Colin Hills

Professor Colin Hills holds the position of Professor in Environment and Materials Engineering at the University of Greenwich, where he also serves as Director of the Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation. His expertise spans over 25 years in stabilisation/solidification (s/s) systems for contaminated soil treatment and innovative applications of waste CO₂. He co-founded Carbon8 Systems and Carbon8 Aggregates, university spin-outs commercializing carbon-negative building materials.

Education:

• BSc Geology, Queen Mary College, London
• MSc Industrial Petrology, Queen Mary College, London
• PhD Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London

Research Focus: Pioneering carbonation processes for contaminated soil remediation and artificial aggregate production. His work produced the world’s first carbon-negative building blocks, recognized with the UK’s Best Recycled Product award. Current efforts emphasize waste valorization and sustainable construction materials.

Awards:

• IChemE Green Chemical Technology Award
• Shell Springboard Prize
• Times Higher Education Innovation & Technology Award

Advisory Roles: Director roles in Carbon8 Systems and Carbon8 Aggregates. Collaborates with industry partners like Ligancite for commercial-scale applications. Active in national guidance development for the UK Environment Agency.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Centre for Contaminated Land Remediation, focusing on interdisciplinary environmental engineering solutions.