Oliver Broad is a Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, specialising in the development and application of optimisation modelling frameworks for long-term energy planning. Within the UKERC Responsive Research theme, he works on analysing long-duration energy storage, focusing on whole systems modelling that informs and complements high-resolution tools such as the highRES model. He has contributed to UKERC since Phases 3 and 4, supporting the evolution of integrated, policy-relevant modelling approaches.
A central element of Oliver’s work is the co-development of the UK TIMES model with the UK Government. This whole energy system model underpins long-term pathway analysis and informs national energy and decarbonisation strategies. Within UKERC, he uses UK TIMES to explore how system-wide interactions shape future energy pathways, particularly in relation to storage, flexibility, and decarbonisation.
His research applies whole systems approaches to assess future energy transitions and their implications for policy at national, regional, and local levels. He has expertise across renewable energy, heat decarbonisation, biomass and bioenergy, carbon capture and storage, and low energy demand futures, with experience spanning both the UK and international contexts.
Increasingly, Oliver’s work engages with the social dimensions of energy transitions, bridging quantitative modelling with insights from the social sciences. This perspective informs his contributions across UKERC and related initiatives, including the CO2RE and EDRC consortia, where interdisciplinary collaboration strengthens understanding of net zero pathways and supporting policy frameworks.