Sue Grimes

Sue Grimes is Professor of Waste Management and holds the RAEng Chair in Waste & Resource Management at Imperial College London, within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. She has been a key figure at Imperial since 2005 and is based at the Skempton Building, South Kensington Campus. Her work is affiliated with Environmental and Water Resource Engineering, and she promotes interdisciplinary research in sustainable production and resource efficiency.

Her research focuses on recovering value from waste streams such as food, electronics, and secondary materials, developing closed-loop systems for resource efficiency, and building decision support tools for sustainable waste management. These efforts span collaborations with industry, government bodies like the Environment Agency and Defra, and local authorities. She led the establishment of a Knowledge Exchange Partnership in 2008 to advance research in waste, water quality, climate change, and health.

Sue has published over 120 scientific papers and authored influential reports, including for the Bureau Internationale du Recyclage. Her research portfolio reflects strong engagement with sectors including electronics, food and beverage, and secondary metals. Although specific recent articles are not listed, her work consistently bridges technical, regulatory, and policy dimensions of waste management.

Scientific Awards:

• Institute of Waste Management Millennium Prize
• CIWM National Waste Regulation Award (2004)
• CIWM National Waste Regulation Award (2011)

Sue has supervised over 60 doctoral candidates in environmental science, technology, and management. Her leadership extends to advisory roles, including Director of Hopeman Associates Limited, member of the ESKTN Management Board, and service on committees at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Defra, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She has secured significant research funding from industry, government, and private enterprises to support her interdisciplinary initiatives.

Sue is actively involved in professional and institutional teams, including the Knowledge Exchange Partnership between Imperial College, the Environment Agency, and Defra, which drives collaborative research in environmental sustainability. Her work fosters strong academic-industry-government linkages, promoting innovation in waste and resource systems.