image: Professor Sir Steven Cowley
Credit: Steven Cowley
HARWELL, UK (10 May 2024) The Faraday Institution, the UK’s flagship institute for electrochemical energy storage research, announces Professor Sir Steven Cowley as a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair Elect.
Professor Sir Steven Cowley is a theoretical physicist and international authority on fusion energy. He retains his positions of director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and professor at Princeton University, roles in which he has served since 2018.
Professor Cowley previously served as president of Corpus Christi College and professor of physics at the University of Oxford. From 2008 to 2016, he was chief executive officer of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and head of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. He has held numerous advisory roles. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering and received a knighthood in 2018 for services to science and the development of nuclear fusion.
Professor Cowley will assume the role of member of the Board of Trustees effectively immediately, and will take over the role as Chair on 16th July 2024. The current Chair, Professor Peter B. Littlewood, will step down from his role on that date.
Announcing the new appointment, Professor Littlewood commented:
“We are delighted to welcome such a distinguished and widely respected scientific leader as Professor Sir Steven Cowley to the Board. Professor Cowley brings a vast array of connections and insight from working at the highest levels in both the UK’s and US’s energy research landscape. We are privileged to be able to draw upon this expertise, particularly from his experience at Culham, as the Faraday Institution further establishes its position in the research ecosystem and delivers energy technologies of the future.
“Steven is an exceptional scientist and a proven leader of large-scale, mission-driven scientific projects. We look forward to introducing him to the organisation’s community.”
Accepting the position Professor Cowley said:
"I am honoured to join the exceptional team leading the Faraday Institution. Battery technology is critical to electrifying transportation and energy systems and thus it is an essential part of fighting climate change. The Faraday Institution’s programme is improving the technology in many significant ways, speeding its adoption, and opening economic opportunities for the UK.”
Professor Cowley joins a strong, capable and committed executive team and staff, a vibrant research community, and a Board of Trustees with deep expertise in research and development, energy storage, the energy sector and auto industry. Collectively they will continue to drive the organisation’s mission of delivering scientific breakthroughs in energy storage to industry-defined goals.
Professor Mark Spearing, Chair, People Committee of the Board of Trustees, Faraday Institution, commented:
“On behalf of everyone in the organisation I would like to extend my thanks to Peter Littlewood for his six years of service as inaugural Chair of the Board of Trustees. He played a critical role in the formation of the Institution and in ensuring that it has become internationally recognised for its leadership in battery research. The Faraday Institution has benefitted enormously from his wide knowledge of the energy sector and the generous way he has shared his ideas about the role of the organisation within that landscape. We have all valued his openness, constant diligence, and support. I know that we will be able to continue to call on his wise counsel and kind critique if the need arises.”