As the hub for energy research at Imperial College London, Energy Futures Lab aims to stimulate the interchange of ideas across the College to tackle the major challenges in transforming our energy system.

We have appointed a series of Research Theme Leads and Champions to help us engage with the widest possible range of researchers and topics in the energy sector at the College. These individuals provide us with in-depth knowledge of people and work being done at the College and help formulate our strategy and activities.

Alongside this work they also help us build a sense of community within the College. They allow us to maintain Imperial’s healthy portfolio of energy research and provide us with a point of contact within their disciplines and research theme.

Within the Sustainable Power theme we have appointed the following people as our Theme Leads and Champions.

Dr Oliver Buxton - Research Theme Lead (Sustainable Power, Offshore)

Dr Oliver Buxton is a Reader in Experimental Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London. The main focus of his research is the application of laser diagnostics to turbulence research. In particular, he has focused on multiscale-generated turbulence and turbulent entrainment, specifically turbulent entrainment from a turbulent background.

Dr Ben Britton - Research Theme Lead (Sustainable Power, Nuclear)

Dr Ben Britton is a Researcher in the Department of Materials. He works on understanding metals used in high-risk high-value applications, such as aerospace, oil & gas and nuclear power.

He specialises in experimental micromechanical characterisation, focusing on understanding deformation at the small scale with electron microscopy, simulation and micro-mechanical testing. His work focusses on understanding materials behaviour for energy, transport and the built environment. He also runs the MSc in Advanced Nuclear Engineering.

Dr Andreas Kafizas - Research Theme Lead (Sustainable Power, Renewable Fuels)

Dr Andreas Kafizas is a Lecturer in Climate Change and the Environment at the Grantham Institute. His core interests are in developing light-activated materials for renewable fuels production, air remediation and water remediation. He also has experience developing coatings for thermochromic and electrochromic windows. He also has a keen interest in combinatorial materials discovery, and has developed novel high throughput strategies for optimising functional materials.

Dr Claudia Gasparrini - Research Theme Champion (Sustainable Power, Nuclear)

Dr Claudia Gasparrini is a Research Associate in the Department of Materials.

Dr Anna Hankin - Research Theme Champion (Sustainable Power, Solar)

Dr Anna Hankin is a Research Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering and MSci in Physics from Imperial College London.