Professor Karen Turner
Director Of The Centre For Energy Policy
Centre for Energy Policy
Personal statement
Karen Turner is Professor and Director of the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde, where she leads a portfolio of work UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), philanthropic organisations such as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bellona Foundation and various government and industry bodies. Karen’s main research interests lie in investigating and modelling the economy-wide and macroeconomic consequences of energy policy and industry developments, and considering how these may be effected, and consensus built around policy narratives, to enable the deployment of different decarbonisation solutions. She has published extensively in policy and economics literatures on topics such as making the case for public support of residential energy efficiency programmes and addressing public policy challenges in unlocking value from the deployment of large scale decarbonisation solutions such as electric vehicles and carbon capture and storage. Karen has previously held academic posts at Glasgow and Heriot Watt Universities and is currently a member of the Scottish Government’s Just Transitions Commission
Publications
- Hundreds of Jobs at Risk from Inaction at Sullom Voe Terminal
- Turner Karen, Karim Abdoul, Katris Antonios, Gonzalez-Martinez Paulina
- (2026)
- An Early Shift to Low Carbon Fuel Production at the Sullom Voe Terminal Could Provide the Backbone for a Successful Transition of the Shetland Economy
- Turner Karen, Karim Abdoul, Katris Antonios, Gonzalez-Martinez Paulina
- (2026)
- Energy bill support versus home thermal retrofits : Assessing the dynamic economic impacts of fuel poverty mitigation initiatives in the United Kingdom
- Zhou Long, Katris Antonios, Turner Karen
- Energy Research and Social Science (2026)
- Incorporating Focus on the UK Statutory Growth Duty in RIIO Business Planning and Price Control Process
- Turner Karen, Katris Antonios
- (2026)
- Might tidal range schemes change the local economic impact dial on renewable electricity generation?
- Munday Max, Ahmadian Reza, Turner Karen, Formosa Nathan, Roche Neil
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Vol 226 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2025.116200
- The sustainable economic growth implications of expanding the electricity network : can early investment reduce consumer costs and support greater GDP and jobs gains?
- Katris Antonios, Karkoutli Anas, Turner Karen
- Utilities Policy Vol 99 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2025.102140
Professional Activities
- Interview about Torness nuclear power plant on BBC Radio Scotland
- Recipient
- 12/12/2025
- CEP-Scottish Government Onshore Renewable Electricity
- Host
- 4/9/2025
- Ongoing engagement with the Onshore and Electricity team at Scottish Government
- Contributor
- 7/2025
- Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport
- Speaker
- 20/6/2025
- LABOUR MARKET CONSTRAINTS AND WAGE-DRIVEN PRICE PRESSURES AS KEY MOVING PARTS IN THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION
- Speaker
- 12/6/2025
- Research/project discussion session between CEP and the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Scotland
- Contributor
- 11/6/2025
Projects
- Understanding the resource and jobs impacts of Speyside Hydrogen
- Turner, Karen (Principal Investigator) Corbett, Hannah (Co-investigator) Gonzalez-Martinez, Paulina (Co-investigator) Speirs, Jamie (Co-investigator) Zanhouo, Doungahire Abdoul Karim (Co-investigator)
- 30-Jan-2024 - 03-Jan-2025
- UK Energy Research Centre Phase 5
- Speirs, Jamie (Principal Investigator) Bell, Keith (Co-investigator) Calvillo Munoz, Christian (Co-investigator) Dixon, James (Co-investigator) Hawker, Graeme (Co-investigator) Katris, Antonios (Co-investigator) Turner, Karen (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 30-Jan-2028
- Developing a mixed methods approach to support the dual ambition of delivering the low carbon heat transition and eradication of fuel poverty in Scotland
- Turner, Karen (Principal Investigator) Calvillo Munoz, Christian (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2027
- Energy Demand Research Centre
- Turner, Karen (Principal Investigator) Calvillo Munoz, Christian (Research Co-investigator) Corbett, Hannah (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2028
- Developing an accessible economy-wide simulation interface to empower Shetland stakeholders in assessing the economic impacts of green energy developments in the region
- Turner, Karen (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2028
- Labour market and other wider economy challenges in decarbonising the UK’s industry clusters [LAB-CLUSTER] (IDRIC Wave 2)
- Turner, Karen (Principal Investigator) Calvillo Munoz, Christian (Co-investigator) Katris, Antonios (Co-investigator) Race, Julia (Co-investigator) Corbett, Hannah (Researcher)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 29-Jan-2024
Contact
Professor
Karen
Turner
Director Of The Centre For Energy Policy
Centre for Energy Policy
Email: karen.turner@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3198