Professor Jonathan Radcliffe BSc PhD

Professor Jonathan Radcliffe

School of Chemical Engineering
Professor in Energy Systems and Policy
Fellow of the Institute for Global Innovation, Resilient Cities theme lead

Contact details

Email
j.radcliffe@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@UKenergyinnov8
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Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Jonathan Radcliffe is a Professor in Energy Systems and Policy, leading an interdisciplinary research team. His research interests are in energy system technology, policy and innovation, in particular the role of energy storage. He also leads the Resilient Cities theme of the Institute for Global Innovation, working with colleagues across the university to investigate the drivers of urban distress and the conditions for securing city resilience, with a focus on cities that are undergoing transitions.

Professor Radcliffe is a member of EPSRC’s Energy Strategic Advisory Committee, and a Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee.

Jonathan has extensive knowledge of the policy-making process, having worked on science and innovation policy in Government and Parliament for 13 years. He has worked directly with policy makers, academics and business leaders at the highest level.

He has published on future energy innovation priorities, the role of energy storage, and flexibility options for the UK’s energy system. He has experience of working internationally, including recent projects with India, Korea, Brazil, Mexico and the EU.

Jonathan became a full-time academic in January 2015. He regularly presents at national and international conferences, and contributes articles to journals and magazines.

Jonathan's research includes cryogenic energy systems. Learn more about that research at Birmingham:

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Qualifications

  • PhD in Experimental solid state physics, University of Cambridge, 1997
  • BSc in Physics, Imperial College London, 1993

Biography

Jonathan Radcliffe obtained a first-class Physics BSc at Imperial College London, with a year at Université de Paris Sud-Orsay in France. He went on to the University of Cambridge where he undertook a PhD at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Superconductivity, studying the physical properties of high-temperature superconductors.

Jonathan spent three years at the UK’s Meteorological Office, then in Bracknell. He was a scientist working in Numerical Weather Prediction, testing and developing the UK forecast model.

In 2000 he moved into policy, and spent eight years working around Westminster, including in Government covering the use of science in policy making, and with the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee.

Before joining the University of Birmingham, Jonathan was Head of the Analysis Team for the Energy Research Partnership, a high-level public-private body, providing strategic direction to energy innovation in the UK. He joined the Centre for Low Carbon Futures in 2013 as Energy Storage Programme Director, then as Acting Director until 2014.

Jonathan now has a position as Professor in Energy Systems and Policy at the University of Birmingham.

Teaching

  • Course Director for the Global Energy Technologies and Systems MSc
  • Lecturer on 'Energy Economics’ third-year undergraduate module for engineering ‘with Energy’ courses.
  • Lecturer on policy component of ‘Energy Systems and Policy’ post-graduate module.

Postgraduate supervision

PhD supervision in energy storage, systems and innovation.

Research

Research themes

Analysis of energy policy making, regulation and market frameworks under future energy system scenarios and for new energy technologies. Focus on how technologies (in particular energy storage) can enable energy systems to operate with increasing flexibility.

Research activity

Leads the Energy Systems and Policy Group, and Resilient Cities theme of the Institute for Global Innovation, at the University of Birmingham.

PI and Centre Director for Manifest project (from September 2016), co-Director for SUPERGEN Energy Storage hub. Principal/Co-Investigator on several other research projects; with some smaller projects for industry and Government.

Current research projects (at January 2019):

Profile at ‘Gateway to Research’ for UK publicly funded projects: http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/person/B1C9E6F7-2164-4BB9-ADA9-A84B0FEFED88

Principal Investigator

  • Improving Resilience and Reducing Emissions from diesel Generation in India (IRREG-India), April 2019 – July 2020
  • ‘Multi-scale ANalysis for Facilities for Energy Storage’ (Manifest), EPSRC (EP/N032888/1), September 2016 – August 2020 
  • ‘Energy Storage Prioritisation Assessment for Mexico’, Newton Fund (Mexico) Institutional Links, April 2018 – March 2019, with partners Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias (INEEL)
  • ‘Assessing the innovation process for energy storage’, SUPERGEN Energy Storage Hub flexible fund

Co-Investigator

Previous research projects

PI for ‘Across scales in energy decision-making’ (ASCEND) June 2017 - Jan 2018
http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/R002231/1

‘Feasibility Study for requalification of marginal sites into LAES plant’, industry funded project, Mar 2016 – Mar 2017

Co-I on ‘Sub 1MW Cryogenic Low Emission Generators’ Feasibility Study, Innovate UK (131496), January 2014 – December 2014

PI for ‘Creating Business and Research Opportunities from the Development of Energy Storage Technologies’, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Prosperity Fund, May 2013 – March 2015

Other activities

  • Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee for the inquiry on Technologies for meeting Clean Growth emissions reduction targets’ (from January 2019)
  • Member of EPSRC Energy Strategic Advisory Committee (from January 2019)
  • University of Birmingham representative on Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) Research Committee
  • External Examiner for MSc Environmental Technology Energy Policy, Imperial College
  • Member of EPSRC Peer Review College
  • Member of European Commission BRIDGE Working Group for smart grid and energy storage projects

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Luiu, C, Wandera, A, Bukachi, V, Kipkemboi, P, Ouko, A, Mulligan, J, Pope, F & Radcliffe, J 2025, 'Assessing the impacts of building road infrastructure on adjacent communities: a case study in Nairobi, Kenya', Journal of Transport and Health, vol. 41, no. 3, 101997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.101997

Hehar, R, Burges, W, Fender, T, Radcliffe, J & Mehta, N 2025, 'Data-Based Modelling for Quantifying Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reduction Potential by Using Heat Pumps', Energies, vol. 18, no. 3, 738. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18030738

Singh, A, Joshi, A, Pope, FD, Singh, B, Khare, M, Kota, SH & Radcliffe, J 2024, 'Evaluating alternative technologies to diesel generation in India using multi-criteria decision analysis', Cleaner Energy Systems, vol. 9, 100133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cles.2024.100133

Manshur, T, Luiu, C, Avis, WR, Bukachi, V, Gatari, M, Mulligan, J, Ng'an'ga, D, Radcliffe, J, Singh, A, Waiguru, E, Wandera, A & Pope, FD 2023, 'A citizen science approach for air quality monitoring in a Kenyan informal development', City and Environment Interactions, vol. 19, 100105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cacint.2023.100105

Radcliffe, J, Bryson, JR, Cox, E, Leach, J, Luiu, C & Reardon, L 2022, 'A regional approach to COVID-19 recovery: lessons from the West Midlands', Town Planning Review, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 7-14. https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2021.40

Luiu, C, Wandera, A, Radcliffe, J, Pope, F, Bukachi, V & Mulligan, J 2022, 'COVID-19 impacts on mobility in Kenyan informal settlements: a case study from Kibera, Nairobi', Transport Findings. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.37571

Wang, X, Day, R, Murrant, D, Marín, AD, Botello, DC, González, FL & Radcliffe, J 2021, 'A capabilities-led approach to assessing technological solutions for a rural community', Energies, vol. 14, no. 5, 1398. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14051398

Wu, W, Lin, B, Xie, C, Elliott, RJR & Radcliffe, J 2020, 'Does energy storage provide a profitable second life for electric vehicle batteries?', Energy Economics, vol. 92, 105010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.105010

Xie, C, Hong, Y, Ding, Y, Li, Y & Radcliffe, J 2018, 'An economic feasibility assessment of decoupled energy storage in the UK: With liquid air energy storage as a case study', Applied Energy, vol. 225, pp. 244-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.04.074

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Kearney, J, Bryson, JR, Broome, M, Leach, JM, Luiu, C, Pope, F & Radcliffe, J 2024, Shocks, recovery processes and cultivating urban plasticity: a neuroplasticity-informed perspective on urban resilience. in L Andres, JR Bryson, A Ersoy & L Reardon (eds), Pandemic Recovery?: Reframing and Rescaling Societal Challenges. 1 edn, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 27-41. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802201116.00010

Comment/debate

McDonald, LJ, Hernandez Galvan, JL, Emelue, C, Pinto, ASS, Mehta, N, Ibn-Mohammed, T, Fender, T, Radcliffe, J, Choudhary, A & McManus, MC 2024, 'Towards a unified carbon accounting landscape', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences , vol. 382, no. 2282, 20230260. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2023.0260

Commissioned report

Acton, J, Anderson, P, Andres, L, Angus, M, Amor, P, Arrowsmith, J (ed.), Asmelash, H, Bartington, S (ed.), Bengtsson, F, Bhullar, L, Bloss, W, Bonet, B, Börner, S, O Bonsu, N, Bryson, JR, Burns, V, Burrows, A, Calvert, C, Cassidy, N, Cavoski, A, Chadyiwa, M, Chapman, H, Chapman, L, Cockram, M, Degendardt, L, Dickinson, D, Ding, Y, Dobrzynski, D, Dolo, M, Dora, J, Ercolani, M, Ersoy, A, Farag, H, Ferranti, E, Fisher, R, Freer, M, Goldmann, N, Goode, CE, Greenham, S, Gulati, S, Hadfield-Hill, S, Harper, G, Hegerl, G, Hillmansen, S, Holmes, J, Huang, JJ, Huser, C, Jackson, R, Jaroszweski, D, Jefferson, I, Johnson, J, Kaewunruen, S, Kelly-Akinnuoye, F, Kettles, G, Kraftl, P, Krause, S, Leckebusch, GC, Lee, R, Lockwood, B (ed.), Lohse, J, Luna Diez, E, Lynch, I (ed.), MacKenzie, R, Maddison, D, Makepeace, J, Mann, V, Marino, R, Mavronicola, N, McDonald, M, McGowan, K (ed.), Metje, N, Ng, K, Nicol, J, O'Sullivan, C, Phalkey, N, Prestwood, E, Pyatt, N, Quinn, A, Radcliffe, J (ed.), Ravi, M, Reardon, L, Reeder, T, O’Regan, P, Remedios, L, Roberts, J, Rogers, C, Rungskunroch, P, van Schaik, W, Swan, J (ed.), Thomson, I, Toft, H (ed.), Tong, J, Botello Villagrana, F, Walton, A, Wason, C (ed.), Weir, C, Wood, R & Zhong, J 2021, Addressing the climate challenge. University of Birmingham. https://doi.org/10.25500/epapers.bham.00003451

Conference article

Xie, C, Li, Y, Ding, Y & Radcliffe, J 2019, 'Evaluating levelized cost of storage (LCOS) based on price arbitrage operations: with liquid air energy storage (LAES) as an example', Energy Procedia, vol. 158, pp. 4852-4860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2019.01.708

Conference contribution

Hehar, R, Burges, W, Fender, T, Radcliffe, J & Mehta, N 2024, Evaluating the greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential due to the use of heat pumps. in Proceedings of the 18th UK Heat Transfer Conference., 133, 18th UK Heat Transfer Conference, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 9/09/24. <https://more.bham.ac.uk/ukhtc-2024/wp-content/uploads/sites/80/2024/09/UKHTC-2024_paper_133.pdf>

Review article

Singh, A, Pope, FD, Radcliffe, J, Luiu, C, Bakare, H, Bartington, SE, Bonsu, NO, Bryson, JR, Cheeseman, N, Flowe, H, Krause, S, Newbigging, K, Nunan, F, Reardon, L, Rogers, CDF, Rowlingson, K & Thomson, I 2024, 'Delivering sustainable climate action: reframing the sustainable development goals', npj Climate Action, vol. 3, 110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00194-2

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Expertise

Dr Jonathan Radcliffe is a Reader in Energy Systems and Policy, leading an interdisciplinary research team. His research interests are in energy system technology, policy and innovation, in particular the role of energy storage. He also leads the Resilient Cities theme of the Institute for Global Innovation, working with colleagues across the university to investigate the drivers of urban distress and the conditions for securing city resilience, with a focus on global cities that are undergoing transitions.

Policy experience

Through his role in the Energy Storage Supergen Hub and several other research projects, Dr Radcliffe has gained experience of working with policy makers and regulators at local, national and EU levels. Some published outputs include:

Previous to joining the University of Birmingham, Dr Radcliffe worked on science and innovation policy in Government, including as Deputy Secretary to the Council for Science and Technology (2007 – 2008), and as Committee Specialist for the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee (2003 – 2006).