Mehrnoosh is a Research Associate, working on the Climate Compatible Growth  (CCG) programme. She is working on measures of critical minerals supply chain resilience, aiming to mitigate these minerals’ supply risks. Mehrnoosh has earned her Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran polytechnics), Iran. During her doctoral dissertation, she researched the environmental, economic, and social impacts of deep and large-scale open-pit mines, with a focus on copper mines.

Ella is a third year PhD student, inspecting global energy conversion chains and analysing energy storage, energy transportation, and what this means for energy security. She first studied for a BSc in Astrophysics and Geophysics at University College London before moving into engineering, completing the Energy Technologies MPhil at Cambridge University in 2021. For her master’s thesis she researched energy conversion pathways and their efficiencies through the global energy system, abstracting away from technical devices to the fundamental conversions between energy forms. Ella then worked in the Resource Efficiency Collective as a research assistant on the C-THRU project, operationalising the petrochemical industry’s Geographical Archetype Model.

I was born near the lush, mountainous jungles of El Ávila, where the beauty of nature first sparked my love for the planet and a commitment to its preservation. Later, spending my teenage years hiking the mountainsides of Damavand only deepened this connection to the Earth and heightened my desire to protect it. This passion led me to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tehran, where I focused on sustainability and energy transitions to address the challenges of climate change. Eager to expand my knowledge, I went on to earn a Master’s in Energy Science and Technology from ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). There, I explored innovative approaches to a more sustainable energy future. Currently, I’m pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge, with research spanning policy analysis to cutting-edge technologies aimed at supporting a resilient, low-carbon world. Beyond my academic pursuits, I have a deep appreciation for quantum physics and philosophy. I enjoy hiking, yacht riding, playing music, and exploring urban landscapes, often wandering through cities to discover new cafes and cultural experiences.

Benjamin graduated with a first-class MEng from the University of Cambridge in 2025, with a dissertation focusing on quantifying risks to the UK’s critical material supply. Currently, he works as a software engineer for the CCG project, where he is exploring data enhancement via machine learning

Chris is a first year PhD with a multidisciplinary background. Her research focuses on mitigating the environmental impact of single-use plastics in diabetes care technology and supplies. As a person with diabetes herself, Chris is passionate about advocating for patients and previously worked to add rapid-acting insulin analogues to the WHO Essential Medicines List with T1International. From Humanities to STEM, Chris completed her Master’s degree in International Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and earned a BA in English and Political Science at Northwest University.

Enar is a PhD student investigating the fundamental economic and geographic ground rules necessary for circular economy to be both economically functional and more sustainable than the linear alternative. He holds a Master of Environmental Science from Yale University, where he specialised in industrial ecology and industrial symbiosis. His honours master’s thesis developed methods to understand the fluctuations in quantity and quality of waste that make it difficult to keep using that waste as a resource in a circular system. Prior to Yale, Enar completed his BA in Economics at the University of Chicago. He has taught at both Yale and Chicago. He continues research with Yale on new pathways for industrial symbiosis and with the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering on behavioural topics such as the influence of climate concern on carbon footprint and whether a high carbon “budget” contributes to life satisfaction. Enar has received multiple awards and scholarships from various universities, institutes, foundations, and conferences and his PhD is funded by the Cambridge King’s College International Scholarship.

Laura joined Resource Efficiency Collective in August 2023 as Centre Coordinator. She previously studied Modern Languages at Cambridge University, specialising in German and Spanish. Laura is particularly interested in fostering good relationships and a collaborative dynamic within the group. She enjoys communicating research and activities within the group to a wider audience.

Do you have the feeling that everything is connected somehow? Well, so does Luke. Luke’s research focusses on the availability on the risks to supply and the environmental impacts of materials in complex industrial supply chains. He is currently working as a post-doctoral research associate on the Climate Compatible Growth project. For his PhD, as part of the AI for Environmental Risks CDT, Luke developed a framework based on graph representation learning to map supply chain specific greenhouse gas emissions. Luke has a Master’s degree in Geophysics from the University of Leeds, after which he spent two years working as a contractor in the mining and energy industries in Australia. He then returned to the UK as a software developer and has an MRes in using machine learning to accelerate damage assessments following natural disasters.

Fanran is a Research Associate working on the critical review and data modelling and uncertainty across petrochemical sectors as part of the C-THRU project. Previously, he was a research fellow in Sustainable Material and Technologies at the University of Nottingham. He received his PhD degree in Materials Engineering and Materials Design from the University of Nottingham in 2017. His research focuses on resource efficiency and life cycle sustainability which integrates engineering and science-based disciplines with insights from economic sciences to develop system optimisation and policy relevant strategies.

Michal is a Research Associate in Material Efficiency in Construction at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. His background is civil engineering and he holds a M.Sc. Eng. with PhD in concrete technology pending from Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland. During his PhD, he worked on the technological factors which determine the self-compacting concrete formwork pressure. Prior to his current position, Michal worked as a Site Engineer and Concrete and Production Technologist at Precast Concrete Manufacture.

Jennifer is researching a resource efficient means of obtaining sustainable water supply for California’s Central Coast. She has a BS in Environmental Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from Cambridge University. Jennifer is a registered professional civil engineer (PE) in the state of California. She worked for the California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for 7 years as Storm Water Program Manager.

Matteo graduated with a 1st class honours in mechanical engineering (BAI) from Trinity College Dublin and subsequently completed an MPhil in Energy Technologies in Cambridge in 2016. Matteo’s PhD research focuses on energy efficiency in the rapidly evolving transportation sector and aims to assess how much engineering efficiency improvements in vehicles lead to real energy savings. Matteo is funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC).

Peter graduated with a first class honours degree in Civil Engineering (MEng) from the University of Bristol, having spent a year studying abroad at the University of California at Davis. He then went to work in industry as an engineering consultant for two years, before pursuing post-graduate study. Peter completed an MPhil degree in Engineering for Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge, exploring uncertainty in levelised cost estimates for electricity generation technologies in the UK, and was published as an article in the journal Energy Policy.

Harry graduated from University College London with a 1st class honours MEng in Chemical Engineering with a dissertation on modelling the use of CO2 in enhanced oil recovery. He completed an MPhil in Energy Technologies at the University of Cambridge with a masters thesis on resource efficiency in ammonia production. He is continuing this research as a PhD student looking at methodologies of identifying resource savings in the chemical industry. Find him on Twitter.

Leonardo graduated as a mechanical engineer from Imperial College London in 2014. During his undergraduate studies he conducted research on sustainability related topics such as sustainable transport policy and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a hybrid concentrated solar power plant. After his graduation he worked as a Trainee for the European Commission in the Directorate General for Research and Innovation. Leonardo’s PhD aims to build an Ashby-type map for energy efficiency of conversion devices relating energy efficiency and cost to other physical variables.