Anthropology PhD candidate Daniel Lewis has co-authored a new briefing paper titled ’Energy Security and AI’, that offers a comprehensive exploration of AI’s transformative potential in the energy sector.
Revolutionising energy systems
The paper suggests that by harnessing big data from smart technologies, the UK could unlock unprecedented opportunities to optimise energy planning, generation, storage, and consumption.Some of the key insights include AI as a transformative tool for energy networks, demonstrating its potential to forecast patterns, optimise systems, and drive collaborative innovation across the energy sector.
The briefing also highlights the challenges likely to be encountered by widespread integration of AI in the energy system.
Informing UK policy
Daniel produced the paper while undertaking a three-month policy fellowship at the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).He interviewed energy sector representatives, academics, NGOs, and regulators, among others, to produce a comprehensive overview of the topic. One contributor was Dr Karen Lai, from our Department of Geography.
Daniel will continue exploring these groundbreaking insights, with an upcoming feature on the ICL Energy Futures podcast planned for 2025.
As part of his PhD research, Daniel is investigating whether bacteria could be the unsung heroes of primate communication, specifically in mandrills - distinctive African primates known for their colourful faces and specialised scent glands.
By taking skin swabs from these vibrant primates and analysing DNA sequences, the research aims to map out the unique microscopic communities living in mandrill scent glands.
This pioneering work will offer the first-ever detailed look at the mandrill’s scent gland microbiome.
More intriguingly, it could reveal whether these tiny organisms help mandrills send chemical signals to potential mates, suggesting a fascinating evolutionary partnership between primates and their microscopic inhabitants.
Find out more
- full briefing paper.
Discover more about the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology POST and POST Fellowships.
Learn about Daniel Lewis , a member of our Department of Anthropology, and Dr Karen Lai , from our Department of Geography.
Our Department of Anthropology is ranked 28th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. Visit our Anthropology webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Header image caption: (Front row, left to right) Professor the Lord Winston, Lord Haskel, Lord Ravensdale, Baroness Brown.
(Middle row, left to right) Oliver Bennett MBE (Head of POST), Professor Elizabeth Fisher, Professor Susan Owens, Dr Shivangi Sharma, a Parliamentary Academic Fellow (University of Birmingham), Daniel Lewis (Durham University), Dr Amy Creese (Head of research, House of Lords), Paul Martynenko MBE.
(Back row, far right) Dr Grant Hill-Cawthorne (Managing Director of Research and Information, House of Commons Library), plus other POST fellows.
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