The Environmental Change Institute’s Energy Programme has welcomed Dr Donal Brown as a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, supporting new research on the governance and financing of the UK’s low-carbon transition.
Through the prestigious fellowship, Donal will develop new approaches to energy policy and political economy, with a focus on electricity market reform, energy demand reduction, and the delivery of large-scale housing retrofit programmes.
Donal joins ECI from the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, where his research explored the political economy of net zero and the institutional challenges of decarbonising the UK energy system. Alongside his role at Oxford, he is also an honorary Senior Research Fellow at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
In addition to his academic work, Donal brings extensive experience working with policymakers and practitioners on energy and climate policy.
Donal said:
Having been born in Oxford, I’ve dreamt of working here since I began my journey in academia 11 years ago. I'm delighted to be joining the ECI and the wider Oxford family, and am forward to many great years and collaborations ahead.”
Professor Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy and Leader of the Energy Programme at the ECI, said:
Donal is a wonderful addition to the Energy Group. He brings rare expertise that spans on-the-ground building retrofit delivery, energy markets analysis, and equity - complementing and broadening the work our team has long been doing on demand reduction and decarbonisation policy. We're very much looking forward to working with him!"
The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship supports early-career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential. It helps individuals transition to or establish independence while leading ambitious, high-risk research or innovation projects across UK academia and business.