Nigel Brandon

Nigel Brandon is a professor specializing in clean energy technology and serves as Chair in Sustainable Development in Energy and Dean of Engineering at Imperial College London. Brandon holds an engineering degree and a doctorate from Imperial College London, returning to academia after a 14-year research career with BP and Rolls-Royce. His background combines industrial experience with academic leadership, providing insight into the practical challenges of the global energy transition.

Brandon is an electrochemical engineer whose work focuses on the science, engineering, and technology of electrochemical devices for the low-carbon energy transition, with particular emphasis on fuel cells, flow batteries, and electrolysers. He is director of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Hub and chair of Imperial's Sustainable Gas Institute. Brandon has also served as vice dean (research) for the Faculty of Engineering and was the founding director of both the Sustainable Gas Institute and the Energy Futures Lab. He has published more than 200 papers in the field and holds 14 patents.

Brandon co-founded Ceres Power, a fuel cell company listed on the FTSE, which was spun out from Imperial College. He also established RFC Power, a flow battery company, and M-SPIN, a company focused on developing and manufacturing low-cost, high surface area materials for electrolysers, fuel cells, and batteries. His entrepreneurial work demonstrates the translation of research in hydrogen technology, battery innovation, and electrochemical engineering into commercial solutions.

Brandon has received several honors, including the Castner Medal from the Society of Chemical Industry, the Christian Friedrich Schönbein Gold Medal of Honour, the Horizon Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Francis Bacon Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Baker Medal from the Institute of Civil Engineering, and the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal. He was awarded an OBE for services to UK-China science in energy and climate change. Brandon is a fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the City and Guilds of London Institute, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Energy Institute, and is an international member of the US National Academy of Engineering.

Brandon has delivered lectures on electrochemical technologies and the energy transition at conferences and universities, including the University of Edinburgh, the University of Hong Kong, and the International Green Energy Conference in Glasgow. He has presented keynote lectures on topics such as "From bench to business – innovations in solid oxide cell and stack technology" at the European Fuel Cell Forum. Brandon's expertise bridges fundamental science, industrial application, and policy in the field of sustainable energy.