How is the energy transition going?

Join us for an evening of discussion exploring the future of energy, climate policy, public power, and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Two leading researchers from the University of Oxford will offer fresh perspectives on some of the most pressing economic and environmental challenges of our time.

Jan Rosenow is the Leader of the Energy Programme and Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the Environmental Change Institute, and Jackson Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford. He is also a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge and Affiliate Faculty at the University of Sussex. His research focuses on energy demand, energy efficiency, electrification, renewable energy, and broader energy and climate policy, with a strong emphasis on the practical implementation of decarbonisation strategies. He has published widely cited academic papers, technical reports, and policy analyses, contributing to key discussions on the energy transition. Jan has been recognised by Stanford University's database of the top 2% most cited scientists worldwide.

Dr Donal Brown is a senior researcher in energy policy and political economy specialising in the governance and financing of the low-carbon transition. His work focuses on electricity market reform, energy demand reduction, and the delivery of large-scale housing retrofit programmes. He joins the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford following roles at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, where he worked on the political economy of net zero and the institutional challenges of decarbonising the UK energy system. 

Donal’s research examines how the structure of energy markets, ownership models, and financial institutions shape the speed, cost and legitimacy of the energy transition. His work spans electricity market design, the financing of renewable energy infrastructure, and the institutional frameworks required to deliver large-scale retrofit of existing housing. Much of his recent work explores how alternative market and governance arrangements could reduce the cost of decarbonisation while improving energy security and public legitimacy.