Aoife holds a joint appointment between the Smith School and Saïd Business School. Aoife was previously a senior researcher at the Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec) at ETH in Zurich. She received her PhD from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge and her MA from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Aoife’s research focuses on understanding what systemic environmental challenges such as the climate crisis, and associated system transitions, mean for business.

She studies the role of business in contributing to system transitions for sustainable development. Her research focuses on new business models and forms of collaboration between different organisations (public, private and non-profit) that are required to support sustainable system transformations. Her work spans a range of contexts including research on utilities in the energy transition, sustainable districts, circular economy, and energy access in sub-Saharan Africa.

She has recently finished leading project RISE, Renewable Innovative and Sustainable Electrification, funded by the ESRC on off-grid energy in sub-Saharan Africa.

Aoife regularly engages with companies and other organisations working on themes at the intersection between business and sustainable development for research and teaching.

Aoife has co-directed the Global Opportunities and Threats Oxford (GOTO) programme for the MBAs in Oxford for the past 2 years on the Future of Energy and this year on Climate Action. The programme culminated in the virtual GOTO Summit with keynote speaker Al Gore.

She is developing several executive education initiatives on climate action as integrated components of her research, including the Leadership in a Climate Emergency programme.

She also teaches Business and Environment for the MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance at the School of Geography and the Environment.