The Surge in Energy Prices and its Impact on Net Zero by 2050 

Prof Abdulnaser Sayma - City, University of London, Head of the Department of Engineering

Abdulnaser Sayma is a Professor of Energy Engineering and the Head of Department of Engineering at City, University of London. He is the Director of the Thermofluid Research Center and the Director of the London Space Innovation Centre. Professor Sayma obtained a first degree in Mechanical Engineering with Distinction from Birzeit University in Palestine, MSc in Energy Technology from Salford University and a PhD from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1994. He was a Professor of Computational Fluid Dynamics at University of Sussex until 2012 and a Rolls Royce Research Fellow at Imperial College London until 2005.

He held the position if Interim Dean for the School between November 2018 and February 2019. He is currently the Director of the Thermo-Fluids Research Centre since February 2019 and has been appointed as the Head of Engineering from 1st of January 2020, heading the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. 

He has led the Cycle Efficiency Technical Committee at the European Turbine Network (ETN) and has been a member of the ETN Project Board since 2014. He is the founder of the European Micro-Gas Turbine Forum (EMGTF) which was established in 2017 and has been the chairman of its advisory board. 

His current research is in sustainable energy technology utilising thermal power cycles for conversion to electricity and heat from sources such as concentrated solar power, biomass, waste heat recovery and heat upgrade using heat pumps.
He has been leading major research projects with funding from the UK Research Councils, the European Commission, InnovateUK and industry and has been a consultant to industry on a range of energy projects.

Dr Jafar Al-Zaili – City, University of London, Lecturer in Power and Propulsion 

Jafar is a lecturer in Power and Propulsion and a member of Turbomachinery and Energy Systems Research Group at City.

He is the programme director of the Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics MSc. His main field of research is utilisation of small-scale gas turbines for renewable energy applications including solar energy, biomass, and green hydrogen.

Alan Nettleton - Transport Planning Professional and Chartered Engineer

Alan is a registered Transport Planning Professional and Chartered Engineer who, before joining the Catapult in 2014, worked for private transport consultancies for over 10 years.

He has undertaken considerable research and stakeholder consultation in the field of automated and electric vehicles, which included acting as one of the primary authors of CPC’s recent reports into the Electric Vehicle sector.
 
He is currently working with the Department for Transport to help to develop large-scale trials of zero-emission heavy goods vehicles.

Alessandra De Zottis (MSc Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics, 2016) - Sonnedix, Regulatory Engagement Senior Manager 

Alessandra is Regulatory Engagement Senior Manager at Sonnedix, a global independent solar power producer, where she's responsible for the proactive regulatory engagement across nine jurisdictions globally. 

Alessandra has over 8 years of experience in the energy sector gained in the context of global utility companies and trade associations. After completing her MSc in Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics at City, University of London, Alessandra had joined Sembcorp, leading the regulatory engagement in the UK over a range of key issues such as the reform of balancing services and the network charges review. Over her time at Sembcorp she specialized in the regulatory framework underpinning embedded generators and storage assets. Previous to that, she spent three years in Brussels, where she worked in close contact with the EU institutions.

Oluwatoyin Fatokun (MSc Energy and Environmental Technology, 2007) - Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Low Carbon and Sustainability Senior Specialist

Olu Fatokun is a Low Carbon & Sustainability Senior Specialist at Folkestone & Hythe District Council. She graduated with distinction from MSc Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics in 2007. Since then, she has  gained extensive experience from the private, public sector and third sector organisations. 

Olu provides strategic advice on low carbon, environmental and sustainability issues as well as behavioural change that enables organisations translate their sustainability goals into measurable and achievable actions on their journey to a low carbon economy. 

Olu is also an executive board member and Real Projects Programme Coordinator for  AFBE-UK, an organisation that support and promotes higher achievements in Education and Engineering particularly among students and professionals from ethnic minority backgrounds. 

Simon Richards (MSc Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics, 2018) - The Crown Estate, Commercial development and professional in floating wind power and net zero innovations

Simon graduated with distinction from MSc Energy and Environmental Technology and Economics in 2018. He leads on market engagement and value creation for floating wind power at The Crown Estate, based in London. Simon has over 25 years of professional experience from the tech and energy sectors, spanning new product/market development, sustainability and fundraising; across start-ups, mid-scale and listed firms. In 2020 his research on green gas, undertaken at City, was published in the journal Energy for Sustainable Development.