Global intergovernmental clean energy initiative Mission Innovation announces the appointment of Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer to its Technical Advisory Group

Following nomination from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer will represent the UK on the Technical Advisory Group of Mission Innovation (MI-TAG).

Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative catalysing action and investment in research, development and demonstration of clean energy to make it affordable, attractive and accessible for all. The TAG provides independent review of MI, and therefore, plays a pivotal role in supporting governments and Missions to maximise their impact.

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer is Champion and Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) as well as Deputy Principal (Global Sustainability) and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Wat University. Her internationally recognised track record focuses on accelerating the sustainable transition to net zero and covers energy systems, CCUS, integration of hydrogen technologies and low-carbon fuels.

The TAG brings together 19 leading scientists, senior technical government officials and senior energy innovation professionals from around the world nominated by MI member countries and partner organizations.

Eight new global leaders were appointed to the TAG during the recent 2024 MI Annual Gathering, where the group also announced recommendations from their annual assessment of Missions’ progress.

The TAG Chair, Dr Jenny Hayward from CSIRO Australia welcomed the new global leaders, commenting that their:

“Enthusiasm and diverse expertise will prove invaluable as we help the Missions to achieve their goals accelerating the transition to a clean energy future.”

Prof Maroto-Valer commented:

“I am very excited to join this important intergovernmental platform to help maximise its impact on accelerating progress in our sustainable pathways to net zero. This is a critical decade to realise our ambitions for clean and affordable energy for all and I look forward to working with this distinguished group of leaders to catalyse global action.”

Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said: “The leadership shown by University academics underscores their expertise and commitment in addressing the challenges of mitigating the effects of climate change, a point underlined recently with the publication of our Climate Action Framework. Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer’s appointment highlights the tremendous pool of talent we have across all our campuses in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia, and their ability to directly influence policymakers in this global challenge.”

More information about Mission Innovation can be found here:

https://mission-innovation.net/about-mi/overview/

https://mission-innovation.net/about-mi/technical-advisory-group-tag/