Ashley Wilson

Originally a Politics graduate from University of Durham, I commissioned into the British Army, Corps of Royal Engineers in 2008 where I still serve. In 2015 I enrolled onto a part time MSc in Energy with Heriot Watt University focussing on proposing sustainable solutions to Defence energy problems, home and deployed. I have also completed an MSc in Battle Field Technology with Cranfield University where I excelled at developing survivability systems and discovered an interest in modelling, simulation and wargaming.

In 2020 I was awarded the Army’s single Full Time PhD placement which I chose to study at University of Exeter. My research area is focussed on the opportunities that the UK energy transition to a decentralised system has for Defence estate, in support of the wider Governmental Net Zero 2050 vision. Central to this will be modelling of decentralised energy systems with different technologies and routes to market for prioritised Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites whose requirements are centred around resilience, carbon abatement and income generation.

The research will also review key areas of commercial processes and delivery frameworks which currently pose significant challenges to MoD delivery. These aspects will be considered throughout, with outputs from the modelling being a key part of the evidence set to force challenge to policies that are rooted in the archaic supplier-hub model.

If you are interested in any aspects of my research, do get in touch. Note, I am a Distance Learn PGR and so rarely attend campus.