Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

Mission InnovationMission Innovation | About MI | Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

As part of the sixth MI Ministerial (MI-6), with the launch of MI 2.0, Mission Innovation members committed to support the formation of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG).  The purpose of the TAG is to provide an independent review and advisory function for Mission Innovation activities to help Mission Innovation governments maximise their impact. 

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“Mission Innovation’s goal of accelerating the clean energy transition for all is vital and I’m excited to be providing my support as TAG Chair.”

Dr. Jenny Hayward,

TAG Chair and Principal Research Scientist in Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Energy Business Unit, Australia

 

“I look forward to leading the TAG by supporting the Chair to provide valuable support and independent guidance to Mission Innovation.”

Dr. Michio Kondo,

TAG Vice-Chair and Supervisory Innovation Coordinator, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan

 

The TAG brings together 19 leading  scientists and senior energy innovation professionals from around the world nominated by MI member countries and partner organizations. The TAG members will use their policy, technical, and commercial expertise and knowledge of clean energy innovation architecture and mission-oriented programming to provide recommendations to the MI Steering Committee and help MI reach its goals

The work done by TAG will be critical to drive impact and outcomes for Mission Innovation and will review the Missions and Innovation Platform to improve efforts for greater impact and exchange knowledge across National Innovation Pathways.  

Dr. Jenny Hayward (TAG Chair) — Australia

Jenny Hayward is a principal research scientist in Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Energy Business Unit. She leads research projects on technology cost projections and the models she has developed are used to project the cost of electricity generation technologies for the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Australian Government. Jenny has made economic modelling contributions to roadmap and renewable energy projects, including the Low Emissions Technology Statement, the Australian National Hydrogen Roadmap and Low Emissions Technology Roadmap. She has contributed to studies undertaken by CSIRO on energy storage, remote area power systems, the techno-economic potential of solar fuels, the potential of sustainable aviation fuels; ocean renewable energy; geothermal heat for gas processing and concentrating solar thermal energy in Australia.

Her focus is on developing new methods and modelling approaches to provide robust projections of the capital costs of existing and emerging electricity generation and fuel conversion technologies.

Jenny has previously worked as a computational chemist with expertise in chemical and biological modelling. She has worked in interdisciplinary environments to provide analysis on issues of future strategic significance.

 Dr. Michio Kondo (TAG Vice Chair) —  Japan

Michio Kondo is a professor at Waseda University, conducting and planning strategies for revitalizing academic research at the university. He also serves as an Emeritus Researcher at AIST advising for international collaboration.
Michio has extensive experience in the PV field, with over 30 years of experience, and also been engaged in renewable energies and hydrogen technologies. He serves as Chair of Technical Committee, TC82 in IEC to conduct international standardization upon solar photovoltaic power systems. In recent years he has played a primary role in the international initiative, RD20, launched in 2019 on the occasion of the G20 Summit in Osaka.
Michio holds a Ph.D. in Material Science from Osaka University. He has served as visiting professor in the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

 

Dr. Julia Reinaud — Breakthrough Energy

Julia Reinaud has been working in the field of climate and energy for the past two decades. She is an experienced business developer with a track record of spearheading international projects and integrating sustainability and innovation into businesses and governments strategies.

Julia joined Breakthrough Energy in 2018. She has been shaping and implementing the organization’s activities and partnerships in Europe. As part of that effort, Julia worked with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to set up Breakthrough Energy Ventures Europe, a €100 million fund dedicated to investing in Europe’s best clean energy entrepreneurs. She also supported the new EU-Catalyst partnership and the Breakthrough Energy Catalyst partnership with the UK that will accelerate the deployment and rapid commercialization of innovative technologies.

Prior to Breakthrough Energy, Julia served in a variety of leadership roles in the climate and energy sector – heading industry and energy innovation programs at the European Climate Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Institute for Industrial Productivity. She started her career as an analyst at the IEA. She has worked internationally with projects in Europe, China and India.

Julia holds a PhD with distinction in Economics and Industrial Strategy from University Paris Dauphine.

 

Dr. Ashley Mercer — Canada

Dr. Ashley Mercer is the Senior Science and Technology Director for Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Research and Development.  Throughout her career, Ashley has held various research and leadership roles in government and academic institutes working to advance innovation across energy systems.  She holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University and a Doctorate with a specialization in Energy Systems from the University of Calgary. She currently leads a team, comprised of over eighty engineers, science and technology advisors and policy analysts, who provide scientific and technical leadership on programs and policies to drive innovation across Canada’s energy system. She also provides senior S&T leadership to Canadian energy innovation programming that prioritizes, plans, and funds Canadian federal laboratories advancing efforts in energy R&D. Before working at Natural Resources Canada, Ashley worked for the Government of the Northwest Territories at the Aurora Research Institute.  There, living close to the Arctic circle, she supported all types of research focused on Canada’s northern regions.

 

Dr. Kong Li — China

Professor of University of Science and Technology of China（USTC), and researcher of Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences（CAS).

He once served as director of the Institute of Electrical Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, director of the Planning and Finance Bureau of CAS, and vice president of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society. He is currently the vice dean of the Institute for Carbon Neutrality of USTC, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society.

He has dedicated his career to the research and development of new energy power generation, renewable energy access and new power grid technology. His significant achievements include advancements in energy conversion technology for photovoltaic power system, the independent large-scale photovoltaic power station with local power grid, power electronic transformer, ac / dc hybrid micro-grid, etc.

 

Ms. Birgitte Keulen – European Investment Bank

Birgitte Keulen is the Climate Advisor for the Mobility Department of the European Investment Bank (EIB). Since the beginning of 2020, she has been coordinating on behalf of the department the contributions to support the EIB’s journey to become the EU’s climate bank. The Mobility Department oversees investments in various transport modes, including road, rail, aviation and shipping. Prior to her current role, Birgitte was involved in coordinating the EIB’s Cleaner Transport Facility  and she appraised and advised on mobility projects in the urban mobility, rail, and road sectors in- and outside Europe.
Education and previous career: Birgitte’s journey began with a degree in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands. She then spent over a decade advising on major infrastructure projects, while studying law at Erasmus University in Rotterdam in her spare time. Prior to joining the EIB, Birgitte took a sabbatical to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and gained experience assisting start-ups and interning at a competition policy firm.

Dr. Vangelis Tzimas — European Commission

Vangelis Tzimas is head of the ‘Knowledge for the Energy Union’ unit in the Energy, Transport and Climate Directorate of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. He leads a team of 50 researchers that provide scientific evidence and analysis to support the energy, industrial and research and innovation policies of the European Union to enable a just, competitive and resilient transition to climate neutrality. He is a member of the Mission Innovation Technical Advisory Group, and his unit is responsible for leading the MI Insights module, which tracks progress in global clean energy innovation, primarily through system-mapping and experience-sharing. Vangelis joined the European Commission in 2000. Since then he has held research positions across a range of areas in the field of energy, including clean energy innovation & competitiveness, the decarbonisation of the power, industrial and heating & cooling sectors, supply chain resilience, energy and industrial infrastructure planning, renewables integration and social aspects of the energy transition. He is based in the Netherlands, and has a Masters Degree from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, and a Ph.D. from Drexel University in USA, both in engineering.

 

Dr. Dagmar Sommer — Germany

Dagmar Sommer obtained her Dr in Electrical Engineering in 2001 at University of Hagen, Germany. She worked as a technical expert at Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Germany´s central expert organisation in the field of nuclear safety for 20 years in numerous research projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Since 2010, she lead a team of technical experts performing research in nuclear power plant technology, in robustness and reliability of electrical and automation systems, information security, in integration of electrical power generated by renewable energies into the grid, and in generation of clean hydrogen. In addition to this, she worked in different national and international technical committees such as German DIN, IAEA and OECD/NEA. Since 2023, Dagmar is working at Project Management of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. She is head of the department of Power Plant Technology, CCUS, and CSP. She and her team are responsible for implementing funding of research projects in these sectors in the German federal energy research programme on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

 

Ms. Araceli Fernandez  Pales —  IEA

Araceli Fernandez has more than fifteen years’ experience working on technology development in the energy field. She currently serves at the International Energy Agency as the Head of the Technology and Innovation Unit within the Energy Technology Policy division. Araceli manages research, analytical and scenario modelling activities on clean technologies for end-use sectors in that Division. She also supervises the process to monitor the readiness level of clean technologies across the energy sector and to track clean energy progress. In her previous role at the IEA, she led the modelling and technology analysis related to the industrial sector, in particular, in the same division.

Before joining the IEA in 2012, Araceli served in different roles in the Oil & Gas sector including process optimization, detailed engineering, new processes licensing and emissions monitoring for refinery and petrochemical projects. Araceli holds a MEng in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnical University of Valencia (Spain) and a MSc in Process Engineering from Cranfield University (UK).

 

Prof. Shireesh B Kedare— India

Shireesh Kedare is a Professor at IIT Bombay. With Bachelors and Ph.D. in engineering, he has an ability to do solution engineering and he is a prolific teacher. He has wide research experience in renewable energy technologies, particularly solar thermal concentrators for industrial process heat and power with storage. He has extensive exposure to industry, entrepreneurship, product development and commercialization. He has long academic experience as a teacher and his ability to communicate different aspects of engineering and technology is appreciated by the students. He has won many national and international awards for innovation and solar concentrator system developed that was aimed at addressing the climate change issues as well as awards for Excellence in Teaching at IIT Bombay. Further, he is actively involved in rural technology and skill development for rural artisans and rural industrialization. He has wide exposure and experience in rural energy and agricultural reforms through participatory development approach. He is widely experienced in developing and improving organizational systems and structures in small as well as large industries, academic organizations as well as voluntary and non-governmental organizations.

 

Ms. Norela Constantinescu – IRENA

Norela Constantinescu is Deputy Director at IRENA Innovation and Technology Center. Until May 2024 she was Head of Innovation Section with ENTSO-E, the European Network for Transmission System Operators for electricity for which she worked for 10 years, starting in 2014. In the period June 2022 – March 2024, she was chair of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Smart Network for Energy Transition. Previously she worked with European Commission DG Energy on low-carbon technologies, wind and smart cities and communities. She is an energy engineer with post-graduate studies in business administration and applied computer science.

 

 

Mr. Colin Ward—  KAPSARC

Colin Ward is a Principal Fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center  (KAPSARC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At KAPSARC, he focuses on oil markets, CCUS, and decarbonization strategies in both published research and consulting engagements.
Colin has almost 20 years of experience in the energy field, ranging from seismic exploration to refinery design, control systems engineering, economic modelling, cost engineering, operations modelling, consulting for IOC and NOC clients, and now academic research into markets and the energy transition. His work since starting at KAPSARC has contributed to several Saudi techno-economic government initiatives, as well as collaborations with the IEA, UN, Net-Zero Knowledge Consortium, T20, and many others.
Colin holds a BArts in Philosophy from Tulane University, a BSci in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, and an MBA from the University of Texas.

Dr. Turki Al-Aqeel —  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Dr. Turki Al-Aqeel is an Advisor on sustainability and climate change at the Saudi Ministry of Energy. He provides insight into policy and strategy support through impact assessment and strategic alignment on investment, economic development, international relations, and geopolitics. He served in developing and leading the power sector strategy as part of the integrated energy strategy. He also served in developing strategic partnerships in security, technologies, innovation, localization, and sustainability.

Over the span of two decades, he worked for several government and multinational firms, including King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), where he served as a researcher on energy transitions and innovation and task force officer for the T20 (Think 20). He also worked for ABB, Woodward, Colorado Concept Coatings, and the Advanced Power Engineering Laboratory in economic research and energy modeling.

Dr. Al-Aqeel is a board member of the Saudi Association for Energy Economics and a Senior Member of IEEE. He is a member of several committees in Saudi Arabia, GCC, and internationally. He is also a reviewer for several journals and conferences. Dr. Al-Aqeel holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University, a Post-Grad Certificate in Power and Energy, and a Post-Grad Certificate in Finance.

 

Mr. Bert Stuij — Netherlands

Bert Stuij has over thirty five years of experience in the energy world. He graduated as mechanical engineer at the Technical University of Delft, on a fully sustainable energy system for the Netherlands. He then joined Shell, and worked for almost seven years in the United Kingdom, in the oil and gas sector. Returning to the Netherlands he joined the national Environmental and Energy Agency. The last twenty years he led departments at the agency, specifically focusing on supporting the energy transition towards climate neutrality and resilience.
Currently he is responsible for the implementation of renewable energy policies, clean fuel and hydrogen policies, heat policies and energy innovation policies.
Internationally, Bert has been a member of the IEA Committee on Energy Research and Technology (CERT) for many years. The last six years he served as Vice Chair of this committee.
One day a week Bert teaches at the New Energy Business School, linked to the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He teaches energy transition and energy innovation, with due attention for the societal and technical dimensions of the transition. Bert also lectures at the European Business School ESCP, on the subjects energy and sustainability, and energy and risks.
Until 2023 Bert was member of the 10 people, high level ‘Expert Team Energy System 2050’. This expert team was installed by the Dutch Cabinet, to provide long term guidance for a policy portfolio that would achieve a just, robust, and ecologically sound energy system by the middle of the century. This report was published in the first half of 2023, and then found its way into long term energy strategy of the Netherlands.

Mr. Per Arne Karlsen — Norway

Per Arne Karlsen has been working in the field of renewable energy for the past three decades, focused on R&D-, Business- and Market Development on various energy sources (hydropower, solar, wind, hydrogen and bio) and Energy systems (Power Grid, District Heating). He is an experienced manager with long track record from both Energy companies and Consultancy in the field of Energy and Climate. Per Arne joined The Research Council of Norway (RCN) in 2018. At RCN he has been working with R&I funding programmes and cooperation both at a national and international level including Horizon Europe, various Era-Nets and CETP (Clean Energy Transition Partnership). He is also Norway’s ExCo member in IEA Bioenergy and country representative at the Advisory board for ETIP Bioenergy.

Per Arne has a background as an Engineer in the fields of Energy and construction. In addition, he holds a BA in Economics and MBA from Heriot-Watt University/UK.

 

Dr. Thabo Hlalele — South Africa

Thabo Hlalele is a leader in the field of engineering, currently serving as the Head of the Energy Centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa. With a career spanning over a decade, he has developed a robust skill set across all stages of the engineering project lifecycle, including feasibility analysis, design, execution, project management, and operations maintenance. His previous roles include Senior Manager at PwC, Project Engineer at Enel Green Power, and Senior Application Engineer at Winder Controls (Pty) Ltd, where he led engineering designs for mine hoisting systems and supported project management. Dr. Hlalele holds a PhD and a Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a member of RD20’s Action Committee.
In his current role, Dr Hlalele provides strategic leadership in the development of battery technologies from low TRL to high TRL while ensuring the integration of energy storage with renewable energy sources to improve performance and achieve the energy mix targets of South Africa. He leads an RDI on the economics of renewable hydrogen production in South Africa and the benefits its presents to the hard-to-abate sectors and Power-to-X (PtX).

Dr. Margarita de Gregorio — Spain

Margarita de Gregorio is a Spanish leading professional in the field of renewables, biocircularity and sustainability. Environmental Engineer with a PhD in the Economy of Natural Resources, since 2007 she has been general secretary of the Spanish Technology and Innovation Platform in Biocircularity (BIOPLAT). Since 2016, Margarita has been the technical secretary at the European Alliance for Research Excellence in Sustainable Bioenergy (EERA Bioenergy). Currently, she holds the position of CEO of the Spanish Association of Biocircularity (BIOCIRC). And, in March 2024, Margarita was appointed president of the Spanish Alliance for the Sustainability of Air Transport (AST). Besides, throughout her extensive career, she has been Biomass Director at the Spanish Association of Renewable Energies for 17 years (2006-2023). In parallel, since 2009 she has been general secretary of the Spanish Technology and Innovation Platform in Geothermal (GEOPLAT) and she is the CEO of the Spanish Geothermal Association (GEOENERGÍA). In addition to her professional career, Margarita has contributed to the academic field as a professor in master’s at universities and schools. Likewise, she has been a speaker at multiple national and international conferences and has published numerous publications (scientific-technical, position papers, sectorial documents and in the media).

 

Prof. Mercedes Maroto Valer — United Kingdom

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer (FRSE, FIChemE, FRSC, FRSA, FEI) is Champion and Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC, funded by UKRI) focused on accelerating the transition to net zero of the UK industrial clusters and establishing the first world net-zero industrial cluster.

Mercedes is Deputy Principal (Global Sustainability) at Heriot-Watt University leading institutional and global changes in sustainability, making a significant impact on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and working with partners to achieve global carbon reduction targets. Mercedes is also Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS, Heriot-Wat University), delivering innovation for the wider deployment of low-carbon energy systems required for meeting net-zero targets.

Her internationally recognised track record covers whole energy systems, CCUS, hydrogen technologies and low-carbon fuels. She has over 600 publications and has received numerous international prizes and awards. Mercedes holds leading positions in professional societies and editorial boards, including her role in the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.