In May, we held another ECR Awayday, this time hosted by Ali Nabavi at Cranfield University. Awaydays are always a fantastic time to gather together early career researchers from across the country and all aspects of the CCS chain, enabling them to network more widely and provide training to supplement what their institutions offer.
On the first day, Katy Mahoney ran a full afternoon’s workshop on High Impact Productivity. Everyone was fully engaged as she challenged us to think about our own current ways of working and unpacked productivity and procrastination, before sharing hints and tips as well as her PARK (Planned, Achievable, Realistic and Kind) framework for maximising the effectiveness of short bursts of work.
“I learnt the flavour of time, with emphasis on the use of golden time for golden tasks. I also learnt that I don’t need to wait for motivation to carry out my research effectively, but rather adopting the PARK approach to meet my goals even during low motivation.”
“The most useful thing I learnt was how to plan my daily tasks in a way that is both achievable and realistic, while keeping in mind that I should avoid putting too much pressure on myself and be kinder to myself (PARK). From this workshop, I also realised that I work more efficiently during certain parts of the day, and I will try to focus on using my golden hours to make the most of my productivity.”
“Dr Katy Mahoney delivered a very engaging and inclusive session that encouraged us to reflect on our own working styles, flavours of time and the causes of research procrastination. I particularly appreciated the practical nature of the session, especially techniques such as the PARK framework for high-intensity productivity, and how these methods could be adapted to different personalities, workloads and capacities.”
“Katy Mahoney’s PARK methodology provided a practical and refreshing perspective on managing research work sustainably rather than constantly pushing for unrealistic productivity.”
“Katy’s session on high-intensity productivity highlighted the importance of setting realistic goals, maintaining productivity sustainably, and being mindful of personal well-being alongside research progress.”
“The High Intensity Productivity workshop helped me think more carefully about breaking large PhD tasks into smaller, achievable actions, reducing procrastination, and making better use of short periods of focused work.”
“I particularly appreciated the discussions around identifying golden, meh, and dead productivity periods. I had always noticed that there were times when I felt energetic and motivated to work, and other times when I struggled to stay productive, but I did not realise how universal this experience was among researchers. The workshop encouraged me to reflect more intentionally on my own working habits and how to work more efficiently rather than simply working longer hours.”
Following an evening meal networking at the delicious Gurka Kitchen, Ali Navabi and Phil Longhurst gave the ECRs a fascinating tour around both the PACT facility and the HyPER project. Personally, we were thrilled to see the ongoing impact of a facility that we were part of establishing, but ECRs got a huge amount more from the visit.
“I found the tour of the PACT facilities and HyPER project extremely valuable – seeing pilot-scale CLC, CLG, and calcium looping systems helped me better visualise the scale-up from laboratory research to industrial application.”
“I have followed the HyPER project closely since my PhD, as its work on Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming and low-carbon hydrogen production strongly influenced my own research on blue hydrogen. Visiting the pilot facility in person was therefore especially meaningful and gave me a much deeper appreciation of the challenges and opportunities involved in scaling hydrogen technologies towards net-zero goals.”
“Seeing the large-scale combustion, carbon capture, fluidized bed, biomass gasification, and chemical looping research infrastructure at Cranfield provided excellent insight into how advanced decarbonisation technologies are tested and validated at pilot scale.”
“The visit to the HYPER pilot plant provided valuable insight into how innovative research is being translated into real-world applications. I also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling up CCUS technologies, as well as the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex energy and climate challenges. The discussions with researchers from different institutions further broadened my perspective and highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing within the CCUS community.”
The networking time – plenty of breaks and an informal dinner on the Tuesday – is equally as important as the more formal sessions. All our events are carefully planned to include it, as friendships and connections can be made that might lead to exciting collaborations and research in the future!
“I also intend to stay connected with the researchers and professionals I met during the event to build future collaborations and expand my network within the CCS community.”
“I plan to further strengthen the experimental and collaborative aspects of my current NNZA project on Sorption Enhanced Biogas Reforming. The visit to the HyPER and PACT facilities highlighted the importance of pilot-scale validation and reinforced my interest in collaborating with Dr. Ali Nabavi for larger-scale testing of my combined sorbent-catalyst materials (CSCMs). I also see strong potential for future collaborative research in related areas such as fluidized bed systems, chemical looping, and other advanced decarbonisation technologies.”
“I intend to build on the networking opportunities from the event by staying in touch with fellow researchers from the UKCCSRC ECR network and exploring potential collaborations.”
“Meeting researchers from different institutions and learning about their work provided new perspectives and ideas. I hope to continue building these professional connections, engage in future collaborations, and remain involved in the wider research community.”
Thank you to Ali Nabavi and Katy Mahoney for their input into this event, and to all the ECRs who attended for your enthusiasm and whole-hearted engagement!
A photo gallery is also available, with thanks to Sunera Athauda (Cranfield University) for most of the photos in it.
Kofo Awodun (Brunel University of London), Priyanka Thakur (Teesside University) and Shadi Samizadeh (University of Lincoln) share their takeaways from the “Plenary 5: What’s Next for CCS” session at the UKCCSRC Conference 2026.
The final plenary session of the UKCCSRC Conference explored one of the most important questions facing the carbon capture community: what comes next? Chaired by Jen Roberts (University of Strathclyde), the session brought together three speakers who examined the future of carbon capture from international, technological and strategic perspectives.
From lessons learned through global collaboration, to the rapid expansion of carbon capture in China and the future direction of engineered carbon removal, the session demonstrated that achieving net zero will require more than technological innovation. It will depend on collaboration across countries, sectors and disciplines to build an integrated carbon management system.
CCS moves from ambition to delivery: Key takeaways from Hannah Galbraith-Olive
Hannah Galbraith (Global CCS Institute) highlighted the rapid growth of the global carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector and the factors driving its expansion.
The presentation showed that CCS is reaching a significant inflection point, with the number of operational facilities increasing by 54% between 2024 and 2025, reaching 77 facilities worldwide. Global capture capacity continues to grow, with the overall project pipeline now standing at 513 Mtpa, reflecting strong momentum across the sector.
A central message was that policy remains one of the strongest enablers of CCS deployment. Regions with clear regulatory frameworks, financial incentives and supportive government policies consistently have larger and more advanced project pipelines. The data demonstrates a clear trend: where strong CCS policy exists, project development follows.
The presentation also explored how different regions are pursuing CCS deployment through distinct models:
- North America is driven by market-based financial incentives and established permitting frameworks.
- Europe relies on public funding and comprehensive regulatory support.
- The Middle East is advancing CCS through national oil company-led projects integrated with hydrocarbon production.
- Asia-Pacific is seeing growth through government-backed projects, although policy maturity varies across the region.
Despite these differences, all regions are working toward the same goal: achieving CCS deployment at gigatonne scale.
Hannah concluded by emphasising that the challenge is no longer simply developing individual projects. Future growth will depend on creating coordinated systems that connect capture, transport, storage, policy and finance. As CCS scales, infrastructure coordination and investment frameworks will be critical to accelerating deployment and supporting global net-zero ambitions.
The overall message was optimistic: CCS is moving beyond aspiration and into delivery, with growing project numbers, increasing capacity, and stronger policy support creating momentum for large-scale deployment.
Xi Liang highlights China’s growing CCUS ambitions and opportunities for UK-China collaboration
Xi Liang outlined the remarkable progress being made in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) across China and highlighted the increasingly important role the technology is expected to play in delivering the country’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality ambitions.
China’s current five-year planning period is expected to see substantial investment in CCUS, with dozens of large-scale projects under development across major industrial and energy-producing regions, including Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi. Liang demonstrated how carbon capture is moving beyond the demonstration phase and towards wider commercial deployment, particularly within the power generation, coal chemical and petrochemical industries.
A key theme throughout the presentation was scale. Several of China’s post-combustion carbon capture facilities are already among the largest operating worldwide, demonstrating how rapidly deployment is accelerating. Alongside conventional solvent-based capture technologies, research is also expanding into membrane separation, oxygen production and chemical looping, while increasing attention is being directed towards difficult-to-abate sectors such as cement, steel and petrochemicals.
Storage remains another major priority. Liang highlighted several onshore and offshore storage initiatives, including projects in Guangdong and the development of industrial storage clusters in coastal regions. While geological storage capacity is considerable, he emphasised that robust monitoring, reporting and verification systems, together with clear regulatory frameworks and long-term liability arrangements, will be essential for large-scale deployment.
The presentation also reinforced the long-standing collaboration between the UK and China on CCUS research. Universities, research organisations and industrial partners have worked together for more than two decades on technology development, pilot projects and policy research. Looking ahead, Liang suggested that future collaboration could focus on storage regulation, monitoring technologies, industrial deployment and supply-chain development.
Perhaps the strongest message from the presentation was that deep decarbonisation will be extremely difficult without CCUS. While renewable energy, energy efficiency and hydrogen will all contribute significantly towards reducing emissions, carbon capture remains an essential component of any credible pathway to net zero.
Mathieu Lucquiaud looks beyond capture technology to the future of integrated carbon management
Closing the session, Prof. Mathieu Lucquiaud shifted the discussion from individual capture technologies to the wider system needed for successful carbon management in the decades ahead.
The presentation began by introducing the role of Engineered Greenhouse Gas Removal (EGGR) in achieving net-zero emissions. While reducing emissions at source remains essential, Mathieu explained that carbon dioxide removal technologies will also be required to offset residual emissions from sectors where complete decarbonisation remains challenging.
One particularly interesting concept presented was co-DACCS, which combines Direct Air Carbon Capture (DAC) with conventional post-combustion carbon capture. Rather than treating these technologies independently, co-locating them allows shared infrastructure and utilities, improving efficiency while potentially reducing operating costs. It provided an example of how future carbon management systems may increasingly rely on integration rather than entirely new technologies.
The discussion then turned to one of the most significant challenges facing carbon capture: economics. Mathieu demonstrated that although increasing CO₂ capture rates reduces emissions, the cost of achieving each additional percentage of capture rises considerably. This reinforces the importance of balancing technical performance with economic viability when designing future CCS systems.
Another important topic was Waste-to-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (WECCS). Lifecycle assessment results illustrated how capturing CO₂ from waste-to-energy facilities can generate negative emissions while continuing to recover useful energy from waste streams. The approach demonstrates how waste management and carbon removal can complement one another as part of broader decarbonisation strategies.
The presentation concluded by emphasising that the future success of carbon capture depends on far more than capture technologies alone. Transport infrastructure, geological storage, supportive policy, investment frameworks and effective collaboration between academia, industry and government must all develop together if CCS is to achieve deployment at the scale required.
For many attendees, the key takeaway was that the future of carbon capture lies in building an integrated carbon management system. Advances in capture technology remain important, but equally critical are the connections between capture, transport, storage, carbon removal and policy that will enable these technologies to operate as part of a coordinated whole.
Mathieu Lucquiaud’s presentation showing the lifecycle assessment of two waste pathways
Looking Ahead
Although each speaker approached the question of “What’s Next?” from a different perspective, several common themes emerged throughout the session. Carbon capture is moving beyond isolated demonstration projects towards integrated deployment, requiring international collaboration, supportive policy, robust regulation and continued technological innovation.
Whether through global knowledge sharing, China’s rapidly expanding CCUS programme or the development of integrated carbon removal systems, the session highlighted that achieving net zero will depend not only on advancing individual technologies but also on building the interconnected infrastructure and partnerships needed to deploy them at scale.
As the 2026 UKCCSRC Conference came to an end, Plenary 5 provided a timely reminder that the next chapter of carbon capture is not solely about better capture processes, it is about creating a complete carbon management system capable of delivering meaningful climate impact.
In October, the UKCCSRC ran an ECR/ECP Awayday providing attendees with vital skills and learning, not just for their research now but for their whole lives!
Chris Stewart – lapsed theoretical physicist turned freelance science communicator – delivered a full afternoon’s workshop looking at “What’s Your Story?”. He pointed out that although researchers usually deal with data, most humans understand and respond best to stories. And, to quote Randy Olsen, stories are simply “a series of events that happen along the way in the search for a solution to a problem”, which is definitely something scientists can get on board with!
Chris unpacked the importance of narrative in sharing research and gave attendees a fantastic tool in the ABT (And…But…Therefore) framework. One attendee said that it’ll help them tell “a compelling research story” from now on. Another attendee commented that they’d “learned the importance of communicating my research clearly and engagingly by identifying its core narrative and presenting it with confidence.”
“It really helped me understand how to break down complex science into simple, engaging messages that hold people’s attention. Chris’s templates for structuring communication were particularly helpful, and his feedback gave me a clearer sense of how to improve my own presentation style.”
Chris also talked about the importance of knowing your audience and pitching your presentations correctly, especially removing jargon. For one attendee (although probably more!), it was “eye-opening to see how much audience awareness shapes the success of any communication.”
There was good news for future non-technical audiences (!), with one attendee saying that they are “going to focus on knowing my audience and simplifying how I present my research story so it’s clearer to non-specialists”, and another sharing that they “plan to consciously apply the communication techniques I learned, especially adapting my delivery and message depending on who I am speaking to…making my explanations more engaging and relatable, rather than defaulting to technical detail.”
Considering body language, pace, volume, pitch, tonality and pauses were also raised as important considerations, with attendees realising “that how we speak can make our message more captivating and impactful.” Several people fed back that they found it particularly “useful to understand how tone, pitch and emphasis can make presentations more engaging, as well as the importance of using strategic pauses and highlighting key words to hold the audience’s attention.”
Everyone was given plenty of opportunities during the workshop to practice distilling and presenting their research to others in the room.
The next morning, James Watt (WSP) and Jen Roberts (UKCCSRC ECR Champion, among many other things) led an informal session on Networking. It was so helpful that many ECR/ECPs have requested a longer session in future! Other comments included:
“James shared his thoughts very honestly, which was very valuable. He made us think about finding a suitable moment, place, and time to approach someone, and he shared his bad experiences as well as an example to make this clear.”
“I learned about reading body language before approaching someone and to think about both my own goals and what the other person might need from a conversation. It’s fine to start with non-technical topics when networking, and it’s best not to ask directly for funding or a job. A smarter approach is to ask how your skills and qualifications could fit into their company. I also learned that clear codes of conduct and reporting systems exist during networking events to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and respected.”
“I gained valuable insights into networking, understanding that the way and timing of approaching others are important, and that it’s best to deal with everyone with grace, as someone’s reaction may not always be about me.”
“When networking, I’ll make a conscious effort to read body language and start conversations more naturally.”
Both sessions were immediately put to good use as all the ECR/ECPs stayed on for the CCS Training Course we ran afterwards – they were much more aware of the quality of the presentations and presenters, and utilised their new networking knowledge and skills with the government, regulator and industry employees there!
Hopefully all of them would share the same conclusion one attendee gave that “overall, the sessions helped me improve how I communicate, present, and connect with others professionally.”
At the end of July, we held another successful ECR Awayday, combining a trip to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire with public engagement sessions at the University of Sheffield.
Our ECRs had previously told us that they’d like site visits to be included in our programme, and we were very grateful that Gareth Johnson at Drax so kindly and quickly responded to that request. We spent several hours there being minibused around the whole site, exploring the Boiler House and Turbine Hall, hearing about C-Capture’s research and being immersed in Drax’s future plans in the Igloo. It was fantastic to not only learn about everything that’s going on there but also see it for ourselves – it really brought to life so many of the things that we read about on a daily basis.
“The sight of the furnace and turbine units provided an understanding of the scale of the operation that I’d never had before.” – Sunera Athauda, Cranfield University
“The site visit was very useful, particularly to my research, and it was informative to learn firsthand Drax’s plan for BECCS. Seeing the pilot plant for the BECCS as well as the graphic model for the proposed project was a major highlight.” – Kofoworola Awodun, Brunel University London
“Visiting Drax was an enlightening experience, providing a deep dive into the realities of large-scale power generation and the significant efforts required to shift towards more sustainable practices. The blend of old and new technologies at Drax symbolizes the ongoing energy transition, reflecting both the challenges and the progress being made.” – He Song, Cranfield University
“Engaging with Drax engineers and operators provided valuable insights into the technology’s current capabilities, scalability and potential future developments. Additionally, it offered an excellent opportunity to reflect on my own research, consider potential challenges and prepare to address them effectively for transitioning from lab to pilot scale.” – Fayez Qureshi, Cranfield University
“I work on BECCS technology but to see a real facility was eye-opening. They showed us how they started, what changes have been made and what they are planning to do.” – Aylin Kemal, Cranfield University
We refuelled in the evening at Cosmos, where ECRs were able to chat and share thoughts from the day over an “all you can eat” international buffet. The char sui pork was a particular hit, inspiring Billy Davies from Brunel University London to write an impromptu ode to it:
Pork in my belly
Wined and dined, it’s oh so fine
Love you char sui
On the second day, we focused on public engagement, an important part of CCS’s social licence to operate and its wider understanding, as well as an increasingly mandatory aspect of grant awards.
In the first session, three panel members presented different perspectives on public engagement – Jon Gibbins shared about his pre-COP28 public webinar and LinkedIn; Diarmaid Clery spoke about public perception and social license to operate; and Greg Oldfield gave an insight into public engagement opportunities (e.g. Pint of Science UK, Festival of the Mind and Off The Shelf).
After a quick coffee break, we ran a workshop looking at how to tackle some of the pertinent CCS questions that need to be answered clearly and simply for good public engagement. It can be a challenge for experts to pitch responses at the right level, as they often don’t realise how much they know and how little other people know. We challenged the ECRs to answer as simply as possible, using minimal jargon and everyday analogies where possible – as though they were answering a family member or friend at the dinner table!
“Public engagement is essential for ensuring that CCS technologies are developed in a way that is socially acceptable, aiming to explain to the public what carbon capture and storage is, how it works and its important in tackling climate change.” – Hassan Chamas, Brunel University London
“The sessions boosted my understanding on how to effectively engage with the public.” – Saheed Bello, University of Cambridge
“Talking about informing public, sharing opinions and discussing possible questions that may arise was good practice, helping train us in how we could answer those kind of questions, and how we should tailor our answers based on the audience.” – Shadi Samizadeh, University of Lincoln
“It was very helpful to hear from the outreach team at Sheffield about what sort of things are available to get involved with, and it was interesting to hear different perspectives about the importance of public engagement in CCS.” – Robyn Mottram, University College London
“The public engagement sessions were insightful and emphasised the critical role of communication in CCS projects. The discussions on engaging with regulators, NGOs and the public were particularly relevant, stressing the need for active listening and two-way communication. The sessions underscored the importance of transparency and inclusivity in addressing climate change. The strategies for public engagement, such as using social media platforms and organising festivals, were practical and actionable, promoting broader community involvement in energy transition initiatives.” – Shervan Babamohammadi, University of Wolverhampton
The Awayday ended with the ECRs letting us know what else they’d like to get from the ECR programme in future – watch this space to see how we action those suggestions!
[Photos credit – and huge gratitude – to Sunera Athauda, Cranfield University!]
Mathew D. Wilkes (University of Sheffield) was one of the three winners of the UKCCSRC ECR Visual Communications Competition last year. We spoke to him to find out how his winning image was created and the amazing journey it’s been on since the competition.
Hi Mathew, congratulations on winning our competition! Why did you decide to enter?
The winner’s bursary was an incentive, but I’ve always liked creating illustrations for work that I do. The piece I submitted originally started off within my doctoral thesis, where I was looking at Gas CCS. I initially developed a 2D illustration and then converted that into a 3D illustration. So, I already had a lot of the custom-built elements like power plants and transportation systems and then, for proposals I’ve written, I’ve expanded on it to include CO2 utilisation and storage. When I saw the ECR Visual Communication Competition advertised on LinkedIn, I thought that it was a perfect chance for me to get the illustration out there and hopefully win something.
What’s your background in illustration?
I think it started when I did an A Level in Fine Art. That’s always been a hobby of mine – painting using oil and acrylic based paints, on different mediums, whether that be canvas, wood, clothing, shoes, everything. I use it as a creative outlet outside of academia and research. Research is very mentally straining, so I need time to step away from it, and when I come back, I’ve got much a fresher set of eyes on the issue.
I did quite a few commissioned pieces during lockdown, and that’s also when I started doing illustrations based on my work. It started off with the piece for the thesis, but I also did other images and then animations for presentations. I found the combination of science and illustration really helped with presentations I’ve given at international conferences. I gave a keynote speech when I was on my PhD, at ESCAPE-32 in Toulouse, and that felt very nerve racking, as I thought it was something only senior academics got to do. I used the illustrations to guide the narrative and explain my research, which helped calm my nerves.
Do you find that when you’re doing your research, you’re thinking visually as well? Or do you do the academic work and then kick back with doing something visual, helping you see it a different way?
I’ve always been a visual learner. So, whenever I was revising for exams, I found that if I drew an illustration, for example for chemical engineering, it helped visualise chemical processes. For a lot of the journal articles I do now and the review papers that I write, they will come with illustrations that show clearly what the process is about. I think it’s very important for chemical engineers, and researchers in general, to be able to disseminate their research in bite-sized formats that everyone can understand.
What happened after winning the competition?
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) got in touch through a mutual friend and the UKCCSRC, as they were producing a policy paper on “Carbon capture, usage and storage: a vision to establish a competitive market”. They wanted to use the illustration in that, but I had to liaise with them to make it more accessible. Originally it was bright and vibrant colours, so you could distinguish between the different industrial sectors that CCUS will play a role in, but for those who are visually impaired, we needed to make the illustration accessible. So, I was in communication with their graphics and design department and had meetings about how we could change the illustration, but it still be the image I actually created. They then gave me the credit at the bottom of that policy paper page.
I learnt some interesting things through that, for example there was a website they directed me to showing colour matching for accessibility (WCAG colour contrast checker). It can make illustrations more muted, and it didn’t have quite the same feel as the original illustration, but it has a wider impact.
Mathew’s winning image
Someone in the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) then contacted me as they wanted to include the illustration in a newsletter to be sent out by DBT’s investment minister, Lord Johnson, to potential investors and institutions.
After that, I got a message on LinkedIn from Ronan Ávila, who is the Geological and Economic Assessment Deputy Superintendent at the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP). He wanted to use it in a presentation that he gave as part of a panel looking at CCUS initiatives to reach net zero for Brazil.
Wow. So you’ve gone global!
Yes. There’ve been a few people who have asked just to use the illustration in presentations that they’re giving, but I don’t know what capacity they’ve been used in.
As far as you know, is there anything more in the pipeline for it?
Not for that particular image, but I want to convert it to look at more bioenergy CCS. And I’ll be producing illustrations for the current papers I’m working on.
What software do you use to create your images?
Originally, I was using Adobe Illustrator (note: many universities provide Adobe Creative Cloud licences free for staff/students), but there’s also a free vector-based illustration software called Inkscape which is pretty much identical. Then there’s also PowerPoint. You can add shapes on that and when you click “edit shape”, you can edit the points, so it works as a vector-based design tool too.
Obviously, your illustration skills are much better than most academics’, but what encouragement or tips would you give other researchers regarding visual communications and images?
It’s important to remember that even freelance designers never just come up with original ideas in their head. You need to do some research and look at what other people have done. For example, if you search for “CCS” then a lot of those 3D layered images come up. So, do a bit of research, see what’s already out there, what people have done and then start combining ideas in your head. That’s how you can then visualize what you want to explain to people, what you want to include or you want to exclude.
Then you start building on that. When you’ve developed a nice illustration, you can play around with it, try different colours, removing different aspects, etc. Sometimes illustrations, especially academic ones, are overcrowded with too much information.
So, my recommendation would be to utilize your research skills to look at illustrations that are already out there, piece them together and come up with your own idea.
Thank you, Mathew, and congratulations again on the success of your image both in our competition and the wider impact that it’s had since! We wish you all the best with future illustrations.
And to everyone else, we hope this inspires you to experiment with creating images yourself, to support and even improve the communication of your research. Please get in touch (info@ukccsrc.ac.uk) if you ever want to discuss that.
From May 2022 to May 2023, Ben Petrovic, from Brunel University London, undertook an industrial placement with SSE. We spoke to him and his manager, Katy Burke at SSE, to find out about their experiences.
Katy, what exactly was the placement opportunity that SSE offered?
Katy: We were looking for support for our project, as we were about to embark on a significant engineering study for our Keadby 3 carbon capture equipped power station. We’ve had success with previous placements that have been arranged in this way, where an academic engineer comes in and adds value to a team, been really engaged and technically knowledgeable.
We’ve found it a beneficial arrangement for both sides, for somebody to step out of their academic environment and get that workplace experience and understand, in the real world, how projects work. That gives them a development opportunity. For us, it’s a good way of giving back, as well as strengthening the SSE brand throughout the academic community, and we get someone who’s very capable and makes a valuable contribution to our projects.
Keadby 3 carbon capture power station, SSE plc (click on image for more info – credit: SSE)
Ben, why did you apply for the placement?
Ben: Jacky, the previous participant in the scheme, gave the UKCCSRC early career researchers (ECRs) a short presentation online before the UKCCSRC advertised the placement opportunity. Then I read about it in an UKCCSRC bulletin.
I applied as I think there was a bit of a hole in my CV in terms of industrial experience. I’ve been constrained in academia or an echo chamber type of thing, and really wanted to get a taste for what the other side of the fence was like. Doing a secondment is an easier sidestep to try that because it’s not permanent. I thought it would give me a bit of a first-hand experience in applying research and a different perspective, and it did!
Did you get other things out of it, that you weren’t necessarily expecting?
Ben enjoying his SSE-issued headset
Ben: Just the exposure to the other side of the fence is so awakening. Things perhaps I didn’t anticipate were the diversity of the engineering disciplines involved, having the opportunity to communicate with them and see how they would approach carbon capture.
The scale of the projects was unexpected as well. With research, we just sort of focus on part of it. Seeing how big these projects are, and how big the wider infrastructure required to facilitate them is, that was something I don’t think you can really digest until you’re within it. It’s a completely different scale order of magnitude.
Katy, how does having a placement student benefit SSE?
Katy: I think there are a couple of key things. We’re getting somebody who’s technically minded and very capable, so we’re able to get them up to speed quickly and then leverage their skills. We’re not starting from scratch. You’ve got someone who’s self-motivated and organised, because doing a PhD definitely requires those skills.
It also helps us identify people who we’d like to come into the company at a later date, perhaps when they finish their studies. It’s a really good pipeline for us to bring talent into the business.
Ben, how did this placement impact your research when you went back into that?
Ben: More indirectly than perhaps directly, I think. Having been exposed to the sort of questions that each party were asking, makes it a lot easier to inform your research in terms of what conclusions you’re trying to draw. You’re more likely to ask, “what’s important?”. I’m working in a more abstract novel side of capture but a lot of the questions you would ask with a more traditional sense of capture are real world problems, not just potential issues that someone has anticipated and published a paper about. So, things to be more mindful of, directing the research a bit more.
Katy: Do you think academia can be a bit siloed? So, it takes you out of that and means you ask, “how’s this going to work in the real world?”. There’s a lot of commercial and technical risk questions, so it gives you that insight?
Ben: Yes, I think academia tends to be a few TR levels before where a company like SSE would want to adopt something, because bridging that gap can be quite difficult. It’s changed my attitude, or way of approaching a task, with a commercial mindset rather than just looking at interesting science.
And how has the placement impacted your future career plans?
Ben: It’s confirmed that academia is not something I want to be doing at the early career stages. Although it was challenging to adjust to the pace of the placement, I think it suits me a lot better, I enjoy it being fast paced. I think it’s also made me far more employable, as I’ve demonstrated that I can fit within an industrial environment, not just an academic one.
Katy, what was the best bit about having Ben doing your placement?
Katy: I think Ben slotted really well into our team, and into our wider team with SSE. I think he also did well at engaging across disciplines, as we’ve got a broad engineering function. He was able to just get on with it and build relationships with people in our organization. I think that that was one of the big highlights for me.
And he just had a willingness to take on more and more responsibility. The placement was originally scheduled for six months, but because we could see it was going well, we asked him to stay for another six months with the agreement of his supervisor, as we felt he had a lot more to offer. So, we were able to give him more responsibility and more complex tasks and get him involved in a broader range of things. His ability to rise to a challenge and then take on more responsibility was really good. That’s why we’re keen to get him back!
Ben, what was the best bit about the placement for you?
Ben: Oh, the same really. Also, just being welcomed into the SSE family was fun. I enjoyed being part of Katy’s team and it was quite refreshing to have some Northern accents in my life.
And as Katy was saying, my work was definitely recognized and nice to have that recognition when things go well, with the opportunity to demonstrate more.
Katy: You did get involved in a really great range of activities – sitting in on some of the major hazard studies, liaison with contractors, modelling, flood protection, interface management, etc.
Ben: There was a lot of support, it was very much a team effort. I think it’s quite easy at the late stage of a PhD to isolate yourself, so it was refreshing to see that the engineering community is one of collaboration. It definitely reinvigorated my passion for engineering!
Thank you so much for your time. It sounds like a fantastic placement for both parties, and we wish you every success in the future!
Molly James, Laurent Chan and Millicent Sutton (all doing the MSc Environmental Change and Management at the University of Oxford) attended our Spring 2023 Conference in Cardiff. Molly and Laurent came in person, and Millicent online. Jen Roberts (UKCCSRC Deputy Director and Early Career Researcher lead) was curious to hear what attracted them to the conference, how they found the experience and how best to support future students to come and be part of the UKCCSRC community.
How did you find out about the conference and why did you come along?
Molly: All three of us found out through our dissertation supervisor, Dr Emily Cox, who works on public perceptions of carbon capture and storage. The topic of the conference – geographically dispersed areas – was particularly relevant to my dissertation idea, so it was a great experience to get familiarised with the CCS landscape.
Laurent: I wanted to learn more about the current state of CCS in the UK. The conference was an excellent opportunity for me to hear the most up-to-date research on CCS and to network with industry professionals.
What did you find particularly valuable or surprising about coming along to the conference?
Molly: I was surprised about the amount happening in academia and industry, in particular how advanced and complex the landscape is already. It was enlightening to meet people working on different aspects and everyone was really welcoming and friendly. The emphasis seemed to be around government policy comparative to UK, Europe, US and China. I learnt a lot about different stakeholders and the growth of this industry. As our MSc projects are on onshore storage, we were (somewhat naively) surprised about the complete absence of onshore storage in the UK, and the talk of extensive pipelines, trucks and rail for dispersed areas, but it was great for our project to be contextualised in the broader landscape.
Laurent: Attending this conference felt like great timing as the UK government had recently made significant progress in deploying CCS. Stepping out of academia and seeing things being put from theory into practice was incredibly insightful.
Millicent: I agree. Also, I was very surprised by how much traction has been gained by the UK CCS industry. Before the conference, I was under the impression that it was a more latent/nascent industry. I was shocked that there was no more detailed consideration of justice concerns, research into how these CCS plants will affect communities and alter economic landscapes in specific locations i.e. the jobs market.
Were there particular aspects to the conference that enabled you to come along?
Molly: The conference was outside of the teaching semester and so we had more time to attend. It was also free to attend and that was a great incentive for us because, as Masters students, there is less funding available. I decided to attend in person because I’m from Cardiff so that was great serendipity.
Millicent: I agree. The conference taking place outside of term time allowed me to attend and there being no registration fee was a great incentive due to funding constraints. Conferences that are free are more accessible to earlier career attendees.
Was it your first conference? How was the experience for you?
Molly: For me and Laurent, it was our first scientific conference – Millicent had been to a conference before. I was apprehensive when I arrived about being new to the field but it was good: there was a lovely social space, good questions asked and everyone was friendly.
Laurent: I found it enlightening to meet the diverse range of experts from various backgrounds in the CCS field. Overall, I felt that the conference struck a good balance between presentations on CCS policy, planned projects in industry and new findings from academia. Having the social space and catering after each presentation gave us breathing room and the chance to network and meet other people.
What would you advise other students thinking about going along to conferences?
Molly: I found it an incredibly valuable experience at the beginning of my research journey to get familiarised with the landscape, industry and different areas of research. I’m looking forward to attending the next one when further into my Masters dissertation, in order to network and discuss with people researching in different areas or working in policy.
Laurent: This conference was especially helpful for me in trying to refine the research pathway for my Masters dissertation. Attending this conference has not only furthered my understanding on recent developments in research and industry, but it has also allowed me to discuss opinions and research interests with experts in the CCS field. As someone who has not attended a scientific conference before, I would advise other students who are considering going to conferences to have some form of name card to give to other attendees during networking sessions, especially one that has a QR code to save on printing. I had a great time at the conference and it offered so much more than reading published papers. I would definitely attend subsequent UKCCSRC conferences in the future.
Millicent: I have so many more questions after attending the conference, which, I think, is a good starting point for my Masters dissertation project! One thing I thought about afterwards is how we don’t really get taught how to do academic networking. At undergraduate level, you are taught material and ways of thinking more than you are taught to network and make contacts that can enable further research.
Last week, the first ECR Net Zero Conference took place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, with over 200 in-person and 75 virtual attendees.
It was a fantastic opportunity to gather early career researchers together from across the net zero community, giving them the opportunity to network and learn more about different but related disciplines.
It was also an incredible organisational collaboration between nine centres – C-DICE, CO2RE, CREDS, ERA, EnergyREV, IDRIC, TFI Network+, UKERC and ourselves.
Every session was a highlight, but most noteworthy were our two amazing keynote speakers. Mercedes Maroto-Valer, IDRIC Director, opened the conference by sharing her insights and experiences into “Net Zero: Past, Present and Future”, and Matt Winning, Senior Research Fellow at UCL and climate change comedian, closed the conference by giving career and communication tips, as well as showing us how to make jokes about climate change (!).
Full programme details can be found on the Conference page, and recordings and slides will be available soon (where we have permission to share).
Our ECR Meeting Fund helped support the attendance of many of our ECRs and here they are to share their experiences of the event…
Catrin Harris, Imperial College London
The ECR net zero conference was a great opportunity to meet researchers from a range of different research councils. I helped to organise and run one of the parallel sessions focused on “The social and environmental challenges of net zero”. The session involved ECR panellists giving their viewpoint on the main challenges, before breaking out into small group discussions. I learnt a lot from chairing this session, and it provided me with many interesting discussion points on the wider challenges of net zero.
Siqi Wang, Cranfield University
I found the “ECR Career Pathways and Knowledge Exchange” session very useful, in particular the workshop on developing elevator pitches. I had the opportunity to think about how I should present my PhD project according to the audience I am facing, and was able to practise it with fellow ECRs and receive feedback. It was also very interesting to hear about other people’s research and exchange my thoughts with them.
Jacqueline Penn, Newcastle University
The best and most surprising part of the Conference for me was the closing keynote speech from climate comedian, Dr Matt Winning. It was great to hear about his career journey and how he uses comedy to share important messages about climate change. His informative and entertaining speech was a great way to end the conference.
Oludayo Asuni, University of Sheffield
The ECR Net Zero Conference was the first academic conference I’ve attended as a Ph.D. student and it was an enlightening experience as I got to network with other ECRs and gain a new perspective on skills needed to address the Net Zero challenge. The Industrial Decarbonisation Panel was a personal favorite because I was able to discuss the key obstacles we are facing to foster effective stakeholder engagement and their potential solutions. After the completion of the conference, I was left with a deep impression of the importance of my work and the potential for significant impact if stakeholders were effectively engaged.
Doug Smith, BGS
We covered a lot of ground in the two-day conference, from reflections on COP27, industry engagement, implementing a just transition and obstacles to achieving Net Zero. It was great (and important) to hear how my research fits into the bigger picture and get a flavour of the many other projects that are underway. However, my highlight was meeting so many driven scientists at the outset of their careers who were keen to make a difference. It was also wonderful to meet some of the people that make the events like the ECR Net Zero conference and ongoing forums happen, as these connections enable (and sometimes force) us to come out of our own research bubbles.
Samuel Macpherson, University of Southampton
As researchers we often tend to focus in on our own area of research, but the ECR Net Zero Conference broadened my horizons hugely especially with regards to considering the effects of net zero technologies on society as a whole. The conference introduced me to “Just Transition”, the idea by which the transition to net zero must not negatively impact local communities and workers’ rights. This is something I will now take to heart going forward and will introduce to others, as well as incorporate the idea where I can in my future work.
Imran Ahmed, Newcastle University
For me, the best part of the ECR Net Zero Conference was discovering the increasing engagement from industry. This is exciting as it highlights the opportunities the push to Net Zero is generating for industry at all scales, from start-ups to larger companies.
Idris Bukar, Imperial College London
I’ve always wondered about how to get society more actively on board the journey to net zero; how to get the people to act beyond granting the social licence to deploy net zero technologies, and so I put that question to climate comedian and author Matthew Winning after he gave the closing keynote of the conference. The response I got was quite enlightening, which was that it is ultimately up to the people to decide to act, but that if I played my part and communicated my science clearly and passionately, it would make overcoming that inertia a whole lot easier.
The UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Community (UKCCSRC) is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Energy Programme.
The mission of the UKCCSRC is to ensure that carbon capture and storage (CCS) plays an effective role in helping the UK achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Location
D03 Ella Armitage Building
University of Sheffield
40 Leavygreave Road
Sheffield
S3 7RD
UK
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