19.12.07
Cornwall claims first female energy policy professor

Cornwall has the UK's first female professor of energy policy. Renowned in politics and academia as a leading expert on energy policy, Professor Catherine Mitchell has joined the University of Exeter's Geography department on the Tremough Campus, Penryn.

As Professor of Energy Policy, Catherine Mitchell will carry out high-profile research on the UK Government's energy policies, build a new research group and establish the first Energy Policy Masters degree on the Tremough Campus.

Previously at Warwick Business School, Professor Mitchell has also worked at the Universities of Sussex and California. She was formerly a member of the UK Government's Energy Advisory Panel, international adviser to the New Zealand Government Energy Review and worked in the UK Cabinet Office on the Energy Review. She is currently responsible for policy and regulation within the infrastructure and supply theme of the UK Energy Research Centre and frequently advises national and international NGOs and other institutions on energy-related issues. She makes regular media appearances and is well-known as an, often outspoken, ambassador for a sustainable energy system. This week, her latest book, The Political Economy of Sustainable Energy, is published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Professor Catherine Mitchell says: "95% of climate change emissions derive from energy use. As a result, developing energy policies which meet the challenges of climate change is very important. Teaching and researching at the new Tremough Campus, alongside other academics interested in sustainability issues, is therefore very exciting and energising. As Tremough develops, I am certain that it will become an international centre of excellence for environmental research."

The University of Exeter has also recruited Dr Bridget Woodman, who previously worked with Professor Mitchell at Warwick Business School. As well as researching energy policy, Dr Woodman will teach undergraduate Geography students on the Tremough Campus.

Professor Matthew Evans, Provost of the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus, said: "We are very excited to be bringing to the Tremough Campus the leading energy policy professor who argues for a sustainable energy future. Cornwall is leading the way in renewable energy and the University is proud to be part of that; our renewable energy degree was the first of its kind in the UK, we are working with the University of Plymouth on the research institute to support the South West Wave Hub and are trialling the UK's first fishing boat to run on biofuel. By establishing an energy policy group, we will add a political dimension to our renewable energy research and teaching."

The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.

For further information please contact Sarah Hoyle, Press Officer, University of Exeter, on 01392 262062/07989 446920 or email s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). University of Exeter is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
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