Organised by the Centre for Energy Transition and the University Entrepreneur in Residence Ian Phillips, the workshops seek to identify new areas of research in three Energy Transition areas:
- Research opportunities assuming the continued use of Hydrocarbons to supply energy across the world
- Research opportunities assuming that the human race completely replaces hydrocarbons to supply our energy
- Research opportunities helping society to just use less energy
Demand for energy continues to grow by 1.5-2.0% as the population of our planet increase. There are now over 8 billion people on earth – with projections between 9 and 11 billion by 2050. Today around 85% of the world’s energy is supplied by hydrocarbons. Although renewables are expanding rapidly, they are largely meeting the annual increase in energy demand rather than reducing our use of hydrocarbons.
The aim of these workshops is to identify research capability within the University that can map to the demands of industry and of government to the funding available in the UK and Europe, leading to new interdisciplinary research projects that attract new funding to the University.
Workshop 1 – Continued use of hydrocarbons (4 hours)
Monday 12 January 2026, 9am – 1pm
Meeting Room 1 (7th Floor), Sir Duncan Rice Library
Given the current dominance of oil gas and coal in our energy system, this workshop will seek opportunities for research that can support the decarbonisation of these well-established energy sources.
The main requirement is for the CO2 that is produced when these fuel sources are used does not end up in the atmosphere. Obvious areas for consideration include improved carbon capture technologies; improved understanding of the transport of CO2; better understanding of the underground storage of CO2; and alternative ways of using or storing CO2.
Areas of focus will include subsurface and surface technical issues; the legal and regulatory aspects of such projects; costs; the commercial and economic impact; societal acceptance and other aspects of such a major change in how we meet our energy demands.
Each workshop will consist of a blend of
- Information on aspects of the Energy Transition being presented to frame discussions
- Information on current and forthcoming grants and other funding opportunities in the Energy Transition space.
- Round table brainstorming and development of ideas that could evolve into fundable research programmes
- Initiating of groups interested in pursuing specific research objectives (and funding)
Each workshop will be led by Ian Phillips - the Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Aberdeen. He has an industrial career spanning 25 years in oil and gas, and a further 15 years in energy transition – most recently as the Project Director for the Acorn carbon capture and storage and blue hydrogen project. He will be supported by others invited to share their expertise and perspectives to ensure a productive workshop.
Please see the workshop flyer here: January_2026_-_Energy_Transition_Research_Workshops.pdf
How to sign up:
Please e-mail interdisciplinary@abdn.ac.uk stating
- Your name; school; areas of research interest
- Which workshops you wish to attend
- Venue
- Meeting Room 1 (7th Floor), The Sir Duncan Rice Library
- Contact
-
Please direct any queries to: interdisciplianry@abdn.ac.uk