We are delighted to invite Old Members to our 2024 London Reception on Tuesday 14 May from 6 till 9pm.
This year we will welcome you at the Arboretum (map), an independent members’ club and quirky event space just off Charing Cross, which will provide the perfect setting for an expert panel discussion on sustainability, chaired by the Provost, as well as a relaxed get-together with drinks and canapés afterwards.
Practice, policy, art and science: four ways to tackle the sustainability transition
One big challenge, seen from four very different perspectives. Two current and two former members of Queen’s discuss what excites them about their work and compare ideas about how to help change the future. Setting electricity prices through the National Grid, designing policies to meet Net Zero, capturing ecological grief in works of art, and using biology to design plants to reduce carbon emissions,: all have a part to play in meeting the collective challenges of sustainability in the 21st century. This evening brings together Sara Habib (Mathematics and Philosophy, 1997, Head of Future Price Controls at National Grid), Matthew Bilson (MSc Energy Systems, 2020, Director – Policy & Market Strategy at Piclo, previously worked 20 years on UK energy policy), Xinyue Liu (DPhil Fine Arts, 2022) and Professor Steve Kelly (Queen’s Fellow in Biology)
Sara Habib (Mathematics and Philosophy, 1997) has over 20 years’ experience at National Grid in a variety of roles across the group. Most recently she has worked in Regulation and is now Head of Future Price Controls for the 2026-2031 investment period.
Matthew Billson (MSc Energy Systems, 2020) is Policy & Market Strategy Director at Piclo, responsible for analysing global electricity policy and entry into new markets. Piclo is climate tech company, helping to decarbonise the electricity grid through flexibility.
Steve’s lab studies the biology of photosynthesis in plants, answering key questions about how it evolved, how it works, and how it is controlled. The goal of his research is to engineer the crop plants of the future, and enable food production to keep pace with global population increase.
