person

Dr Giovani Palafox-Alcantar

Head of Executive Education, Research Associate in Sustainable Cooling Production Networks

Profile

Giovani is the Head of Executive Education at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE). He plays a pivotal role in expanding and delivering high-quality Executive Education programmes. He is responsible for creating, developing, planning, and coordinating SSEE's Executive Education offerings, catering to a diverse range of clients, including corporate, government, and NGO entities. He spearheads the development of courses tailored to the diverse needs of individuals, organizations, and society, including influential decision-makers who can champion positive change. This helps to reinforce SSEE's position as a leader in education and research, strengthen its global presence, and expand its reach through collaboration with its diverse programmes and partnerships with leading institutions worldwide.

Giovani initially joined the Smith School as a researcher in Sustainable Cooling Production Networks at the Future of Cooling Programme of the Oxford Martin School. His research focuses on Global Production Networks for cooling systems, particularly on analysing the end-of-life stage in order to integrate these systems into a Circular Economy. He also works on improving metrics to measure the real environmental impact of f-gas refrigerants, which have a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). Additionally, he works on the innovative business model Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) to understand how to make access to cooling more affordable and equitable, as well as more energy-efficient and promote the use of natural refrigerants.

Giovani holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK. His research focused on developing a tool to facilitate stakeholder cooperation in adopting Circular Economy principles in Municipal Solid Waste Management, particularly in the Energy-from-Waste sector. He also was a member of the Liveable Cities team where he contributed to the transition towards a Circular Economy in cities through the optimisation of their Urban Metabolism.