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Dr Nathan Skillen is an Assistant Professor of Sustainability in the International Centre for Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University. He previously worked at Queens University Belfast where he was the Programme Director for Post Graduate Taught courses in Net Zero Engineering. He’s held a fellowship with the UKRI Supergen Bioenergy Hub, which focused on the development of emerging technology for biomass reforming to value-added compounds. He received his BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology with Biosciences from Robert Gordon University before completing his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the same institute and in collaboration with the University of St. Andrews and California Institute of Technology. He has published several research articles and book chapters and currently sits on the international editorial board of Biomass & Bioenergy (Elsevier). More important than all of that, however, he was part of a team of 10 researchers from across the UK that created the first graphic novel on Bioenergy! Since then, he’s worked with comic book artist Jim Lavery to launch “Net-Zero Comics” which explores a range of topics associated with the impact of Net Zero and sustainability across platforms such as technology, economy, environment and society.
External positions
Queen's University Belfast
1 Oct 2024 → …
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Applications of TiO2 for Photocatalytic Water Treatment
Ballim, M. A., Pang, X., Moloto, N., Skillen, N., Robertson, P. K. J. & Ralphs, K., 19 Sept 2025, Nanostructured TiO2: Synthesis, Photocatalytic Properties, and Applications. Wiley, p. 271-300 30 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Disentangling the Effect of Key Parameters in Hydrogen Evolution for Rational Design of Metal-Semiconductor Photocatalysts via Self-Assembly
Li, C., Ye, Z., Xu, S., Skillen, N., Zhang, Y., Xu, Z., Chang, C., Zhang, J., Robertson, P. K. J., Bell, S. E. J. & Xu, Y., 27 Aug 2025, In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. 17, 34, p. 49069-49078 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus)26 Downloads (Pure) -
Exploring the Photocatalytic Cleavage Pathway of the β-5 Linkage Lignin Model Compound on Carbon Nitride
Liu, J., Ralphs, K., Murnaghan, C. W. J., Skillen, N., Sheldrake, G. N., McCarron, P. & Robertson, P. K. J., 1 Feb 2025, In: ChemSusChem. 18, 3, e202400955.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)13 Downloads (Pure) -
H2 production from the photocatalytic reforming of ethylene glycol: Effect of TiO2 crystalline phase on photo-oxidation mechanism
Roebuck, L., Daly, H., Lan, L., Parker, J., Gostick, A., Skillen, N., Haigh, S. J., Falkowska, M. & Hardacre, C., Feb 2025, In: Journal of Catalysis. 442, 115876.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)94 Downloads (Pure) -
Photocatalytic Conversion of β-O-4 Lignin Model Dimers: The Effect of Benzylic Ketones on Reaction Pathway
Sheldrake, G. N., Skillen, N., Robertson, P. K. J. & Murnaghan, C. W. J., Jun 2025, In: Catalysts. 15, 6, 525.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure)