Over the coming fortnight, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) will be welcoming three senior policymakers as part of the Net Zero Policy Fellowship Programme. The programme offers them the opportunity to explore their policy questions or challenges through a bespoke series of meetings with leading academics based at the University. In total, the policymakers will take part in 17 meetings with 27 different researchers.

Richard Banks, Deputy Director for Infrastructure Co-ordination and Prioritisation at Ofgem, will connect with academics from the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, as well as colleagues from the University’s Senior Management team, the IPR and the Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC).

Simon James is Deputy Director of the Joint Air Quality Unit, a joint initiative between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport. He will meet researchers from IAAPS, the IPR, and the Departments of Computer Science, Economics, Mechanical Engineering, and Psychology.

Dr Isabel Webb, Deputy Director for Technology Strategy and Security at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will meet researchers from the Bath Institute for the Augmented Human and the Departments of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Amy Thompson, Head of Policy Programmes and Communications at the IPR, said: “We are delighted to welcome these senior policymakers from three government departments to Bath as part of our Net Zero Policy Fellowship Programme. Connecting these fellows with a diverse group of Bath academics presents an excellent opportunity for new dialogues and networking and highlights the extensive net zero expertise available at Bath. All three fellows are visiting under our affiliation with CSaP, a University of Cambridge initiative that we are proud to support.”

The Net Zero Policy Fellowship Programme complements additional specialist Policy Fellowship Programmes for AI and Health and builds on the flagship IPR Policy Fellowship Programme. For academics at Bath interested in learning more about the programmes, or keen to take part in future meetings, please email Amy Thompson: at712@bath.ac.uk