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New Co-Director for the Sussex Energy Group
By: Francisco Dominguez
Last updated: Friday, 10 September 2021
Dr Mari Martiskainen has joined the leadership team of the Sussex Energy Group (SEG) as Co-Director. Professor Karoline Rogge has stepped down as Co-Director to focus on the demands of her expanding research portfolio such as the new EMPOCI project, and will remain an important member of SEG.
SEG is a long established, growing group of researchers at Sussex who share the aim of understanding and fostering transitions towards sustainable, low carbon energy systems.
The group undertakes academically rigorous, interdisciplinary and world-leading research that is relevant to contemporary policy challenges, as well as educating the next generation of energy policy professionals through MSc and PhD programmes.
The group is directed by Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool and co-directed by Dr Marie-Claire Brisbois and Dr Mari Martiskainen.
Dr Mari Martiskainen is a social scientist whose work focuses on sustainability transitions, with a particular focus on strategies for ensuring that net zero energy, housing and transport systems create a just society for everyone. She joined SPRU as a Research Officer in 2006, and since then has researched a wide range of topics including the energy justice implications of low carbon transitions, development of low energy housing, community action on fuel poverty, and the rollout of renewable energy technologies.
Prof Benjamin Sovacool, Director of SEG:
“Professor Rogge leaves some very large shoes to fill. She has done a wonderful job acting as co-director over a period of rapid growth for SEG. I fully expect Dr Martiskainen to be an equally wonderful co-director, as evidenced already by her leadership in the FAIR project within SEG. She is an all-round exceptionally capable researcher and a pleasure to work with.”
Dr Marie-Claire Brisbois, Co-Director of SEG:
“Working with Professor Rogge on the SEG Directorship team has been a privilege, and I would like to thank her for her dedication and leadership as she transitions to her new role as a SEG member. I’d also like to warmly welcome Dr Martiskainen to the Directorship team. I look forward to working with her to further the quality and depth of energy research at the University of Sussex, as organised through SEG”.
Dr Martiskainen said:
“I am delighted to be starting as SEG Co-Director and working with one of the most innovative energy research groups in the world. Our over 50-year legacy means that I am taking this role on humbly, and it is an honour to follow in the footsteps of scholars like Professor Karoline Rogge, to whom I am immensely grateful for her intellectual inspiration and collegiality. SEG has a diverse team of excellent academics and educators, and we do not shy away from asking challenging research questions. The urgency of climate change – and our energy system’s role in that – means that our field is going to be ever more important in helping to figure out how we can adapt to the changes needed, and do it so that everyone benefits from a net zero society.“