Early Career Challenges
Inès’s journey to IDCORE was driven by her determination to break through the barriers she faced in her career. Despite her extensive education, including two master’s degrees from Heriot-Watt University (Energy) and Aberdeen University (Subsea Engineering), as well as a degree in Chemical Engineering from Bangalore University, Inès struggled to find a role that fully utilised her technical skills. Her career path included various positions in India, Rwanda, Belgium, and Scotland, but none provided the fulfilment she sought.
From a young age, Inès has always been interested in energy, particularly the impact of energy extraction, generation, and environmental use. The next logical academic stage for her would have been to do a PhD, but this did not particularly interest her as she wanted to do something industrially focussed that still allowed her to conduct research driven by industry needs. She liked how the IDCORE EngD course was structured. She thought it would significantly widen her skill set and knowledge within the industry, bringing her past experience and academic background together.
Joining IDCORE marked a turning point. As a mature student and new mother, Inès found an environment that valued her experience and skills. The first year of training allowed her to consolidate her knowledge, and three years of research in an industrial setting helped her build confidence and demonstrate her capabilities.
Advancing Offshore Wind Technology
Inès’s project at IDCORE, sponsored by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a public-private partnership set up to deliver low carbon energy innovation, focused on reducing the costs of offshore wind and increasing its commercial deployment. She was attracted to them by the breadth of knowledge within the organisation and the nature of the project, which was focused on the actions needed to bring down the costs of offshore wind and increase commercial deployment of this technology. At the project’s inception, the strike price for offshore wind was around £200/MWh, with the goal of reducing it below £100/MWh. Through her work, Inès contributed to significant cost reductions and explored system and supply chain improvements needed for the sector’s maturity.
At the time, the offshore wind industry was going through a phase of rapid development, and these cost reductions were achieved during the project's life, so its focus moved to be an exploration of the system and supply chain improvements needed to deliver greater maturity in the sector. This became a study of global markets, not just the UK, and the needed changes in policy and regulation, along with key skills gaps in the industry. The project demonstrated one of the benefits offered by the multi-institution supervision model adopted by IDCORE, bringing together a range of relevant skills to support the project from across IDCORE’s academic partners.
Achieving Professional Fulfilment
Upon completing her EngD, Inès transitioned to a full-time role at ETI and later moved to the Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) with her team. As the Catapult’s Renewables Practice Manager, she ensures the organisation stays informed about renewable energy technologies within the wider energy system. Her team collaborates with innovators, regulators, government departments, and commercial organisations to understand the techno-economic realities of these technologies and the infrastructure needed for the energy system transformation to deliver net zero.
In addition to focusing on utility scale deployment, Inès and her team also seek to understand the role that hydrogen might have in a future energy system, particularly in the context of long-duration energy storage. To this end, they are currently engaged in several projects demonstrating how hydrogen could be utilised and using these to inform work, particularly in Scotland and Wales, where hydrogen could play an important role in unlocking offshore wind generation opportunities.
Driving the Net Zero Transition
At the Catapult, Inès collaborates on Net Zero transition projects, including DESNZ NZIP, UKRI Global Innovative Programmes, Interreg, and Horizon Europe initiatives. Her proactive engagement in external initiatives, such as Engineers without Borders design challenges, innovation awards judging panels, and an Innovate UK Programme, demonstrate her commitment to driving global collaboration among SMEs and advancing the deployment of renewable energy projects.
Inès has successfully led fundraising initiatives, securing funding for various projects and engaging stakeholders to support her mission. Her experience in fundraising is invaluable in assisting small and medium enterprises with their efforts to secure necessary resources and achieve their strategic goals.
Reflecting on IDCORE’s Impact
Inès attributes her current role, in part, to the opportunities and support provided by IDCORE. The training and network she developed there have been invaluable professionally and personally, allowing her to grow in confidence, build her credibility and function effectively in a wide-ranging and demanding post. The network she developed during her time with IDCORE has proved very useful to her in this role, professionally and in the long-lasting friendships that continue to be important to her personally.
Quote: Inès Tunga, Renewables Practice Manager, Energy Systems Catapult
‘Reflecting on the impact of CDTs and my experience within IDCORE, I am very clear on the value delivered by this training model. The whole sector needs well trained systems engineers, and post-graduates who have been through the sort of training offered by IDCORE are excellent candidates for such roles. Many of the Catapult’s staff are Chartered Engineers with PhD level qualifications, and throughout the sector, there are skills gaps that CDTs are plugging.’
