Meet the team – Policy and Innovation Group

The team

The Policy and Innovation Group is composed by enthusiastic researchers dedicated to the analysis and promotion of ocean energy. The team is led by Mr Henry Jeffrey, Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.

Team leader

Mr Henry Jeffrey -Henry Jeffrey is a specialist in ocean energy roadmaps, action plans and strategies, and recently coordinated the DTOcean project. He is co-director for SuperGen ORE (Offshore Renewable Energy) UKCMER and leads the Policy and Innovation Group in the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Energy Systems. He also chairs the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) Ocean Energy Joint Programme (JP) and collaborates on numerous European ocean energy projects. He holds a position as the Chairperson of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Ocean Energy Systems (OES) programme, which is a government/government policy group responsible for supporting knowledge exchange and collaboration between countries and organisations active in the ocean energy sector.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Research Associates

Dr David Crooks - David is a specialist in the physical and numerical modelling and analysis of wave energy converters. For his PhD, David developed the Oscillating Wave Surge Converter time domain numerical model. This work focused particularly on improving the representation of nonlinear processes. Since joining the Policy and Innovation Group, David has worked on the development of techno-economic models of wave energy converters, their components and arrays. David also evaluates the socio-economic impacts of marine renewable energy deployments; their impacts on regional GVA and job creation.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Mr Simon Robertson - Simon is a renewable energy expert with hydro-power, wave, tidal and offshore wind energy experience. In these sectors Simon has worked in project development, innovation funding and demonstration project roles in the UK and Japan. With a scientific and technology policy background Simon is now working closely with industry partners to undertake techno-economic modelling and commercialisation planning for novel marine energy systems.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Ms Tianna Bloise-Thomaz - Tianna is a Civil Engineer, currently developing Global Economic Model for wave energy technologies, evaluating levelised cost of energy, life cycle assessment and socio-economic cost of energy. Her MSc thesis focused on a new methodology to link wave energy resources and the cost of wave energy device. Prior to commencing at the Policy and Innovation Group, she gained experience at Oil & Gas Industry working with structural integrity and design of sub-sea structures. She has interest in energy industry, environmental sustainability and efficient designs.
Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Ms Leonore van Velzen - Leonore is a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Technology with a Bachelor in Civil Engineering, with internships at the Wave Energy Centre (WavEC) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). She has great interest in the renewable energy transition and sees marine energy as part of this transition.
Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Ms Shona Pennock - Shona is a Master of Science in Renewable Energy Systems and the Environment and an alumna of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind Energy Systems at the University of Strathclyde. Her PhD focused on the impact of a single European energy market on the economics and operation of wind power in Scotland, using various dispatch models to investigate the impact of introducing zonal pricing within GB due to the current CfD subsidy framework. During the course of her PhD she undertook an internship at the Scottish Government and volunteered as a STEM ambassador. She is particularly interested in the economic and technical challenges facing the marine energy sector.
Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Dr Donald Noble - Donald is a civil and environmental engineer with a focus on water and renewable energy. His EngD considered testing marine renewable energy devices in a combined wave-current environment at the University of Edinburgh's FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility, as part of the Industrial Doctorate Centre of Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE). He also has prior experience of hydrology and flood risk assessment, plus the development, consenting, and environmental impact assessment of small hydropower and flood alleviation schemes.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Ms Charlotte Cohrane - Charlotte is a Master of Science in Global Energy Management with an Honours degree in French. Her MSc thesis focused on the application of a local wind powered electric vehicle distribution fleet serving Glasgow’s retail centre. Prior to starting at the Policy and Innovation Group Charlotte worked in energy consulting at a firm specialising in technology and innovation. Charlotte is particularly interested in the socioeconomic benefit afforded Scotland by marine energy opportunities.
Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Dr Anup Nambiar - Anup is a sustainability enthusiast specialising in renewable power generation in the electrical power system. His main areas of interest are in the resource-to-wire modelling and control of wave and tidal converters and arrays, distributed generation and smart grids. He has experience in power system modelling, network integration of renewables and in the optimisation, control, numerical modelling and physical testing of marine energy converters and arrays.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Gerard Avellaneda Domene - Gerard is a Master of Science in Marine Renewable Energy, with focus on project development and appraisal, and Bachelor in Physics specialized in physical oceanography. He has done internships at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), University of Edinburgh and Aalborg University, where he acquired experience with numerical modelling of wave energy converters.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Associated PhD students

Ms Anna Garcia-Teruel - Anna is a Mechanical Engineer specialised in Energy and Process Engineering working towards a PhD in wave energy systems. Her research focuses on the optimisation of the shape of a point absorber's floating body aiming at minimising the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE), by considering power production, manufacturability and structural integrity.
Visit her LinkedIn profile here.

Mr Owain Roberts - Owain's PhD research focuses on techno-economic assessment for early-stage wave energy development and methods for identifying commercially promising wave energy concepts. He has an MSc in Geophysics and is funded through the Wind and Marine Energy Systems CDT.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Mr Thomas van Lanschot - Thomas is a PhD candidate within the Policy and Innovation Group at the Institute for Energy Systems, Edinburgh. His work focuses on spatial analytical engineering models to assess the potential for offshore wind and wave energy array development and the associated infrastructure. He has a BSc in coastal engineering, MSc in marine renewable engineering and has professional experience in the coastal and marine science sector.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Mr Paul Kerr - Paul is a Master of Mechanical Engineering with Renewable energy. His PhD research investigates the potential of novel technologies to enable development and commercialisation in the wave energy sector, with collaboration from Wave Energy Scotland. Prior to this, under supervision from Henery Jeffery and Leonore van Velzen, his MEng thesis explored strategy planning for offshore renewables in the Canary Islands. During his undergraduate study Paul gained experience in the offshore renewables industry having completed placements at EMEC, Xodus and Aquatera.
Visit his LinkedIn profile here.