Director of Research in Industrial Sustainability

Academic Division: Manufacturing and Management

Research group: Production Processes

Telephone: +44 1223 3 39815

Email: se321@eng.cam.ac.uk

Personal website

Research interests

Prof Steve Evans’ research seeks a deep understanding of how industry develops solutions that move us towards a sustainable future. He researches and conducts projects with organisations to improve their performance in various dimensions; recent work includes:

• Sustainable factories
• Food systems for people with reduced access to food
• Sustainable city re-generation design
• Sustainable design and operations for mainstream car manufacturers
• Cars with water for exhaust that do 300mpg (equivalent).

He has observed that each sector (and each company in it) is only unique in the particular details which hold it back from better performance. The common issues (including lack of innovation, limited collaboration, poor performance management) can benefit from structured responses. Steve has helped organisations create and implement such structured responses to resolve a variety of problems.

Research projects

• EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Industrial Sustainability,1 July 2011 to 30 June 2016, £5,268,000
• EC FW7 SustainValue, 1-Aug-11 to 31-Mar-14, £345,110
• Asics Sustainable Apparel Programme, 1-Nov-12 to 31-May-13, £12,967
• UNIDO Green Energy Project, 1-Aug-12 to 30-Sep-12
• TSB Resource Efficiency: New Designs for a Circular Economy (Toyota), 1-Sep-13 to 30-Oct-13, £9900
• TSB Resource Efficiency: New Designs for a Circular Economy (Dyson), 1-Jul-13 to 30-Oct-13, £9900

Other positions

Steve has been Principal Investigator for many research projects. He has also held various collegiate and policy positions:

• Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords inquiry into Waste Reduction
• Member of Conservative Party Waste Commission
• ‘Sustainability Champion’ for Minister for Skills
• Chair of the Manufacturing Policy Panel of the Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Member of the REF sub-panel for Aeronautical, Mechanical, Chemical and Manufacturing Engineering
• Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge

Biography

• Director of Research for Industrial Sustainability, University of Cambridge, July 2011 to present
• Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Industrial Sustainability
• Director, Centre for Sustainable Engineering 2005 to present
• Director CSEng Ventures Limited 2009 to present (bringing sustainable technology to market)
• Founding Partner, Riversimple LLP, 2007 to present (bringing fuel-efficient vehicles to market)
• Professor of Life Cycle Engineering, Cranfield, 1998 – 2011
• Head of International Ecotechnology Research Centre, Cranfield, 2000 - 2006
• Co-Director of Supplier Co-Development Initiative, Nissan European Technology Centre, 1995 - 1999
• Engineering Systems Manager, Martin‑Baker Engineering, July 85 ‑ July 88
• Senior Research Engineer, CADCentre, Mar 84 – Dec 84
• Research Industrial Engineer, Plessey Military Communications, Sept 80 ‑ Mar 84
• Student Apprentice, Marconi Radar Systems Ltd, Sept 76 ‑ Sept 80
• Doctor of Philosophy, 1984, University of Bath
• Bachelor of Science, 1980, University of Bath, Mechanical Engineering