11th North East Energy Materials and Systems (NEEMS 11)

18th November 2025

Magpie Suite, St James' Park

9am - 5pm

11th North East Energy Materials and Systems Meeting (NEEMS 11)

Tuesday 18th November 2025, 9am - 5pm

The NEEMS event has been running since 2016 and has focussed on industry collaborations, skills, supply chains and whole energy systems for Net Zero. Last year’s NEEMS event showcased the power of collaboration between academia and industry, and fostered discussions on securing funding for energy innovation, leveraging AI and IoT for energy management, and preparing the workforce to meet net-zero goals.

The theme of this year’s event is ‘Shaping Tomorrow’s Energy Leaders’.

The event offers an excellent opportunity to:

Build professional relationships between industry and academia;
Interact with ReNU doctoral candidates and industrialists;
Identify collaborative R&D projects;
Share and learn new perspectives on achieving Net Zero

Agenda:

Theme: Shaping Tomorrow's Energy Leaders

8:50 - 9:20	Registration with coffee and tea
9:20 - 9:30	Welcome: Introduction to NEEMS and ReNU Lu Xing and Neil Beattie (ReNU)
9:30 - 9:45	Net Zero Newcastle, Councillor Dr Juna Sathian
Session 1 (Chair: Lu Xing)
9:45 - 10:00	ReNU Alumni Presentation 1 Reflections on my transition and role today Elisangela D'Oliveira (Sustainability Engineer, Cundall, Newcastle Office)
10:00 - 10:15	ReNU Alumni Presentation 2 Metrology at BAE Systems Ewan Matheson (Metrologist at BAE Systems)
10:15 - 10:30	Coffee Break
10:30 - 10:50	Industry Challenge Presentation 1 Development of onshore large-scale hydrogen reception facilities ORE Catapult, Pierre-Louis Peuch, Nada Omran, Ali Badakhshan, Becky Wignall
10:50 - 11:10	Industry Challenge Presentation 2 An investigation of Hydrogen production at wastewater sites Northumbrian Water, Amna Ijaz, William Norfolk, Samuel Hayes, Manthila Wijesooriya Mudiyanselage
11:10 - 11:55	Panel Discussion (chaired by Neil Beattie) Accelerating Doctoral Training to Create Carbon Champions Objective: Engage with industry leaders to define the essential qualities they seek in future energy professionals and co-develop bold, future-focused strategies to prepare PhD researchers to lead the charge toward Net Zero as Carbon Champions. Explore how the ReNU training has supported ReNU alumni journey toward becoming future leaders in the energy sector and share their personal missions for advancing clean energy
11:55 - 12:30	ReNU⁺ Cohort 6 Project Presentation
12:30 - 13:50	Lunch & Networking
Session 2 (Chaired by ReNU Student)
13:50 - 14:15	Overview of OREC activities Graham Smith, Principal Portfolio Manager, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
14:15 - 15:05	Roundtable Discussions - Unite with Innovators to Transform Energy's Tomorrow (chaired by Mark Ireland) Objective: To enhance cross-sector understanding, generate actionable insights and identify collaboration opportunities Joint discussions: Industry experts, PhD students, academics, and policymakers
15:05 - 15:25	Coffee Break
Session 3 (Chaired by ReNU Student)
15:25 - 15:50	Hydrogen and the Role of Gas Network Mr Keith Owen, Head of Energy Futures at Northern Gas Networks
15:50 - 16:15	Advancing Commercial Vehicles Toward Zero Emission Mr Neil Pattison, Industry Expert
16: - 16:30	Clean Heat by 2040 Aaron Gould, Head of Research at ADE
16:30 - 16:40	Summary and Closing Remarks Neil Beattie (ReNU/ReNU⁺)

Dinner at Civic Centre, Newcastle
18:30 - 19:00	Reception
19:00 - 21:00	Dinner

Whether you're exploring future talent, seeking fresh perspectives on R&D, or interested in practical collaboration opportunities, NEEMS 11 provides a focused platform to connect with researchers and peers across the energy sector.

If you have any queries about the event please contact: samantha.tennant@northumbria.ac.uk

For further information about ReNU and ReNU⁺please visit the Renewable Energy Northeast Universities website.