EEC Online Seminars: Environment & Society

Richard Thackray

Lecturer, University of Sheffield

Richard Thackray holds a degree in Materials Science and a PhD in Metallurgy from Imperial College London. He joined the University of Sheffield in 2003 as Tata (Corus) Steel sponsored Lecturer in Steelmaking. His current research interests are related to the production of steel, including the development and optimisation of mould powders for the continuous casting of steel, the role of thermomechanical processing on inclusion behavior, the effect of process route on inclusion distribution and the effect of residual elements on steel processing and properties.

Alan Scholes

Chief Technology Officer , Materials Processing Institute

Alan is the Chief Technology Officer the Materials Processing Institute. The Institute develops new technologies, primarily for the steel and metals industries, in the areas of decarbonisation, circular economy, advanced materials and digital technologies. Alan’s background encompasses over 30 years of research in the steel sector, particularly for liquid steelmaking and casting where he has worked internationally developing and implementing new processes on a variety of steel plants. He has a strong interest in both operational and process safety and environmental impact based on knowledge of both existing processes and the challenges associated with process change.

Louis Brimacombe

Chairman , British Standards Committee on Sustainable Performance, Consumption and Production (SCP/1)

Louis is a Fellow of IOM3 and a chartered Chemical Engineer. Currently working as a consultant and business advisor specialising in sustainable development and life cycle assessment (LCA). His leadership skills, innovative approach and vision has helped businesses to develop sustainability strategies and build R&D programmes that support life cycle thinking in product marketing strategies.

Having worked in the steel industry for 30 years, latterly at Tata Steel, he gained international recognition for his work on Life Cycle Assessment and led the international project to produce the first Global Life Cycle Inventories for steel products (1997). He continued to develop strategy in this subject area and in 2015 became the inaugural Chairman of the Product Sustainability Committee of the World Steel Association.

Meanwhile in his day job for 15 years, to 2016, Louis also led a 45-strong research team as Head of Environmental Technology at Tata Steel where the Department gained a strong reputation for delivering value-added R&D projects to the Tata Steel businesses whilst making cost effective improvements to both the manufacturing processes and new product development areas.

Outside of steel, he Chaired IOM3’s, Sustainable Development Group till April 2021, with membership across all materials sectors, supply chains and markets including KTNs, Universities. This group promotes collaboration between industry and academia to help raise awareness and develop projects on sustainability in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

More recently (2020-2024) he held the role of Chairman of the British Standards Committee SCP/1 “Sustainable Performance, Consumption and Production” leading the development of new standards in the field. He delivers annual lectures by invitation on Sustainability, Ethical Business and Life Cycle Thinking (including 2024) at Oxford University and University of Manchester). He has also created and teaches “An Introduction to LCA” training course for IOM3 and carries out independent critical review work for LCA projects.  

He also Chairs the Strategic Advisory Board for the SUSTAIN project, a research programme aiming for zero carbon/resource efficiency/circular economy for the steel industry run collaboratively by Swansea, Warwick and Sheffield Universities.

In 2014, Louis was awarded the Sir Robert Hadfield Medal by IOM3 and he delivered the Bessemer Master Class in 2014 and again in 2018. He is an experienced assessor of research proposals for UKRI and Innovate UK competitions.