Type Academic Department Location London, United Kingdom | Established 1977 (1977) | |
Website www.imperial.ac.uk/environmental-policy | ||
The Centre for Environmental Policy (often abridged as CEP) is a department at Imperial College London in the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Its aim is to influence a wide range of environmental issues through research and support of efforts on the environmental, energy and health aspects of global problems. The current Head of Department is Mr Zen Makuch.
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History
The Centre for Environmental Policy was first established in 1977 as the Interdepartmental Centre for Environmental Technology (ICCET). ICCET was the first of many interdisciplinary centres within Imperial College London to cross traditional boundaries between departments. It aims “to produce quality research, teaching and advice on environmental matters”. Whilst Imperial College is known for its scientific and technological activities, the Centre was established to combine these with the legal, medical, economic and sociological aspects of the environment, with particular emphasis on cross-linkages between the disciplines. CEP has since evolved to cover a wide range of science, technology and policy research, teaching within the broad disciplines of physical and natural environment and more specifically in the energy, agriculture and international development fields.
Under its most recent structure, CEP focuses primarily on evidence-based policy making with an emphasis in social sciences relevant to the environment and to the interface between science and policy in key environmental subjects. This work is often carried out in collaboration with other departments at Imperial College London.
CEP holds the status of a Department in the Faculty of Natural Sciences and undertakes interdisciplinary research in environmental issues with research published in a wide range of science and social-science peer-reviewed journals. In addition to research opportunities, the department offers two Postgraduate Taught and Research degrees - PhDs and the MSc in Environmental Technology.
CEP is organized in functional groups around research topics, and teaching is related closely to the research groups by subject. The current Head of Department is Mr Zen Makuch.
The MSc in Environmental Technology was established in 1977 under the then newly formed ICCET, by Baron Brian Flowers who was Rector of Imperial College and Professor (now Sir) Gordon Conway the first Director of the MSc course. The MSc in Environmental Technology aims to provide knowledge and skills development for environmental specialists. This taught Master’s course combines the natural and social sciences in an interdisciplinary manner, striving to provide a foundation for graduates to demonstrate their ability to identify and resolve environmental and sustainability issues. The first semester of the degree (called the Core Course) is dedicated to modules in:
This broad training is followed by an in-depth education in 9 Specialist Options:
Specialialisations are further developed in the final five months of the course, during which an in-depth individual research project is conducted. Projects vary widely in their nature as they can be desk, field or laboratory-based.