New Centre for Doctoral Training launches: Energy Resilience and the Built Environment (ERBE)

On Thursday 28 March 2019, the UCL Energy Institute welcomed academics, industry partners and government officials from the UK and the Republic of Ireland for the launch of a new joint Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT): the EPSRC Centre in Energy Resilience and the Built Environment – ERBE. The collaboration also includes our fellow departments at The Bartlett: the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources and the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering.

What is ERBE?

The EPSRC Centre in Energy Resilience and the Built Environment (ERBE) has been created to train students in the research and workplace skills needed to take leading roles in the transformation of UK and Irish energy systems. ERBE will take systemic, radical and interdisciplinary challenges, equipping its graduates with the leadership skills to effect change.

ERBE will provide a unique training experience, producing graduates who understand the whole energy system before specialising in one aspect of it.

Speaking of the partnership with Ireland’s Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI), Jenny Crawley, UCL Academic Manager for ERBE, said:

The collaboration with Ireland is going to be exciting. We have been working to develop collaborations and understand each other’s research strengths. We also share similar national contexts. One of MaREI’s aims is to empower industry to enable sustainable economic development in Ireland, while UCL and LU are responding to the challenges set out in the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy.

ERBE addresses a national priority research area focusing on the interactions between energy supply systems and buildings – and the need to create healthy and productive home and work environments. 

Students at ERBE will attain a depth of understanding only possible when cohorts work and learn together. An integrated, four-year programme will provide the knowledge, research and transferable skills to enable outstanding graduates in areas from physics to social sciences to pursue research in one of three themes:

1. Flexibility and resilience:
   The interaction between buildings and the whole supply system, through new generation and storage technology, enabled by smart control systems and new business models. 
2. Comfort, health and wellbeing:
   Buildings and energy systems that create productive work environments and affordable, clean, safe homes.
3. Technology and system performance:
   Demand reduction and decarbonisation of the built environment through design, construction methods, technological innovation, monitoring and regulation.

Working with industry partners

The prominent role of industry in co-creating projects will keep the ERBE CDT aligned to the current national research priorities.

To take advantage of this unique opportunity to co-develop research projects of technical and commercial significance with talented and enthusiastic students, please get in touch with one of the ERBE team:

Elinor Kruse (UCL), Partnerships Manager for the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources
elinor.kruse@ucl.ac.uk
Tel. 020 3108 9044

Professor Bob Lowe (UCL), ERBE Centre Director
robert.lowe@ucl.ac.uk

Professor Kevin Lomas, ERBE Centre Co-Director, Loughborough University
K.J.Lomas@lboro.ac.uk

Dr Cliff Elwell (UCL), ERBE Centre Deputy Director
clifford.elwell@ucl.ac.uk