Meet the team

Jim Watson is Professor of Energy Policy and Director of the Institute of Sustainable Resources, University College London (UCL). He was previously Director of the UK Energy Research Centre (2013-19) and the Sussex Energy Group, University of Sussex (2008-13). His research focuses on energy, climate mitigation and innovation policies. He has led interdisciplinary research programmes on the UK energy transition, and international collaborations with colleagues in China, India, Ghana and Zambia. He frequently advises UK government departments and other organisations, and has been a Specialist Adviser with four UK Parliamentary committees. He is chair of the technical advisory group to… [Read more]

Manuel is a PhD candidate at the Energy Department of KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, specializing in energy systems modelling. His main focus is energy access, modelling possible pathways to achieve universal electrification and clean cooking. Currently, the models developed by the team, OnSSET and OnStove (electricity and clean cooking respectively), consider techno-economic, health, and environment (in the form of Green House Gas emissions) as dimensions of analysis. The focus of his research is to expand the dimensions of analysis by considering socio-economic factors, affordability and climate change adaptation. He holds a bachelor's and licentiate degree in Mechanical… [Read more]

Will Collier is a Research Consultant helping to develop Climate Compatible Growth’s finance track, expanding the use of financial models within CCG’s Data-to-Deal process. This includes work towards helping the development of the Model for Informed National Finance (MINFin), aiming to help developing countries establish financially sustainable energy transitions. He has also worked helping to implement and expand upon other financial models within this portfolio. This includes the implementation of the FINPLAN project finance model, and development of new financial tools such as FinTrack. Will's background is in environmental economics, holding an masters with distinction from Imperial College London. [Read more]

Marissa Bergman is a Research Associate at University College London, working with CCG to advance Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in sustainable development. At CCG, she led the development of a framework for incorporating GESI into energy and transport modelling processes. Her research focuses on co-creation methodologies, intersectional approaches to energy transitions, and the role of inclusivity in climate-compatible policy. Prior to academia, she spent nearly a decade in finance, specialising in commercial debt lending. She holds an MSc in Business and Sustainability from University College London and a BA in Environmental Studies from Brown University. [Read more]

Fatima Afifah is a research associate with expertise in transportation planning and systems analysis, specialising in mathematical modelling, predictive analytics, and reinforcement learning to enhance urban mobility, incident management, and sustainable transportation systems. Her current role at the University of Strathclyde involves developing innovative transportation tools, notably OseMobility, which integrates zone-based analysis and comprehensive mode-choice modelling to address transportation challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Fatima’s interdisciplinary skillset includes proficiency in deep learning, reinforcement learning, optimisation, and web development, supported by experience in SUMO simulations, data analytics, and accessibility metrics. With a keen interest in sustainability and transport equity, Fatima… [Read more]

Camilo is a PhD candidate at the Division of Energy Systems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research focuses on using Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to model the interactions between energy systems and sustainability. He has developed tools to analyze sustainable transitions toward universal energy access. He is co-creator, developer, and maintainer of OnStove, an open-source clean cooking assessment tool that evaluates transitions to cleaner cooking solutions at a high spatial resolution. His work has provided actionable insights for policymakers in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya, and Nepal.​ Camilo has also contributed to the development of OnSSET… [Read more]

Pu Yang is a postdoctoral researcher in the Energy and Power Group at the University of Oxford. Her research quantifies the social impact and provides motivations for energy transition opportunities identified by GIS-informed energy system modeling. She is part of the Advancing GIS Modeling of Integrated Systems Analysis team at CCG. Pu Yang's publications include:      https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-024-01609-4;   https://academic.oup.com/nsr/article-abstract/10/12/nwad254/7287603;   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340924002865;   https://climatecompatiblegrowth.com/wp-content/uploads/Energy-enabled-growth-in-refugee-hosting-districts_240905.pdf;   https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14693062.2024.2418948;   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-023-01440-3; [Read more]

Sandile supports the development of sustainable energy and transportation solutions, building equitable partnerships and strategies across low- and middle-income countries in the Global South. As Country Partnerships Coordinator, she strengthens research-to-policy collaboration and fosters inclusive knowledge exchange. She also leads engagement with the Kenya CCG network. Sandile holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, with a strong background in developing novel energy production and storage systems. She is a researcher and advocate for equitable and inclusive energy and climate futures, particularly for marginalised communities in Zimbabwe. [Read more]

Tom is a Senior Research Software Engineer in the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, with interests in modelling infrastructure systems, spatial networks, spatial data analysis and visualisation. He leads the technical development of the Global Resilience Index (GRI) Risk Viewer at https://global.infrastructureresilience.org and the open-source infrastructure climate risk analysis framework Open-GIRA at https://github.com/nismod/open-gira funded by CCG and other projects. Tom is part of the Sector Interactions team with Prof Jim Hall. [Read more]

Giulia Ragosa is a Research Fellow at University College London (UCL), specialising in the political economy of climate policy, with a focus on climate finance, electricity system regulation, and renewable energy policy across Africa and Asia. Giulia earned her PhD at UCL’s Institute of Sustainable Resources under the supervision of Prof. Jim Watson and Prof. Michael Grubb. Her doctoral research examined the political economy of electricity market reforms in the UK, Italy, and California, investigating how these reforms facilitated the integration of high shares of renewable energy into power systems and the political economy dynamics characterising this process. Over her… [Read more]