Steve Evans is Director of Research in Industrial Sustainability at the Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. He leads what is probably the largest global research team trying to improve the environmental impact of the world’s industrial system. Steve started working in his first factory in 1976, before becoming Engineering Systems Manager at Martin-Baker Engineering, where he helped design and make the world’s best ejection seats. Helping save 2 lives per week and working on a product that has 2 seconds to succeed, often travelling at up to 1000kph, was too much fun and forced a change in career into teaching and research.
Now at the University of Cambridge, he tries to find ways to help industry become sustainable, and is particularly interested in inexpensive solutions – expensive solutions are too easy! His team comes from across the globe, solving problems in Africa and Asia as well as the advanced economies. Steve has led the first UK research into multi-disciplinary engineering teams, the first into eco-design, the first into Circular Economy and many other projects, totalling over £30 million. Steve loves to bring people together to solve tough problems.
Steve has been a millionaire and lost it – twice. So he will not be offering financial advice. He has co-founded a number of clean technology start-ups and has held various posts advising industry and international governments, including Specialist Adviser to the UK House of Lords Science & Technology Committee. Steve is a father of two adult sons, a black belt at judo and mildly autistic. Steve is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology, Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and was recently elected by his peers as a Member of Academia Europaea.