Cameron Henderson

I work for a company called Element Energy, part of the Environmental Resource Management group, which is a global consultancy firm. We operate across the UK and have several dozen offices around the globe. In my current role, I’m in the industrial decarbonisation and carbon capture and storage team. We work for private and public clients on a variety of projects, ranging from decarbonisation roadmapping, technoeconomic modelling, funding acquisition, policy analysis and design, and industrial cluster support. It’s quite varied and interesting, and we work on projects in the UK and around the globe.

Every month is completely different due to the broad range of projects we work on. For instance, I recently finished delivering an industrial decarbonisation policy review and recommendations for the Scottish Net Zero Road Map, which launched a few weeks ago with NECCUS, as well as matching CO2 sources to geological storage opportunities in Europe with Clean Air Task Force.

One of the things I find most enjoyable about my job is the amount of exposure I get to things I learned throughout the MSc GeoEnergy programme. It’s a really exciting transition from things you learned at university to applying them in a "real-world" setting.

One of the most challenging things is that there can be periods of intense work, largely due to the pace at which the industry is developing! So, it’s trying to find a balance between managing the intense periods and making sure to keep on top of industry developments.

My advice would be to not underestimate the work that you’re doing in the programme. Pay attention to your modules, complete all of the work that you can to the highest grade possible, and choose a dissertation topic which is both interesting and industry relevant. Employers will be interested in the skills you’re developing in this programme as well as the work you will do on your dissertation, so students should be prepared to effectively communicate those skills to them.

Before moving to Edinburgh, I’d graduated with a degree in marine chemistry and worked for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. I realised throughout my degree and in my early jobs, both government and lab-based, that I was quantifying a lot of the impacts of climate change, and I wanted to work more on the mitigation side rather than just assessing all the problems. 

The MSc GeoEnergy course caught my attention, and I was impressed with how the programme took scientific foundations and skills and pivoted them to the energy transition and decarbonisation world. It was ahead of its time from others I’d seen.

One thing I really enjoyed was that Professors Mark and Stuart brought in a lot of guest speakers throughout the programme. These ranged from postdoctoral researchers actively working on publishable projects, to industry leaders from the private sector, to public officials actively representing the UK in international settings. 

Hearing the different perspectives on the opportunities within the industry was really fascinating and allows you to put names and faces to organisations. I have found that this industry can be quite small, and I have already had the opportunity to interact with people now in a professional setting that I met as a student.

The city itself was (and is) certainly a highlight. Edinburgh is such a fantastic place to live, study, and work, it's great even just to walk around. I am very happy that I was able to find a job which allows me to continue to be based here.

Your dissertation is a very valuable piece of work, both while writing it and after. I would encourage current students to actively seek out connections within the industry. At least one person in my cohort wrote their dissertation for a geotechnical consulting firm, and I know of several others who managed to publish theirs. It’s not just a piece of academic work required for graduation; it is something useful for a variety of industries. Don't underestimate how keen certain industry members will be to work with you on it. 

I would also say to have working knowledge on at least some of the other topics in climate change, such as policy, engineering, economics, social justice, etc. Everything is becoming much more disciplinary, and employers will be impressed if you can flexibly operate across different spaces. You don't have to be an expert but know enough at least to "be in the room".