Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Director of Cambridge Zero at the University of Cambridge, has been appointed as the new Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). In her new role, Shuckburgh will provide independent scientific and engineering advice to ministers and policymakers within DESNZ and support the Clean Energy Superpower Mission.
The Chief Scientific Adviser is also responsible for ensuring the department has strong systems in place to access scientific and engineering expertise and serves as the departmental Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession.
"It's a great honour to join the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as Chief Scientific Adviser at a time when scientific evidence is so crucial to informing the UK’s response to the twin challenges of climate change and energy security," Shuckburgh said.
Shuckburgh will transition gradually from her current role as Director of Cambridge Zero while continuing her academic research. She will begin working one day a week for DESNZ starting 3 November, increasing to three days a week in January and four days a week from summer 2026. The secondment is set for three years.
University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice commented, "I warmly congratulate Professor Shuckburgh on her appointment as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It is an appointment that recognises not only her outstanding academic leadership in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises, but also the vital role that Cambridge plays in shaping Britain’s future."
Shuckburgh was awarded a CBE in the 2025 Birthday Honours for HM King Charles III for Public Communication of Climate Science. She was also appointed to the DESNZ Science and Technology Advisory Council in July, alongside two other Cambridge academics. Her previous roles include acting as an adviser on climate to the UK Government and serving as a Friend of COP26. Before founding Cambridge Zero in 2019, she worked at the British Antarctic Survey for over a decade, where she led national research on the Southern Ocean's role in climate.
DESNZ Permanent Secretary Jeremy Pocklington said, "The role of the CSA is so critical to our work and our Mission, therefore I’m delighted that Professor Shuckburgh is joining the Department. She brings incredible experience as a world leading climate scientist, and I know she’ll add considerable value to the work of our Department."
Shuckburgh has received multiple honors including an OBE in 2016. She co-authored "A Ladybird Book on Climate Change" with HM King Charles III and Tony Juniper. She is a mathematician and climate scientist, Fellow of Darwin College, alumna of Trinity College, President-elect of the Royal Meteorological Society, Fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), British Antarctic Survey, Royal Geographical Society, and Honorary Fellow of the Energy Institute.
At Cambridge, she serves as Professor of Environmental Data Science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology (CST), Academic Director of the Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS), co-Director of the Centre for Landscape Regeneration (CLR), and co-Director of the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training on the Application of AI to Environmental Risks (AI4ER).
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