51³Ô¹ÏÍø

On 17 November Energy Futures Lab celebrated its 10th Anniversary with an exhibition and lecture on energy research at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.

Ten years ago Energy Futures Lab was established at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø to bring researchers together to tackle global energy challenges. On 17 November 2015 the institute celebrated its 10^th Anniversary with an event to showcase 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s strengths and  diversity  in energy research.

Back in 2005 energy was, as it still is, a major societal issue. It was against this backdrop that 51³Ô¹ÏÍø created Energy Futures Lab to foster multidisciplinary, cross-faculty collaborations in the energy sphere. “There was broad agreement across campus that we couldn’t fix these problems by staying in our departmental silos,” says Professor Tim Green, Director of Energy Futures Lab, “A proposal was presented to the College to create an institute to help drive energy research across discipline boundaries.”

In November 2005 Professor Nigel Brandon took the helm at what became the first of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Global Institutes, established to promote inter-disciplinary collaboration to address some of the greatest challenges faced by society. Energy Futures Lab started with a small team of three , but this did not temper their ambition and in 2007 the first cohort of the  enrolled at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. That first intake of 23 students on this multidisciplinary programme has now grown to 50 students per year, and from 2014/15 the course is fully accredited by the Energy Institute.

The growth and success of the MSc mirrors that of Energy Futures Lab itself. Over the last ten years the institute has developed many initiatives involving industry partners, such as the , the and the (with BG Group). Alongside these grand challenge projects Energy Futures Lab has been active in building a community at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø around , in addition to running networks for doctoral students and early career researchers.

All of this work, and the work of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's energy researchers was the order of the day at Tuesday’s celebration. The whole community gathered to look back over the last ten years, to reflect on achievements and to lay out plans for the future. From the large exhibition in the Great Hall featuring research from areas as diverse as Marine Renewable Energy and Fuel Cells, to Clean Fossil Fuels and Photovoltaics, it was clear that 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is home to a large, diverse, and very successful energy research community.

The exhibition bookended a packed out lecture on the Past, Present and Future for Energy Futures Lab and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College. Compered by Professor Tim Green the talk featured leading lights from around the College sharing insights into energy research projects past, present, and future. The speakers included , , and .

The lecture was followed by  birthday cake in the Great Hall, and for the rest of the evening attendees networked and socialised among the exhibition stands, strengthening the sense of community and optimism for the future.

You can follow how the evening went through the various social media posts in the .