policy regarding reduction targets, international climate policy, systems regulation, and evaluate how to add value to local communities through local/national and international trends.
Work with us
Please contact Professor Steve Dunn (dunns4@lsbu.ac.uk) if you would like to know more or have an initial conversation about what solutions we can provide to current problems.
Our members are:
- Professor Steve Dunn (Director)
I have a research background in the processing of functional ceramics and hybrid systems and am the current Director of the Energy, Materials and Environment URC, while also being Professor of Materials Engineering. My first degree was in Chemistry from Edinburgh which was followed by a PhD in Materials Science at Cambridge in 2001.
Since then, I have published over 125 publications, a high proportion in high-impact journals such as Advanced Materials and Energy and Environmental Science, supervised 21 PhD students and over 200 3rd year project and MSc students.
My research interests include developing fundamental understanding of carrier lifetime enhancement in functional metal oxide systems. We are currently working on processing of low Currie temperature ferroelectric materials, modifying the surface of ferroelectric materials with oxygen and hydrogen evolution catalysts as well as novel ways to form carbonaceous nanostructured islands.
- Dr Ali Tighnavard Balasbaneh
- Professor Issa Chaer
- Professor Judith Evans
- Professor Yunting Ge
- Professor Saurav Goel
My main research interests are Circular Economy; Construction Management, Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Cost, Social Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy, Prefabricated Structural Systems, Offsite Manufacturing, Modular Construction, Engineering Wood, Nearly Zero Energy Buildings, Smart Buildings, and Low Energy Ventilation, Sustainability of Product Technologies.
I am a Chartered Engineer with a BEng (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering, a PhD in enhanced heat transfer and over 25 years combined academic, research and industrial experience.
I am a great believer of research informed teaching and have published over 100 research articles, 4 books/book-chapters and developed over 10 academic and CPD courses.
I am currently a Professor and Director of Research and Enterprise for the School of the Built Environment and Architecture.
My research interests include heat transfer, thermal energy systems/networks, alternative and renewable technologies and energy management.
I work on food refrigeration operations throughout the food cold chain from harvest/slaughter to the consumer. During my career, I have worked on a number of topics including frozen storage of meat, consumer handling of food and studies to improve the performance of domestic and commercial refrigerators, energy labelling, instrumentation performance, decontamination of food, cook-chill systems, novel refrigeration systems, optimising refrigeration systems and improving performance and temperature control in chilled and frozen storage rooms.
I am the Professor of Building Services Engineering in the School of The Built Environment and Architecture. I am also the Director of the Centre for Civil and Building Services Engineering (CCiBSE). Previously, I worked periodically as a lecturer, senior lecturer, reader and professor at Brunel University London and the University of South Wales. I gained my BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from Xi’an Jiaotong University (BSc, MSc) and Tsinghua University (PhD) in the field of Thermofluids, Energy, Hydrogen and Built Environment.
My expertise is in precision processing of “difficult to cut materials”. This include their shaping and finishing by both subtractive and additive methods. I use a myriad of techniques to achieve this and it includes micromachining, surface coatings, texturing, surface metrology, mechanical characterisation and modelling activities. By doing so, I aim to create high-quality reciprocal “digital twins” of all these micro/nano scale processes. I am also researching and developing hybrid and sequential manufacturing techniques (laser/ultrasonics). Most recently, I am collaborating with NHS at Milton Keynes hospital to address a global challenge about bacterial infection of medical implants
- Dr Suela Kellici
- Dr Ben Lishman
- Dr David McGovern
- Dr Harry Mohd Radzuan
I am an Associate Professor in Materials Engineering and the Head for London Centre for Energy Engineering. I originally studied at the Queen Mary University in London where I completed a degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Materials Chemistry. Prior to joining LSBU I worked as a Researcher at University College London. I am Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Higher Education Academy.
My research interests focus on ice, mostly in the Arctic. For several decades, the volume of Arctic sea ice has decreased, and soon there may be only seasonal ice which freezes in the winter and then melts away in the summer. My research ask how we can understand this geophysical development by understanding the basic engineering and mechanics of sea ice.
I am a physical modeler in the fields of Coastal and Ocean Engineering, sediment transport and fluid mechanics, with particular focus on Tsunami and coastal natural hazards.
I have a BSc Environmental Science (2006) and PhD Geography (2011, Scour at offshore Wind Turbines) from Lancaster University.
I spent 2012-2014 as PDRF at the National University of Singapore researching the kinematics of sea ice in waves & impact dynamics with offshore structures.
I joined LSBU in 2024 as a Lecturer in Project Management based in LSBU Business School. I obtained my first degree in Electronics Engineering at IUKL, followed by an MSc in Engineering Management at the University of York. After graduating with a Distinction, I pursued a PhD in Planning and Environmental Management at the University of Manchester with research focusing on renewable energy planning.
Significant partners and funders include Big South London, The Borough of Southwark, The Greater London Authority, Social Prosperity Fund, The Social Prosperity Fund, The Royal Society, Innovate UK, EPSRC and The Leverhulme Trust.
Recognising the significance of the centre's cutting-edge, field-leading research programmes, we have been the partner of choice with substantive and effective relationships, including the Boroughs of Islington, Southwark, Croydon and Sutton, and industry such as NSG-Pilkington, Airbus, P&G and E-ON. Our research has been funded by UKRI, EPSRC, UKERC, InnovateUK, European Commission and industrial partners. The global reach of the centre is shown by collaborative grants between partners in 14 countries. Our teams have worked with national (including Johnson Matthey, Imperial, Bath, QMUL, St Andrews, UCL) and international (including Centi, Fraunhofer, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Institute, VITO) partners to deliver multimillion projects (totalling £34m).
In the last five years, the centre members have published over 400 papers with collaborators from 41 countries including India, USA, Switzerland and Singapore with fellowships such as MSCA and Royal Society. A key pillar to the unit’s objectives is exploitation and commercialisation of our research excellence into enterprise activities. To this end we have supported the granting of patents and enabled spin-out activities. One such example is PEG a University spin out that aims to capture vibration to power next-generation internet of things devices funded by Innovate UK. Centre members collaborating across LSBU are is currently involved in multiple Social Prosperity Fund programmes supporting London’s SMEs from a range of sectors, including low carbon and energy. So far, we have supported over 1,000 SME in greater London. This supports our ambition to engage with and develop relationships across academia, business, and society, with our strategic aim of ‘real world impact’.
17th October 2024 ~ Paper Published, invited article in Carbon |
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A study led by LSBU in collaboration with the National Institute of Materials Physics (Romania), National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia), The Open University (UK), and the Max Planck Institute (Germany) reveals a unique approach to controlling the optoelectronic properties of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) using biomass-derived precursors. The method employs a green, rapid continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS) to transform complex biomass sources like chitosan and lignin into high-quality NCQDs. This research combines in-depth experimental photophysics characterization with theoretical modelling, demonstrating that precursor structure significantly influences NCQD size and optical properties. Life cycle assessments confirm that CHFS is a sustainable and scalable alternative to traditional batch methods, paving the way for economically viable large-scale production. |
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15th October 2024 |
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Our first item of news is the 'going live' of the Energy, Materials and Environment (EME) University Research Centre. Our ambition is to become a go-to centre for external and internal stakeholders with an interest in shaping the sustainability agenda through sustainable use of materials and energy. We can provide business to business consultancy, project management and input on device design for a range of end-user applications. |