Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Stephen Allen is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and Associate Director of the Institute for Sustainability. His research focuses on embedding sustainability in design and engineering, particularly through use of life cycle assessment. This is essential for achieving net-zero carbon emissions and effectively tackling climate change. Stephen collaborates with scientists, engineers, designers and a variety of companies. Current projects include:
- Towards net-zero carbon buildings: tackling uncertainty when predicting carbon footprints
- UK Energy Research Centre
- Circular Biobased Construction Industry
- Active Building Centre Research Programme
- Supervising PhD researchers working on LCA and experimental development in the fields of buildings, construction materials, electric vehicles and phase change materials
Stephen’s PhD and post-doctoral research (2006-09) predicted the net energy and carbon performance of renewable energy technologies, including how long it takes to payback their embodied carbon. In 2010-12 he was the Energy Adviser at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. He provided scientific advice to inform public policy, and specialist input to select committee inquiries. In 2012-18 he was a senior associate at Sustain Ltd (now Anthesis) and then director at Circular Ecology. He led projects for companies with combined turnovers of greater than £10bn, helping them to measure and reduce their environmental footprint. Prior to 2006, Stephen worked as an engineer in remote parts of Canada and Mexico, designing and building equipment and accommodation for ecological field research.
His publications have been used by parliament, government and the Committee on Climate Change to inform policy, and by professional magazines to influence practice in industry. He won the prestigious George Stephenson Prize from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (for best original paper), and a place on the USA’s International Visitor Leadership Programme on climate change and renewable energy. He has featured on the BBC’s ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ and written a regular column on sustainability for a magazine. He is conversationally fluent in Spanish.
Willing to supervise doctoral students
Interested in supervising students studying:
- Low energy and low carbon design of buildings
- Sustainable building materials
- Sustainable energy technologies
- Carbon footprinting
- Life cycle assessment
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External positions
Expert member of Committee on Life Cycle Assessment, British Standards Institute
2021 → …
Member of Engineering EC Forum, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
2018 → 2020
Director, Circular Ecology Ltd.
2014 → 2018
Senior Associate, Sustain Ltd
2012 → 2014
Scientific Adviser - Energy, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
2010 → 2012
Research Officer, SUPERGEN Highly Distributed Power Systems, University of Bath
2009
Engineer (Canada and Mexico), Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation
2005 → 2006
Keywords
- TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
- TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
- Sustainable energy
- Renewable energy
- Thermodynamics
- Heat transfer
- Carbon footprinting
- Energy analysis
- Life cycle assessment
- Embodied energy and carbon
- Building performance analysis
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Network
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Pioneering zero carbon construction policy in B&NES
Hawkins, W., Shea, A., Allen, S., Marsh, E. & Phelps, P.
2/01/23 → 28/07/23
Project: Research council
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UK Energy Research Centre Phase 4 - Theme 7
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/04/19 → 31/03/24
Project: Research council
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Creating disaggregated GHG sources extension table for UK MRIO model
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
2/11/20 → 30/06/21
Project: Research council
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Circular Biobased Construction Industry
Maskell, D., Allen, S., Emmitt, S., Shea, A. & Walker, P.
1/03/19 → 30/09/22
Project: EU Commission
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Tackling uncertainty in life cycle assessments for the built environment: A review
Marsh, E., Allen, S. & Hattam, L., 1 Mar 2023, In: Building and Environment. 231, 109941.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Applying life cycle assessment with minimal information to support early-stage material selection
Roberts, M., Cascione, V., Allen, S., Dams, B., Maskell, D. & Coley, D., 18 Apr 2022, (Acceptance date). 8 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Open AccessFile47 Downloads (Pure) -
Comparing the Carbon Footprint of Bio-Based and Conventional Insulation Materials
Cascione, V., Roberts, M., Allen, S., Maskell, D., Dams, B., Shea, A., Walker, P. & Emmitt, S., 22 May 2022, 18th International Conference on Non-conventional Materials and Technologies: (NOCMAT 2022). Zenodo, Vol. 2022. Session 1B, Part Paper 10Research output: Chapter or section in a book/report/conference proceeding › Chapter in a published conference proceeding
Open AccessFile49 Downloads (Pure) -
Consequential impacts of a net-zero carbon design: life cycle assessment of an active building
Roberts, M., Allen, S., Marsh, E., Clarke, J. & Coley, D., 14 Sep 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
Open AccessFile43 Downloads (Pure) -
Decarbonisation Options for UK Dispersed Industry
Gailani, A., Cooper, S., Allen, S. & Taylor, P., 2022.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster
Open AccessFile28 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Embodied energy and embodied carbon of 81 shelters globally
Kuchai, N. (Creator), Matard, A. (Creator), Coley, D. (Creator), Allen, S. (Creator) & Allen, S. (Creator), University of Bath, 16 Sep 2019
DOI: 10.15125/BATH-00550
Dataset
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Dataset for "Towards Active Buildings: rating grid-servicing buildings"
Fosas, D. (Creator), Nikolaidou, E. (Creator), Roberts, M. (Creator), Allen, S. (Creator), Walker, I. (Creator) & Coley, D. (Creator), University of Bath, 11 Nov 2020
DOI: 10.15125/BATH-00766
Dataset
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Dataset for Life Cycle Assessment in the Building Design Process
Roberts, M. (Creator), Allen, S. (Creator) & Coley, D. (Creator), University of Bath, 16 Sep 2020
DOI: 10.15125/BATH-00804
Dataset
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Dataset for "Novel super-reduced, pedagogical model for scoping net zero buildings''
Fosas, D. (Creator), Mitchell, R. (Creator), Nikolaidou, E. (Creator), Roberts, M. (Creator), Allen, S. (Creator), Walker, I. (Creator) & Coley, D. (Creator), University of Bath, 9 Nov 2021
DOI: 10.15125/BATH-01062
Dataset
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Dataset for "Rational whole-life carbon assessment using a dynamic climate model: Comparison of a concrete, steel and timber building structure"
Hawkins, W. (Creator), Cooper, S. (Creator), Allen, S. (Creator), Roynon, J. (Creator) & Ibell, T. (Creator), University of Bath, 28 Apr 2021
DOI: 10.15125/BATH-00908
Dataset
Thesis
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Micro-generation for UK Households: Thermodynamic and Related Analysis
Author: Allen, S., 1 Jun 2009Supervisor: Hammond, G. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › PhD
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