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
Prize And Awards
- HaSS Faculty Impact Prize for Outstanding Impact for Policy
- Recipient
- 5/2/2026
Publications
- 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 Vol 135 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2026.104588
- 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 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2025.102140
- How can electricity network investment drive economic growth?
- Turner Karen, Katris Antonios
- (2026)
- Decisive Action on Scottish CO2 Transport and Storage Can Lock In Long-Term Growth and Jobs
- Turner Karen, Calvillo Christian, Gonzalez-Martinez Paulina, Katris Antonios, Karim Abdoul
- (2026)
- CO2 Transport & Storage as a Driver of Scottish Economic Growth and Industrial Decarbonisation
- Turner Karen, Gonzalez-Martinez Paulina, Calvillo Christian, Katris Antonios, Karim Zanhouo Abdoul, Race Julia
- (2026)
- Rising Block Tariffs : A Progressive Social Tariff or Heavily Damaging to Vulnerable Consumers?
- Gonzalez-Martinez Paulina, Calvillo Munoz Christian, Turner Karen, Katris Antonios, Zhou Long
- (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.82226/543.p.000010
Professional Activities
- All Energy 2026
- Participant
- 13/6/2026
- All Energy 2026
- Participant
- 13/6/2026
- Invited panel member at Adam Smith Global Foundation 250th anniversary of the Wealth of Nations 'Future of the Economy' symposium at the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy
- Speaker
- 5/6/2026
- Zero Waste Scotland Limited (External organisation)
- Advisor
- 13/5/2026
- Channel 4 'Foresight' You Tube channel interview titled ' Iran didn't target Britain - so why is the UK economy in so much trouble?'
- Recipient
- 12/5/2026
- Chatham House Style Discussion hosted by Shetland Islands Council and facilitated by Centre for Energy Policy at Shetland Town Hall in Lerwick, Shetland
- Speaker
- 26/3/2026
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
- Economic impact assessment of investing in upgrading the electricity transmission network
- Turner, Karen (Principal Investigator)
- 17-Jan-2024 - 05-Jan-2025
- 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
Contact
Professor
Karen
Turner
Director Of The Centre For Energy Policy
Centre for Energy Policy
Email: karen.turner@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3198