Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer

Job title

Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability

With a focus on playing a strategically important role in leading Heriot-Watt University's institutional and global change in sustainability, a new position of Deputy Principal of Global Sustainability was created. Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer was appointed in January 2022 to lead the delivery of the University's sustainability strategy and goals, that form the basis through which we will demonstrate our global leadership to our community and international stakeholders. She collaborates very closely with our students, staff and alumni communities to co-deliver our commitments to a global just transition and meeting the UN sustainable development goals

Professor Maroto-Valer is the University's first Robert Buchan Chair in Sustainable Energy Engineering and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University. Her internationally recognised track record covers energy systems, CCUS, integration of hydrogen technologies and sustainable aviation fuels. She has over 580 publications and has received numerous international prizes and awards. She leads a team of over 70 researchers at RCCS bringing forward solutions to achieve net-zero targets. This was accelerated in January 2020, with the UKRI announcement of her appointment as the UK Champion for Industrial Decarbonisation, leading the multi-million UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) focused on accelerating the transition to net zero of industrial clusters and establishing the first world net-zero industrial cluster.

Professor Maroto-Valer holds leading positions in professional societies/editorial boards, including her role in the UN Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET), a high-level, independent advisory council supporting the UN Secretary-General's goal for finding engineering pathways to net zero through expert scientific analysis and guidance.

I am thrilled with this opportunity to lead our pioneering sector approach in Global Sustainability. Our present ambition and actions will mark the livelihoods of future generations and I'm personally committed to sustainable development and leaving a better planet than I found it. I look forward to working together to co-create our action plan and making a significant impact on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals