Research Assistant or Fellow in Global Hydrogen Energy Systems and Society

Role Description

The social and environmental trade-offs of a new Net Zero Hydrogen (H2NZ) ecosystem need to be centre stage if we are to bring about a just energy transition.  How do we ensure that in bringing about H2NZ energy transitions we do so responsibly, leaving no-one behind? How can governance strategies support the uptake of responsible H2NZ production in the UK and overseas?

This is an exciting opportunity to come and join the Global Hydrogen Production Technologies (HyPT) Center, working across the UK, Australia, US and Canada, to create a step change in the development of responsible hydrogen ecosystems and accelerate the pace of decarbonisation of energy systems globally.

About the Role

HyPT seeks to accelerate the development of net zero hydrogen technologies and ecosystems in a sustainable and just manner. You will be joining the global HyPT center to support the work programme on policies, economics, and markets. As a social scientist, or an engineer with social science interests and experience, you will join a transdisciplinary team of world leading experts on H2NZ and responsible energy transitions. The HyPT center offers Early Career Researchers a vibrant and supportive research ecosystem with opportunities to work across disciplines and cultures.

Your role will be to contribute to designing and assessing the effectiveness of alternative governance measures and strategies to accelerate the social acceptability and uptake of net zero hydrogen technologies and systems (H2NZ) and support a just energy transition.

Using a socio-technical systems view, you will devise pathways that foster a social and governance environment that is receptive to H2NZ uptake. With a focus on four hydrogen niche case studies with our partner countries in Canada, USA and Australia, you will work with multiple stakeholder groups to map drivers and challenges to H2NZ production at scale. You will evaluate incumbent governance regimes globally and support the team in establishing a set of adaptive governance principles, community engagement strategies, and policy frameworks with best practice recommendations taking into account the specific challenges and opportunities hydrogen production brings. It is very likely that the project will involve international travel to our partner countries in Canada, USA and /or Australia.

The Global Hydrogen Production Technologies Center (HyPT) is a multidisciplinary and multi-institute project with £14.1million funding from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the National Science Foundation (USA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada). The UK funding (£6.2 million) comes via Building a Green Future Fund and International Science Partnerships Fund. HyPT is led in the UK by Cranfield University in collaboration with Arizona State University (USA), the University of Toronto (Canada), and the University of Adelaide (Australia).

The UK project team involves academics from Imperial College London, Newcastle University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Birmingham who are involved in the development of net zero technologies. It is expected that you will be working closely with them in developing an understanding of characteristics, and so potential social impacts and opportunities, of net zero hydrogen technologies.

About You

You will be educated to doctoral level (or close to completion) in political science, sociology or other social sciences, or law, and will have experience in working with diverse stakeholders, designing and implementing qualitative research methods, and analysing qualitative data.

PhD from other disciplines, particularly energy, environment and engineering related fields, will be considered if there is experience with governance systems and/or qualitative research methods and a clearly expressed desire to move into a career in socio-technical transitions.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here.

Cranfield’s expertise in energy and power covers a wide range of potential energy solutions, from our ongoing relationship with oil and gas, to our developing reliance on renewable energy from the world around us. The changing energy landscape presents exciting opportunities and the potential for the UK to lead in new technologies and services related to low carbon energy and sustainability generation. Learn more about Energy and Sustainability

The Centre for Energy Systems and Strategy (CESS) is a hub for leading-edge research, teaching and consultancy that helps individuals, businesses and policy makers by modelling and analysing the requirements and needs of the energy and power consumers and the underlying infrastructure systems using socio-technical frameworks.

A particular focus of the CESS is the development of tools and methods to inform the trade-offs associated with transition to a net zero economy, ranging from households to city to national levels. All our research and teaching activities can be categorised in three broad themes:

• Digitisation of energy systems
• Infrastructure system planning and operation
• Socio-technical aspects of energy transitions

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here.

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here.

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

How to apply                                   

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Professor Nazmiye Ozkan, Professor of Sustainable Energy Transitions and Head of Centre for Energy Systems and Strategy, on (T): +44 (0)1234 75 4296 or (E): n.ozkan@cranfield.ac.uk.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on E: peoplerecruitment@cranfield.ac.uk. Please quote reference number 4871.

Closing date for receipt of applications:   28 July 2024