Welcome

Meeting the world’s growing demand for energy while reducing our collective impact on the health of the planet is among the greatest and most pressing challenges we face as a global community. To end our reliance on fossil fuels, we are required to rapidly rethink and redesign our energy systems, the materials we use, the technologies we deploy, and the policy and regulatory frameworks that govern how our societies, economies and businesses work.

At Imperial College London, we believe this transformation, unprecedented in its scale, cannot be achieved without high-quality research and evidence. As you will see in the pages that follow, Imperial is home to a thriving and diverse energy research community. Motivated by the challenge of realising what we call the Transition to Zero Pollution, a vision of a truly sustainable world, our scientists and engineers are at the forefront of the energy transition, breaking new ground in the development of green technologies and processes and the discovery and application of sustainable materials. Our policy experts, meanwhile, are playing a critical role in reshaping the governance landscape.

Energy Futures Lab sits at the heart of this thriving research community. We are Imperial’s global energy institute, established in 2005 to promote multidisciplinary energy research, facilitate collaboration with industry and governments, and provide unique educational opportunities. The institute is a key support hub for Imperial research staff; our team at South Kensington works with colleagues across the College to initiate new programmes that address major energy challenges and to create real impact from ongoing projects.

Fulfilling the potential of the energy transition also requires a workforce with the right skills and expertise. Through our MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures, we aim to inspire and enable the next generation of energy sector leaders. The one-year course provides students with a grounding in the major features of energy issues and technologies, as well as their implications for policy and economics. Our alumni can be found in many of the world’s leading energy companies and at the helm of some exciting new energy start-ups.

We are incredibly proud of the work the Imperial community is doing to accelerate the energy transition and improve access to clean energy around the world, helping to build more prosperous, secure, and sustainable societies. We hope this booklet will give you an insight into the breadth of the energy-related activities being undertaken at Imperial College London and some of the ways that you can get involved, whether you’re a prospective student, researcher, policymaker, industry stakeholder or member of the public.