Professor John Underhill, is the Interdisciplinary Director for Energy Transition and Professor in Geoscience and Energy Transition in the School of Geosciences at the University of Aberdeen. He chairs the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA), has led the pan-UK GeoNetZero Centre of Doctoral Training (CDT) program since its inception in 2013, and populates the UK’s Subsurface Task Force.

John’s research interests focus upon the role of geoscience in the energy transition and use of technologies, methods and data in providing the best solutions and outcomes to deliver low-carbon net zero goals. 

An unusual fact is that John was an international soccer referee, who officiated in international (FIFA and UEFA) football and the Scottish Premier League between 1994-2008.

The Centre for Energy Transition at the University of Aberdeen is committed to undertaking data-driven, evidence-based technical research to find energy solutions compatible with the UN Sustainability Goals and to provide the relevant skills training to support people and communities who seek to deliver the Energy Transition.

The Energy Transition and its component parts of Energy Sources and their Security, their Equitability and Affordability, and their Sustainability and Climate Compatibility, the so-called Energy Trilemma, is one of the key global challenges facing society and our way of life today. 

The Centre spans a broad remit that evaluates the challenges and opportunities associated with all forms of energy including oil and gas, wind power, nuclear, geothermal, solar, wave and tidal sources, subsurface (gas, carbon dioxide and hydrogen) storage, the associated costs, their climate compatibility, and the decommissioning thereof and the overall mix needed to keep the lights on and have heating in the winter. 

The Centre has been described by the shadow Under-Secretary of State for Energy, Andrew Bowie MP as the UK’s leading authority on the Energy Challenges the country face.

The Centre for Energy Transition hosts 4 Interdisciplinary Research Fellows (Joseph Armstrong, Scott Doyle, Bartosz Kurjański and Kate Gormley (the latter shared with the Environment & Biodiversity challenge area) and 5 PhD students (Vibha Chauhan, Zhadyra Gani, Ruth Hamilton, Megan Squire (shared with the Environment & Biodiversity theme) and Alison Clark (shared with Culture & Social Inclusion one)), all of whom are undertaking independent research that face different aspects of the energy transition. 

We welcome applications from prospective students with funding who wish to join our efforts to accelerate and deliver the energy transition. 

Let us know if you’d like to join us as we seek to find a managed, orderly and just pathway on the journey to Net Zero.

For more information about the Interdisciplinary Institute and the Centre for Energy Transition, our people and aims, visit: www.abdn.ac.uk/energy 

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: University of Aberdeen