Andrew Garrad CBE FREng appointed as a Visiting Professor in Renewable Energy

Dr Andrew Garrad

12 June 2019

The University of Bristol's growing activity in renewable energy teaching has received a major boost with the appointment of Andrew Garrad CBE FREng as a Visiting Professor.

The award has been made under the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Visiting Professors Scheme. This initiative aims to utilise the experience of leading industrial practitioners to enhance student learning as well as the employability and skills of UK engineering graduates, whilst strengthening external partnerships with industry.

In 1984 Andrew co-founded the Garrad Hassan Group, which grew to become the world's largest renewable energy consultancy. He has been professionally involved in wind energy for 40 years and has a wealth of accolades, including a CBE for services to renewable energy. He already has strong links with the University, which include serving on the External Advisory Board of the Cabot Institute for the Environment since its creation in 2010.

Andrew’s breadth of experience and inspirational leadership skills will enhance the teaching of renewable energy across the University. He will interact with students at all stages of their studies, from first year courses through to Masters-level teaching units, both in the Faculty of Engineering and the wider University. He will also support new teaching programmes related to renewable energy, including the Cabot Institute Master’s by Research in Global Environmental Challenges.

Speaking of his appointment, Andrew said: "I am impressed by the recent, rapid growth of the undergraduate courses on sustainable engineering at Bristol and I am delighted to be appointed as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor. This post is focussed on students rather than research. I have spent my life in renewable energy and my goal here is to enthuse the students by both its engineering fascination and its social and political importance.”

Dr Paul Harper, a co-leader of the Low Carbon Energy Theme within the University of Bristol’s Cabot Institute added: "Since first meeting Andrew at a conference whilst I was still a student here at Bristol, he has played a key role in inspiring my own interests in renewable energy. I know that he will have the same impact on our current students and will be a tremendous asset to our teaching.”

Professor Ian Bond, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering summarised by stating: “Sustainability is a key theme throughout much of our teaching and research. Andrew’s appointment aligns directly with our desire to take a lead in addressing this global issue, and further endorses our aspiration to be part of the solution in meeting our ongoing energy needs following the University’s recent declaration of a climate emergency.”

Further information

About Andrew Garrad:

Dr Garrad has been professionally involved in wind energy for 40 years and built his first wind turbine in 1971. He was Chairman of the British Wind Energy Association in 1989. From 2013 to 2014 he was President of European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). In 2006 he received the EWEA's Poul la Cour Prize and, in 2015, the Aeolus Prize from the Hellenic Wind Energy Association – the only "non-Greek" ever to do so. Garrad Hassan won the Queen's Award for International Trade in 2000 and 2007 and Andrew chaired Bristol's year as European Green Capital in 2015.

He has a BA from the University of Oxford, a PhD from the University of Exeter and has been awarded the honorary degree of DEng by the University of Bristol in 2009 and the University of Exeter in 2018. Andrew was also a member of the Council of the University of Bristol from 2012 to 2016 and currently serves on the Cabot Institute’s External Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of New College, Oxford. Andrew received a CBE for services to renewable energy in 2017.

About the Cabot Institute for the Environment:

The Cabot Institute is a diverse community of 600 experts, united by a common cause: protecting our environment and identifying ways of living better with our changing planet. Together, we deliver the evidence base and solutions to tackle the challenges of food security, water, low carbon energy, city futures, environmental change, and natural hazards and disaster risk.

The new Cabot Institute Master’s by Research in Global Environmental Challenges combines a cutting-edge research project with training opportunities in leadership, enterprise and innovation, interdisciplinarity working, networking, communication and problem solving – positioning graduates for a successful career in research or in the environment and sustainability sectors. It will bring together students from all disciplines to work towards a common mission: protecting the environment and safeguarding its future.