Harjit Singh

Professor Harjit Singh is a full-time faculty member at Brunel University London, serving as Professor of Sustainable Energy Technologies within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, part of the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences. His work bridges solar energy systems, vacuum insulation technologies, and energy-efficient building and industrial retrofits.

His research interests include:

• Solar energy technologies for heating, cooling, power, biogas, and hydrogen
• Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) for building and cold chain applications
• Building and industrial retrofit for improved energy efficiency
• Low- and high-temperature thermal storage
• Nanofluid-based solar collectors
• Polymeric solar collectors and building-integrated solar systems

His recent publications reveal a strong trend in vacuum insulation materials, particularly expanded perlite-based VIPs, solar photovoltaic integration in buildings, and advanced thermal storage. He frequently explores material optimization, heat transfer modeling, and real-world performance of sustainable technologies. His work combines experimental validation with computational modeling, often targeting practical deployment in urban and rural settings.

Scientific recognition includes leadership roles such as:

• Chair of the SOLARIS international conference (2017)
• Chair of the International Vacuum Insulation Symposium (IVIS2021)
• President of the IVIS Advisory Board (2022–2024)

As Principal or Co-Investigator, he has secured over £26 million in research funding from UKRI, Innovate UK, Horizon2020, Newton Fund, and industry partners. Key projects include DeSHI (Decentralised Solar Hydrogen for rural India), SolCoS (100% Solar Cold Storage), and SuBiDi (Sustainable Biogas via solar drying). He was also a consultant for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded vaccine storage project. While specific students are not listed, his leadership of the IEF research group and numerous grants indicates active supervision and mentorship. His research outputs are licensed for commercialization, and two patent applications are in progress.

He leads or contributes to research in several laboratories and collaborative networks, particularly focused on energy efficiency and sustainable technologies. His co-author network includes Prof Maria Kolokotroni, Prof Savvas Tassou, and Dr Akram Khan, indicating strong interdisciplinary collaboration.