Dr Emily Prestwood BSc, PhD

Dr Emily Prestwood

School of Metallurgy and Materials
Energy Development Manager

Contact details

Address
T-ERA Office
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Emily Prestwood is the Development Manager for Birmingham Energy Institute. She is working with academics, researchers, students, and external partners to build the profile of the University’s energy research regionally, nationally and internationally, and supporting the real world application of research innovation to provide technical and policy solutions to key energy challenges.

Emily’s current focus is ensuring BEI activity supports the regional transition to a zero-carbon energy system and a green economy. She is developing a programme of activity in East Birmingham with local government, industry and academic partners to create a suite of ‘Test and Learn’ projects. These projects will help establish the University’s leadership role in building the policy, capability and capacity to drive system change.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Civil and Building Engineering (Built Environment), Loughborough University, 2016
  • PGCE Secondary Science (Chemistry), The University of Manchester, 2010
  • BSc (Hons) Chemistry 2008, Open University 

Biography

Emily has over ten years’ experience in multi-stakeholder, collaborative UK and European energy and climate change research, project management and civic engagement.

In her role as Development Manager for the BEI, she is currently leading on collaborative project development in East Birmingham and with Tyseley Energy Park on heat decarbonisation and community engagement, a Birmingham Energy Engineering Skills and Outreach Programme, and rehabilitating green and blue space to create sustainable urban environments.

She recently managed a joint BEI/Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) Policy Commission on Energy From Waste and the Circular Economy in the Midlands. She is also supporting city and regional partnerships and programmes to move to a zero-carbon energy system, particularly in the area of housing energy and fuel poverty.

Emily previously worked in the Air Quality Management Resource Centre (AQMRC) at the University of the West of England (UWE) across a large number of research projects developing strategies for energy, carbon reduction and air quality management in cities, integrating health and sustainability in urban development, civic and community engagement methods and policy development.  

She completed her PhD in the Building Energy Research Group at Loughborough University in 2015, modelling historical changes in energy-related CO2 emissions of the UK residential sector to examine the relationship with policy, technology, socio-economic and structural change.

She also worked as a researcher and project manager at Loughborough University and the University of Manchester on European consortium projects related to transport infrastructure and developing city region low-carbon energy scenarios.

Before moving into energy research, Emily was a Forensic Examiner.