OUR WORK
Scotland Beyond Net Zero is a coalition designed to catalyse research collaboration, empower our communities and inform the policymaking and action Scotland needs to reach its ambitious targets.
Scotland Beyond Net Zero’s partner universities, will work to combine our research strengths to build interdisciplinary collaborations around six core themes: Built Environment, Energy, Finance, Food, Natural Systems, and Transport. Read more about each of these themes and meet the related researchers via the quick links below.
From research in modern architecture, urban planning, and civil engineering to the design of energy-efficient buildings and the use of sustainable construction materials, our researchers are considering how the world that we have forged around us holds the potential to accelerate our race to achieving net zero.
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Scotland is a global leader in many areas of renewable energy, especially on and offshore wind, and green hydrogen. From increased understanding of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power to improving energy efficiency and storage capabilities, research into energy is fundamental to achieving our goal of reaching net zero emissions. We work with other energy initiatives, especially the Scottish Partnership in Energy and Engineering Research & Innovation (SPEERI) to accelerate and coordinate impactful research on energy across Scotland.
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Finance is closely linked to the climate crisis – how can and should global and local financial flows support sustainable technologies, institutions and practices? How to pay for the transition required to mitigate and adapt to climate change? Academic research can highlight the ways that investment practices can align with sustainability objectives. Financial investments could channel efforts towards low-carbon and climate-resilient projects to help accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon economy.
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Almost a third of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with our current food systems. To understand the role food production plays in achieving net zero, we’re bringing together interdisciplinary research that looks at the impact and opportunities across multiple stages of the food supply lifecycle, including issues of justice and fairness in access to sustainable and good food across society.
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Through research into ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural processes, we can unlock the knowledge to develop strategies that harness nature’s potential to sequester carbon, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. Nature-based approaches to climate change can also create opportunities for community benefits and sustainable local development, while also revealing how Scotland’s nature, land and environment is a product of its history.
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With a wave of new developments and advancements in environmental technologies, it’s an exciting and pivotal moment in the transportation sector. Further research aims to understand how cutting-edge technologies can not only mitigate the transport sector’s traditional environmental impacts, but shape the future of how we get around in ways that are fair, accessible and affordable.
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In recent years, there has been a pivotal shift towards more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions in transport. Research in transportation is at the forefront of developing sustainable and low-carbon solutions that can revolutionise the way both people and goods move. Innovations in electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, advancements in public transportation systems, and research on alternative fuels are all significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the entire transportation sector.
Additionally, studies on smart urban planning and the integration of emerging technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and intelligent traffic management systems, can optimise transportation efficiency and decrease emissions. However, it is important that such changes are fair and respond to the needs of communities for accessible and affordable travel, and this is a key focus for our researchers.
New academic research in this area informs policy decisions, shapes industry practices, and fosters the development of eco-friendly transportation infrastructure, all of which are vital components in the collective effort to attain a net-zero carbon future.
From electric vehicles to infrastructure, and public transport innovations to alternative fuels, our team of researchers are understanding how cutting-edge technologies can not only mitigate the transport sector’s traditional environmental impacts, but shape the future of how we get around.
Meet the researchers involved with studies on transportation, and its role in achieving net zero.
Professor and Chair of Operational Research
miguel.f.anjos@ed.ac.uk
Lecturer in Computational Reactive Flows
antonio.attili@ed.ac.uk
Local SBNZ lead for the University of the West of Scotland and Head of the Division of Engineering and Physical Sciences
michele.cano@uws.ac.uk
Reader in Materials for Green Energy Technologies
JunYoung.Cheong@glasgow.ac.uk
Dean of Institute for Advanced Studies, Management, Work and Organisation
iain.docherty@stir.ac.uk
Lecturer in Power Electronics and Electrical Power Engineering
mohamed.elgenedy@gcu.ac.uk
Professor in Electrical Power Engineering
mohamed.farrag@gcu.ac.uk
Professor in Cyber Physical Systems
David.Flynn@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor of Carbon Capture and Storage
Stuart.Haszeldine@ed.ac.uk
Professor of Sustainable Biotechnology
Louise.Horsfall@ed.ac.uk
Director of the Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice
t.jafry@gcu.ac.uk
Elizabeth Georgeson Fellow in Data and Digitalisation for Net Zero
desen.kirli@ed.ac.uk
Chair of Agile Energy Systems
kiprakis@ed.ac.uk
Lecturer in Composite Materials Technology
francisca.mhergueta@ed.ac.uk
Reader in Transport Studies
David.Mcarthur@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor, Civil Engineering and Environmental Management
Slobodan.Mickovski@gcu.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Radio Frequency Technology
s.podilchak@ed.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering
cristina.rodriguez@uws.ac.uk
Lecturer in Autonomous Systems & Connectivity
Wenjuan.Song@glasgow.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Systems Thinking
agnessa.spanellis@ed.ac.uk
Lecturer in Transport Systems Engineering
ptafidis@ed.ac.uk
Director of the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN)
george.tarvit@ed.ac.uk
Professor in Sustainability and the Built Environment
craig.thomson@gcu.ac.uk
Lecturer in Economics
Anna.SchulzeTilling@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor of Fluid Mechanics and Bioinspired Engineering
i.m.viola@ed.ac.uk
Reader in Geospatial Data Science
Mingshu.Wang@glasgow.ac.uk
Programme Manager, Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage
gillian.white@sccs.org.uk
Lecturer in Environmental Management
andrew.wilson@gcu.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Technology
Abraham.Zhang@glasgow.ac.uk
Lecturer in Superconducting and Cryogenic Electric Machines
hongye.zhang@ed.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Urban Studies
Qunshan.Zhao@glasgow.ac.uk
Read the latest articles about transport from our universities.
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