Prof Elena Gaura
Profile
My background is in electronics, sensing, and artificial intelligence — designing cyber-physical systems that learn and adapt. Over time, I combined this technical grounding with leadership in global research partnerships and capacity building. I’ve worked across continents, connecting engineers, policy makers, and communities to co-create locally relevant solutions. These experiences taught me how to translate data and algorithms into tools people can trust and sustain, and how to build inclusive research ecosystems that grow talent and impact where they are needed most.
How did you get involved in engineering projects to address climate change? What were your background skills or experience?
I came into climate and energy work through my research in sensing and data systems. Early on, I saw that intelligent technologies could empower people in resource-constrained environments — not just monitor problems but help solve them locally. I was drawn to projects where engineering meets humanity: energy access for displaced communities, climate resilience in fragile ecosystems, and data infrastructures for equitable growth. What motivated me was not just advancing technology, but ensuring those most affected by climate change could own and benefit from the solutions.
What projects were you invloved in and what did you do?
I led the EPSRC-funded Humanitarian Energy and Displacement (HEED) project, which designed smart, low-cost energy systems for refugee settlements in Rwanda and Nepal. We deployed AI-enabled sensing to match energy supply to community needs, co-developing the systems with residents. I also helped establish EnergyREV, a £130M UK programme integrating data and infrastructure for Net Zero transitions. In both, my role was to lead design, partnerships, and delivery — ensuring technology was not imported but built with and for the people it served.
What did you achieve?
These projects proved that engineering and data, when co-created with communities, can deliver lasting change. HEED directly improved energy access and quality of life for thousands of displaced people and informed UNDP energy policy. EnergyREV shaped the UK’s approach to smart local energy systems and industrial decarbonisation. Beyond outputs, our biggest achievement was cultural — showing that inclusive, human-centred engineering can drive both technical excellence and social justice. Many of the engineers we trained in Africa and Asia now lead their own national climate programmes.
What challenges did you face and how?
Working across cultures and infrastructures meant navigating fragile ecosystems — political, environmental, and logistical. Funding systems often undervalue capacity building and lived experience. We overcame this through trust: spending time with communities, sharing ownership, and embedding local researchers in leadership roles. Building equitable partnerships took patience and humility. There were technical hurdles too — data scarcity, unreliable power — but collaboration always found a way through. I learned that persistence, empathy, and respect are as vital to climate engineering as algorithms or hardware.