Xiaoyu Yan on embracing industry collaboration for real-world impact

Xiaoyu Yan is a Professor in Sustainable Energy Systems who has worked with several businesses to provide Life Cycle Assessments and advice on reaching Net Zero. Xiaoyu is also the Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor of Minviro, a mining sustainability solutions consultancy, and the Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of Near Zero by Design, a space sustainability start-up. 

My advice to researchers who are interested in working with industry is, firstly, to keep an open mind. As academics, we tend to be very focused on our own narrow research area. But, by looking at what’s needed in the world outside academia, you often find that your research skills are in demand. Although it might not be purely academic research, companies are often interested in working with researchers to solve real-world problems through contract research. So, be open to the demand for your transferable skills as a researcher.

It’s also important be prepared to work flexibly. Often, when companies want to tackle a problem, they want results quickly. Compared to the long-term process of academic research, this can be challenging. So, when you are working with an organisation, it helps to be prepared in case they ask you to turn around work with a tight deadline – sometimes as little as one or two weeks.