Daniel Kerr

Daniel Kerr is a Research Fellow at the School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University (DMU), affiliated with the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD). He leads the governance work package for the Leicestershire Collaborate to Accelerate Net Zero (LCAN) project and brings over 10 years of sustainability academia experience from UCL-Energy Institute and the University of Surrey's Centre for Environment and Sustainability.

His educational qualifications include:

• PhD in Agent-based Modelling of Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan African Informal Settlements from De Montfort University (2018-2023)
• MSc in Energy and Sustainable Development from De Montfort University (2017-2018)
• BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Warwick (2006-2009)

Kerr's research centers on sustainable development with emphasis on local governance frameworks, sustainable energy business models, and Sub-Saharan African informal settlement electrification. His expertise spans South African electricity regulation, mini-grid deployment, clean cooking solutions, and agent-based modeling of complex adaptive systems, particularly examining municipal roles in sustainability transitions and equitable decarbonization pathways.

His 2022-2023 publications demonstrate a cohesive research trajectory applying computational methods to Global South energy challenges, with strong thematic links between Indian transportation decarbonization, South African electricity access modeling, and cross-cutting governance analysis. These works bridge human geography, energy policy, and sustainability science through corpus linguistics and agent-based simulation approaches.

Scientific Awards

• No awards mentioned in source text

Advising and Grants

No formal advisees listed. Grant leadership includes:

• Principal governance lead for LCAN (Leicestershire Collaborate to Accelerate Net Zero)
• Research Fellow on SIGMA (Sustainability, Inclusiveness & Governance of Mini-Grids in Africa)
• Multiple UKRI-funded projects at UCL and University of Surrey
• Open University consultancy on Sub-Saharan African mini-grid regulation (currently unavailable for new projects)

Labs and Teams

Core member of DMU's Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), collaborating with principal investigator Andrew Reeves and research fellow John Rowlatt on net-zero transition projects.