Richard Templer, OBE, FRSC, FRSA

Richard Templer is Emeritus Professor of Climate Innovation and a Senior Research Investigator. He holds a joint appointment with the Department of Chemistry and the Grantham Institute, where he was the Director of Innovation and founded Imperial's centre for climate change innovation - Undaunted - a collaboration with the Royal Institution. He has been a Commissioner at the London Sustainable Development Commission, and advisory body to the Mayor of London, since 2015 and was awarded an OBE for his contributions to climate innovation in 2024. Professor Templer joined the Chemistry Department in 1989 to work on membrane biophysics. He was a founding member of the Membrane Biophysics Platform (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/membranebiophysics) a group that now includes John Seddon, Oscar Ces, Rob Law, Nick Brooks and Yuval Elani. Their group covers a wide range of interconnected research on the physico-chemical nature of lipid membranes and its application in interpreting and controlling natural and artificial phenomena in cell membranes. After a stint as the Head of Department, Richard turned his attention to climate innovation. In 2010 he co-founded the Climate-KIC and became its UK Director and ran its education progarmme. Over 2,000 students from across the world have now been educated in the arts of environmentally sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship and the programme lives on in the annual Climathon competition. Climate-KIC UK and its post-Brexit successor, Undaunted, has now supported over 180 new climate businesses that have between them raised over $1bn. By 2030 these businesses will have reduced CO2 emissions by 29 million tonnes, avoided 76 million tonnes of waste and 7.4 million litres of water consumption. These businesses are to be found in over 30 countries across the world and include multiple winners of global prizes, including Notpla, winners of the Earth Shot Prize. Undaunted was launched in 2021 by King Charles. It supports the education and training of climate innovators and entrepreneurs, and enables accelerated growth by providing access to the College's science and engineering ecosystem. Undaunted is also the London location for two UKRI-funded national hubs, the CO2 Removal Hub and the Centre for Greening Finance and Investment. In his position on the London Sustainable Development Commission has led its work on Cleantech Innovation. This has resulted in Mayoral environmental, economic and spatial planning policy measures to support the creation of a Cleantech Innovation Cluster in London, a heightened profile for this within the Greater London Authority and an initiative to increase female participation in cleantech innovation. Professor Templer advises a number of national programmes in climate innovation in Germany and Denmark, and works with private investors in climate innovation in an effort to support the acceleration of the transition to a sustainable and resilient low-carbon society.

• Faculty of Natural Sciences