Professor Neil Beattie

Professor

School: Engineering, Physics and Mathematics

I am a Professor of Energy Innovation and the Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (ReNU).

Before joining Northumbria University in 2009, I completed a PhD in physics at the University of Cambridge (Cavendish Laboratory) in 2005. This work was sponsored by Toshiba (EPSRC CASE award) and was in the field of semiconductor devices for quantum information. Following my PhD, I worked as an Innovation Consultant from 2005-2009 on behalf of clients including Shell, P&G, Rolls-Royce and Boeing.

At Northumbria University, I belong to the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering and in 2013/14 led the launch of complete new undergraduate provision in physics. These programmes now have over a hundred graduates and are accredited by the Institute of Physics.

My research is in the area of photovoltaics and in 2017, together with colleagues in the region, we created the EPSRC-ISCF North East Centre for Energy Materials (NECEM). This brought together a coherent base of research excellence in energy materials and systems and was a key element in securing Northumbria University's first EPSRC CDT.

The combination of my academic track record and industrial experience has allowed me to develop specialism in strategic research leadership and innovation. I am now using these skills to establish and lead Energy Futures - a diverse and inclusive community of academics across different disciplines at Northumbria University with the common aim of decarbonisation through research impact.

Campus Address

Ellison Building

Email Neil

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

I have a background in semiconductor physics and have applied this to the field of photovoltaics (PV). In particular I now specialise in solution-processed inorganic thin film PV using materials such as Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄. At Northumbria University, we have distictive materials fabrication capability that allows us to make thin film solar cells from substrates such as glass and foils through to the photovoltaic absorber, charge transport layers and electrical contacts. In addition to complete device fabrication, we also use a wide range of materials characterisation techniques to understand fundamental physics and engineering relating to defects, interfaces and optoelectronic behaviour. In 2019, I was awarded an EPSRC Adventurous Manufacturing grant (EP/T005491/1) to assess the feasibility of creating a transformative new sub-field, Product Integrated Photovoltaics. This has allowed me to perform research into manufacturing techniques and develop new capabilities at Northumbria University.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Maximising environmental savings from silicon photovoltaics manufacturing to 2035, Willis, B., Rigby, O., Pain, S., Grant, N., Murphy, J., Bonilla, R., Beattie, N. 10 Mar 2026, In: Nature Communications
Sustainability Outlook for Leading Silicon Photovoltaic Technologies from 2023-2034 in Europe, Willis, B., Rigby, O., Pain, S., Grant, N., Murphy, J., Bonilla, R., Beattie, N. 16 Mar 2026, In: EPJ Photovoltaics
ZnO nanorod hemispherical light scatterers for thin film solar cell applications, Matheson, E., Campbell, S., Maiello, P., Zoppi, G., Barrioz, V., Beattie, N., Qu, Y. 31 Mar 2026, In: Journal of Physics: Energy
AI-Enabled Smart Industrial Energy Planning for Decarbonising Water Distribution Networks, Duggal, D., Wu, H., Beattie, N., Browne, A. 1 Dec 2025, In: Energy Reports
Decarbonising Water Networks: Optimised Scheduling of Time-Sensitive Loads in the Presence of Cost-based Solar PV Systems, Duggal, D., Wu, H., Beattie, N., Browne, A. 1 Sep 2025, 2025 Energy Conversion Congress & Expo Europe (ECCE Europe), Piscataway, United States, IEEE
Diode laser induced crystallization of CZTS thin films deposited on flexible molybdenum foils, Olavil-Karayi, S., Sezer, K., Kartopu, G., Jones, M., Punathil, P., Oklobia, O., Tyrer, J., Jones, L., Qu, Y., Barrioz, V., Zoppi, G., Beattie, N., Woolley, E. 15 Jun 2025, In: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing
Energy efficient production: Diode laser annealing of thin film CZTS photovoltaic absorbers, Olavil-Karayi, S., Punathil, P., Rigby, O., Kartopu, G., Jones, L., Tyrer, J., Willis, B., Barrioz, V., Zoppi, G., Beattie, N., Woolley, E. 17 Jul 2025, In: Procedia CIRP
Laser Annealing of CZTS Absorber Layers: Molecular Ink vs. Nano Ink Comparison, Olavil-Karayi, S., Punathil, P., Jones, L., Beattie, N., Zoppi, G., Barrioz, V., Woolley, E. 13 Jun 2025, 2025 IEEE 53rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), Piscataway, NJ, IEEE
Sustainability Education for Young Children: Introductory Life Cycle Assessment, Willis, B., Padwick, A., Portas, A., Shimwell, J., Horan, M., Davenport, C., Beattie, N. 2 Nov 2025, 2025 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Piscataway, US, IEEE
Towards more sustainable photovoltaics: Reducing environmental impact at the laboratory scale, Willis, B., Jones, M., Rigby, O., Jones, L., Woolley, E., Vialle, C., Sablayrolles, C., Qu, Y., Beattie, N. 17 Jul 2025, In: Procedia CIRP

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Advanced Thin Film Sputtering Fabrication Facility (TF-FAB), Zoppi, G. (Principal Investigator), Beattie, N. (Co Investigator), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 01/04/23 - 31/03/26, £971,033.00

PGR Supervision

Kyle Affleck Impact of recycling on multi-terawatt photovoltaic systems Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Ewan Matheson Structural and optical properties of solution processed ZnO nanostructures. Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 23/05/2025
Kyle Affleck Impact of recycling on multi-terawatt photovoltaic systems Start Date: 01/10/2025
Bethany Willis The Manufacturing and Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Photovoltaic Devices Start Date: 01/10/2022
Bethany Willis The Manufacturing and Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Photovoltaic Devices Start Date: 01/10/2022 End Date: 17/10/2025