Biography

Dr Sharon George is a senior lecturer, Course Director MSc in Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology, and a researcher in Keele’s Institute for Sustainable Futures. She holds a PhD in chemistry and is a specialist in sustainable development, technology development and deployment. Collaborators include local government authorities, businesses, entrepreneurs and the public on engagement projects involving technology and behaviour change. Current research includes: Technology feasibility studies, LCBEP – EU funded project implementing low carbon technologies into local UK businesses and SEND (£15M) the largest single, integrated electricity, gas and heat smart energy network demonstrator in Europe. She has worked extensively on technology development with academia and businesses including the lead PI role on Innovate UK projects on barriers to EV technology, Inductive Charging for Electric Vehicles and solar cooling. She is the lead for a successful GCRF funded collaboration with key partners in Bangladesh. Current research on resource and distributed energy technology focusses internationally.

Research and scholarship

My research area began in high temperature materials chemistry, particularly corrosion and gas, liquid and solid interfaces with a focus on corrosion of refractory materials in furnaces. My PhD project focussed on the theromochemical corrosion mechanisms of cruciform alumina-zirconia-silica refractories.

I have since developed that interest to include:

• distributed power generation using renewable energy
• sustainable municipal resources management
• circular design

I also have an ongoing interest in barriers to commercialisation of technology and entrepreneurship and have carried out a study into the barriers to female entrepreneurship in the West Midlands.

Teaching

Postgraduate

• ESC - 40038 Introduction to Sustainable Technologies (module leader) 
• ESC - 40048 Research and Business Skills, Project and Portfolio Management (module leader)
• ESC - 40030 Case Studies in Sustainability (module leader)
• ESC - 40031 Clean and Green Technologies I - Power from Above the Earth (module leader)
• ESC - 40032 Clean and Green Technologies II - Power from Beneath the Earth
• ESC - 40047 Green IT
• ESC - 40029 Dissertation Project (project supervisor)
• ESC - 40060 Climate Change Science
• Bangor and North Wales field course (staff lead organiser)

Undergraduate

• ESC - 20065 Entrepreneurship (module leader)
• ESC - 10056 Entrepreneurship (module leader)
• ESC - 00007 Entrepreneurship (module leader)
• ESC - 20051 Work Placement Module
• ESC-30047 Dissertation (project supervisor)
• ESC- 30050 Dissertation (project supervisor)

• Lockyer J., George S., (2010) What Women Want: Barriers to Female Entrepreneurship in the West Midlands, In: ISBE 33rd Annual Conference, Looking to the Future: Economic and Social Regeneration through Entrepreneurial Activity, London 2-4th November 2010 (in press)
• George, S.D., Cronje, M., Farn, S.M., (2006) Modelling High Temperature Refractory Structures for the Glass Furnace, Advances in Science and Technology, Vol.45, pp. 2308-2315
• Farn, S., (2004), Thermochemical Corrosion of Alumina-Zirconia-Silica Refractories for Glass Furnace Regenerators, PhD, Keele University
• Baxendale, S., Farn, S., (2002) Glass Making Refractories – Importance of Corrosion Assessment, Refractories Engineer, pp. 15-18