Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer (FRSE, FIChemE, FRSC, FRSA, FEI) is Champion and Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) that forms part of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge focused on accelerating the transition to net zero of industrial clusters and establishing the first world net-zero industrial cluster.
Prof Maroto-Valer is Deputy Principal (Global Sustainability) at Heriot-Watt University, leading the sustainability agenda, making a significant impact on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and working with partners to achieve global carbon reduction targets through the development of university wide initiatives (UK, Dubai and Malaysia). She is director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University, where she holds the Robert Buchan Chair in Sustainable Energy Engineering. RCCS is a world leading multidisciplinary centre delivering innovation for the wider deployment of low-carbon energy systems required for meeting net-zero targets. Her internationally recognised track record covers energy systems, CCUS, integration of hydrogen technologies and low carbon fuels.
She has held academic appointments at the University of Kentucky (1997-1998), Pennsylvania State University (1998-2004) and University of Nottingham (2005-2012). She joined Heriot-Watt University in 2012 as the first Robert Buchan Chair in Sustainable Engineering and has been Director of the cross-university Energy Academy and Head of the Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering and Assistant Deputy Principal (Research and Innovation).
She has over 550 publications and has received numerous international prizes and awards, including 2021 ACES-Margarita Salas Prize, 2021 Disruptors+Innovators Best Research Project Prize, 2019 Scottish Women Award-Services to Science and Technology, 2019 Honorary Doctorate TU Delft, 2018 SRUK/CERU Merit Award, 2013 Hong-Kong University Mong Distinguished Fellowship, 2011 RSC ESED Early Career Award, 2009 Philip Leverhulme Prize, 2005 US Dep. of Energy Award for Innovative Development, 1997 Ritchie Prize, 1996 Glenn Award-Fuel Chemistry American Chem. Soc., 1993 ICI Chemical & Polymers Group Andersonian Centenary Prize. Her portfolio includes a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Award.
Prof Maroto-Valer holds leading positions in professional societies/editorial boards, including her role in the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.
Title: Delivering Solutions at Pace and Scale for Industrial Decarbonisation
Abstract: Net Zero has been highlighted as the growth opportunity of the 21st century. The 2020’s decade is indeed critical for laying the policy and infrastructure foundations for decarbonisation, whilst ensuring a range of options is available to industry by 2030. In this context, the UK’s Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy have set out a framework to achieve decarbonisation targets and capitalising on clean growth opportunities. The UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), which sits under the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC), plays a key role in delivering solutions for industrial decarbonisation, which require deep and meaningful dialogue between industry, academia and policy perspectives in order to co-create the development and deployment of solutions.
IDRIC is taking a whole-systems approach to address the key cross-cutting research challenges and opportunities of industrial decarbonisation. Collaborating with research organisations, industry, government, policymakers, NGOs, trade organisations and the public, IDRIC is co-creating whole-system solutions at pace and scale that are accelerating the green futures of our industries and supporting the development of four low-carbon clusters by 2030 and the first world net-zero cluster by 2040.
