Michael Short appointed as new Supergen Bioenergy Hub Director for Diffusion

We are delighted to announce that Michael Short from the University of Surrey has been appointed as our new Director for Diffusion. Michael will be responsible for co-ordinating our six cross-cutting projects, supporting project leads to extract the underpinning knowledge that will unlock bioenergy implementation bottlenecks and enable progress across the sector.

Michael will use his innovation experience to identify common knowledge and support researchers in diffusing accumulated knowledge efficiently and effectively to key commercial organisations. To do this, he will work closely with our industry forum and professional forum, particularly in relation to markets and standards.

Michael joins Jason Hallett from Imperial College London and Patricia Thornley from Aston University as Co-Director for the Hub. Together, the three directors will lead the Hub’s strategic approach, focusing on the areas of incubating new research concepts (Hallett), diffusing research knowledge (Short) and fostering an enabling environment for sustainable bioenergy deployment (Thornley).

Micheal says of his appointment: “I am delighted to be entrusted with this role and look forward to working closely with all of our research projects and partners to accelerate the impact from our collective work. The Hub has a long track record of excellent research and impactful engagement with industry and policy, and I feel honoured to have the opportunity to build on this as Director for Diffusion with a goal to enable stronger collaboration, communication and innovation that serves a sustainable and thriving UK bioenergy industry.”