The Consortium
There are over 40 people working across the UK-MaRes Hub, including the Director, Co-Directors, Co-Investigators, Researchers, Technicians and Professional Service Staff, all passionate about driving forward the research and innovation needed to create meaningful change across the sector. See below to find out more about the people involved.
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Dr Dacheng Li
Research Fellow in Clean Maritime at Aston University
Dr Dacheng Li served as an Assistant Professor and later an Associate Professor at the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, from 2012. In 2019, he joined the University of Warwick as a Research Fellow and subsequently worked at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham from 2022.
In 2026, he joined the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University, where he is currently working on the Clean Maritime project. His research, project delivery, and teaching (FHEA) activities focus on the interdisciplinary fields of Energy and Artificial Intelligence (AI), with particular emphasis on the energy storage, and development and practical implementation of AI-driven methodologies for energy decarbonisation and the discovery and development of advanced energy materials.
Dr Zhentao Wu
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, Co-Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI)
Dr. Zhentao Wu is a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies at Aston University and Co-Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI). He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London and has since developed a strong research portfolio in advanced materials, catalytic processes, and membrane technologies for energy and environmental applications.
Dr. Wu’s research interests encompass process intensification, microstructured materials, catalytic membrane reactors, and innovative solutions for water treatment and chemical reactions. His work combines material synthesis, characterization, and application in energy conversion and separation systems. He has secured research funding from major bodies including UKRI and the European Commission, and has contributed to high-impact publications and collaborative projects. At Aston, he supervises postgraduate research and contributes to teaching in chemical engineering while helping to bridge academic research with industrial and environmental challenges.
Prof Patricia Thornley
Director of EBRI, Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute
Please note that Prof Patricia Thornley has moved to her the role of Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Transport.
Patricia Thornley works in assessing the environmental, economic and social imapcts of renewable energy technologies, particularly bioenergy systems. She has experience of working in the commercial sector in power generation as well as in academia. She leads the EPSRC SUPERGEN Bioenergy hub (www.supergen-bioenergy.net) and is editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal Biomass and Bioenergy.
Areas of Expertise: Chemistry, Supergen Project, Climate Change, Bioenergy, Environmental Sciences
