Dr Jonathan Busch

Profile

I joined SRI as a Research Fellow in November 2011, appointed jointly between the School of Earth and Environment and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure in the School of Civil Engineering. My research is in the fields of Ecological Economics and Industrial Ecology; studying the technological, economic and social basis for a transition to sustainable, low carbon infrastructure systems.

Since joining SRI, I have worked on the EPSRC Undermining Infrastructure project, the EPSRC/ESRC iBuild (Infrastructure Business Models, Valuation and Innovation for Local Delivery) centre and the NERC/ESRC funded CVORR (Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery) project. My current work is with CCCEP (the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy), contributing to the research programme on enabling rapid transitions in mitigation and adaptation, focusing on the roles of government, market and civil society actors in low carbon infrastructure innovation and deployment.

Prior to joining SRI, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Physics department where I also completed my PhD on theoretical implementations of quantum information processing.

Research interests

Current Projects

CCCEP - enabling rapid transitions in mitigation and adaptation [ESRC]
This project aims to develop a quantitative framework to test policy interventions for systemic low carbon transitions where the co-benefits and roles of government, market and civil-society actors are emphasized.

Previous Projects

CVORR (Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Revocery) [NERC/ESRC]
The CVORR project is developing a value assessment framework for product/waste systems based on a concept of complex value that encompasses economic, social, environmental and technical dimensions. My work on this project was the development of the framework and particularly the creation of modelling tools that enable the accounting of complex value across a whole system.

iBuild (Infrastructure Business Models, Valuation and Innovation for Local Delivery) [EPSRC/ESRC]
The iBuild centre studies the delivery of infrastructure at local scales based on developing new understanding of the economics and valuation of infrastructure. My work on this project was on a work package on the scaling of local infrastructure business models where the role of alternative local actors is crucial.

Undermining Infrastructure [EPSRC]
The Undermining Infrastructure project developed a criticality assessment framework for low carbon infrastructure transitions, where resource scarcity presents a significant risk. My work on the project was the development of a novel, enhanced stocks and flows model for low carbon technologies and materials that enables a dynamic criticality assessment.

• Creating a low carbon, environmentally sustainable and socially just value chain for rare earth magnets
• Productive & Inclusive Net Zero (PRINZ)

Qualifications

• PhD, Theoretical Physics, University of Leeds
• MSci (Hons), Physics, Imperial College London

Professional memberships

• Member of the International Society for Ecological Economics
• Member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology
• Member of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy

Student education

I have contributed to teaching on Ecological Economics and Sustainability in the School of Earth and Environment since 2012, including the delivery of lectures, seminars and workshops, design and marking of assessments, and supervision of undergraduate and MSc dissertations. 

In 2018, I led the development of the Discovering Sustainability student journal as a means of publicising the work of our students as co-creators of their education. The journal gives students across the University an opportunity to publish articles on issues in sustainability that they feel passionate about communicating. This can include topics they have explored in modules, the results of their dissertation research, or extracurricular interests.

Research groups and institutes

• Economics and Policy for Sustainability
• Sustainability Research Institute
• Business Organisations for Sustainable Societies
• Energy and Climate Change Mitigation