Michael, Short

About

Dr Michael Short is Associate Professor of Process Systems Engineering at the University of Surrey in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Sustainability Fellow in the Surrey Institute for Sustainability. His research expertise are in the development mathematical optimisation tools to create software for process systems for automated optimal sustainable, process design, renewable energy systems, policymaking, process integration, data analysis, and process control. His research team works on applying mathematical modelling and optimisation techniques to develop software for decision support in a wide range of fields including energy planning, bioenergy, renewable energy, water, heat integration, reactor design, real-time optimisation of industrial processes, and pharmaceuticals. Dr Short’s group collaborates with many academic, government and industrial partners to create impact from his research while making fundamental contributions in algorithms for mathematical optimisation and surrogate modelling. His work has been funded by EPSRC, BBSRC, Innovate UK, FCDO, British Council, CAPES (Brazil), NRF (South Africa), and industry. Dr Short is Principal Investigator for the £1.7 million EPSRC-funded project ‘Artificial Intelligence Enabling Future Optimal Flexible Biogas Production for Net-Zero’ (EP/Y005600/1) under the scheme Artificial Intelligence Enabling the UK’s Net-Zero Targets. He leads the consortium involving Universities of Surrey, Southampton, Manchester, and Nottingham to create digital solutions for anaerobic digestion using artificial intelligence, site-wide optimisation, experimental programmes, life cycle assessment, and microbial community characterisation. Dr Short is also a Co-I in the £5 million Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub, led by Prof Thornley at Aston University. He is digitalisation lead and develops new technologies for bioenergy process optimisation and digitalisation. In 2021, Dr Short was awarded 2 British Council research grants (combined £75k) to work on a trilateral research project with Malaysian and Japanese industrial and government partners to develop open-source software for long-term decarbonisation planning in Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries in anticipation of COP26. The project developed the open-source energy planning software, DECO2. Since, the software has been expanded to include emissions trading systems and has been funded by the FCDO’s RIDA scheme (£60k) to study Malaysian and Philippines energy systems with DECO2. Dr Short also works with Dr Melis Duyar on the EPSRC-funded Adventurous Energy Grant (£250k) to help develop catalytic technologies for specialty chemicals from direct air capture of carbon dioxide.

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