Secretariat

Gillian joined the SCCS team as Programme Manager in June 2023 to develop and win collaborative research bids involving SCCS partner institutes, multi-national companies, policymakers, SMEs and NGOs. Gillian oversees the work of the team delivering public dissemination of knowledge to deliver impact for SCCS members and project partners. She engages with senior academics from multiple universities and a wide network of business contacts.

For five years prior to joining SCCS, Gillian specialised in building collaborative research and technology projects to accelerate decarbonisation of the energy sector as an independent consultant and also in various roles at Net Zero Technology Centre. Her interests span diverse themes including CCS, geothermal, offshore renewables, hydrogen, operational decarbonisation and digitalisation. She is an industry expert in Earth Science, holding extensive technical, multi-disciplinary team leadership and project management experience in the energy sector.

After graduating with a BSc in Geology from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Gillian completed an MSc  in Sedimentology at the University of Reading and a PhD in Reservoir Characterisation at Keele University.

Andrew holds a first-class degree in geology and a PhD in petroleum systems analysis from Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities and has over 20 years of experience in CO₂ storage analysis and advocacy. Since 2018 he has worked at Edinburgh University as a researcher, where he has led projects on storage and net zero readiness, including recent regional reviews of hydrogen and CO₂ storage (H₂Europe HyUSPRe, H2020 Strategy). 

Andrew advises on site selection and development for hydrogen storage and CO₂ storage, and develops evidence-based SCCS policy positions, translating these into consultation responses, committee evidence and media releases. Andrew engages with stakeholders from industry groups, public bodies, governmental and non-governmental organisations to build support for CCS in Scotland and across the European region. He advises on technical storage issues and net zero policy, including greenhouse gas reduction and removal, CCUS and hydrogen storage, and net zero emissions ambitions.

Erika is responsible for techno-economic studies and prepares technical reports to help guide the progress of SCCS projects. Additionally, Erika coordinates and develops Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including the world-leading MOOC on Carbon Capture and Storage, and provides knowledge exchange support across the SCCS partnership and beyond. Furthermore, she participates in public engagement activities for greater community outreach and provides Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training for interested parties.

Erika joined SCCS in 2022, bringing with her 9 years of expertise in the field of Carbon Capture and Storage. She divides her time between SCCS and teaching among other things Thermodynamics at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering to Mechanical Engineering students and supervising last year theses.

Erika has a PhD in Energy Systems from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc and BSc in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

Richard Lo Bianco leads the communication and engagement strategy at SCCS for a portfolio of international research and consultancy projects, and for the SCCS partnership, promoting activities and expertise to external audiences. He designs and implements strategic communication plans, including creating content for digital and print media, managing multiple websites and social media channels, events management, and reporting. Richard also provides advice and support to internal teams, ensuring effective knowledge exchange and public engagement, and is responsible for promoting SCCS' activities and expertise externally, providing strategic communications advice to support business development and outreach efforts.

Richard brings his creative and technology background to the team. He has over 15 years of expertise in communications, IT sales and training, organising and facilitating events, and engaging with a variety of audiences including youth groups, schools, academics, professionals, businesses, and government. Prior to joining SCCS, he collaborated in multidisciplinary projects and worked providing consultative AV advice, audio engineering, post-production services, and broadcasting support for films, animations, theatre, published apps, and independent media productions.

Richard has an MSc in Sound Design (The University of Edinburgh) and a BA in Music Technology (Anglia Ruskin University). He joined SCCS in 2020.

Richard Stevenson provides expertise in project management, research and data analysis across a range of decarbonisation disciplines, and brings technical leadership into the design and delivery of industrial decarbonisation research projects that quantify, assess and communicate the application of CCUS and related carbon management solutions. 

Richard provides advice to SCCS and EU project partners and key stakeholders, such as Scottish Government and other industry and academic groups, and also contributes to the wider SCCS partnership in terms of knowledge dissemination, outreach and public events. 

Richard previously taught Japanese at UK undergraduate level and worked as a translator and proofreader in Japan and the UK. He holds an MSc in Translation Studies and an MSc in Carbon Management (both The University of Edinburgh). He joined SCCS in 2014.

Romain focuses on business development across the carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) value chain; including CO₂ capture technologies, transport, utilisation and conversion, power plant integration modelling and engineering, geological storage, measurement and monitoring. He provides the SCCS partnership with industry engagement and identifies research and commercial opportunities in CCUS.

Over the last four years, Romain has established long-lasting strategic relationships with key stakeholders from various sectors, such as Bioenergy, Hydrogen, Food & Drink, Oil & Gas, and Heavy Industries, including Petrochemicals Steel & Cement and with a large number of SMEs. He has organised a number of targeted industry events and technical meetings, and initiated and supported the development of successful research collaborations and large research projects involving industrial partners and multiple stakeholders.

Romain joined SCCS to support the commercialisation and deployment of CCS as a climate change mitigation solution after spending 14 years in research, management and commercialisation within the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food & drink and life science sectors. Romain is a certified Prince2 project manager with a PhD in Chemistry.