Professor Wallom and Dr Wainwright will discuss the challenges and possibilities for sustainable clean energy sources and whether a transition to a zero-carbon and environmentally sustainable economic model can simultaneously improve the quality of life for the world’s least advantaged people. The lens of enquiry for the discussion will be grounded in the sometimes-uncomfortable reality that different actors often have multiple and conflicting interests, and that getting to net-zero, sustainable development will require concessions and compromises to incentivise change and align agendas.

About the speakers

Dr Laurence Wainwright is Course Director of the MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment and a Departmental Lecturer. A teaching and learning oriented academic, Laurence has a decade of experience in lecturing, facilitation and supervision across universities in Australia, Sweden, United States and United Kingdom. Laurence is passionate about the holistic development of the students who he teaches and helping them to develop into well-rounded individuals with a mindset of intellectual curiosity and courage, continuous self-improvement, and service to a mission beyond themselves. Laurence has taught across several subject areas including regulatory science and public health, sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and management and leadership. Laurence’s research at present is focusing on understanding how firms respond to NGO-produced guides, rankings and lists which rate their performance on social and environmental issues.

Prof David Wallom is Associate Professor and Associate Director – Innovation of the Oxford eResearch Centre, Department of Engineering Science. He is the founding Course Director for the MSc in Energy Systems and leads two separate research groups: Energy and Environmental Informatics and Advanced e-infrastructure and Cloud Computing. He has led Oxford participation in over 80 research projects in areas such as Cloud utilisation, Cybersecurity, Smart Energy Grids, Research Data Management, Green IT, ICT Security and Institutional Repositories. He is a member of the GCHQ recognized Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security and the University of Oxford Sustainability Working Group.

This event may be recorded and will be made available online, afterwards. It is free and open to all.