Welcome
Oxford University is rising to one of the greatest challenges facing society in the 21st century: the provision of a clean, safe, secure and sustainable energy supply for the world's population - sufficient for all to enjoy a reasonable standard of living.
We face key challenges in terms of demand reduction and improved energy efficiency. Viable alternative energy sources must be developed in order to ensure a secure and sustainable energy mix. Alongside this, innovative solutions are needed to support enhanced extraction and recovery of remaining fossil fuel reserves, and to enable their clean use. Technological advances must be accompanied by changes in policy and behaviour.
The energy problem is complex and multi-faceted and can only be solved in a multidisciplinary way. Oxford has expertise in relevant fields ranging widely across science, engineering, mathematics and the social sciences. Our collegiate structure, by its very nature, facilitates interaction between researchers of different disciplines.
Oxford has major clusters of interdisciplinary activity focussing on transport, on solar energy and on hydrogen. Within the physical sciences, we have particular strengths in materials for clean energy applications and in catalysis - both of which inform our work across a range of topic areas.
We are also equipping Oxford undergraduates of all disciplines, many of whom go on to become decision makers and people of influence worldwide after they graduate, in the fundamentals of energy science and economics.
FUTURE ENERGY brings together researchers from all disciplines: biologists, chemists, economists, engineers, materials scientists, mathematicians, physicists and policy experts. Although an immense and daunting challenge, the energy problem brings important opportunities. Please join us or support us in our endeavours if you can.
