Gordon MacKerron has been Director of SPRU since December 2008. He was previously Director of the Sussex Energy Group at SPRU from April 2005 to November 2008. Prior to this, he spent four years as Associate Director, NERA Economic Consulting, London and had an earlier career for over 20 years at SPRU.  He is an economist specialising in energy and environmental economics, with degrees in economics from the Universities of Cambridge and Sussex.  His academic career has specialized in the economics and policy issues of electricity and especially nuclear power, in which he has published and broadcast widely. 

He has frequently been Specialist Adviser or invited witness before House of Commons Select Committee inquiries on energy subjects.  From June to December 2001 he was on secondment to the PIU, Cabinet Office, as Deputy leader of the UK Government’s Energy Review team.  He has subsequently assisted the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in its consultation process leading up to a major Energy White Paper released in February 2003 and subsequently advised DTI on security of supply and low carbon technology strategies.  Professor MacKerron has also been the expert witness on economic issues for the Irish Government in its two international court cases on the subject of Sellafield before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2002 and 2003. 

Professor MacKerron chaired the Energy Panel, DTI/OST Technology Foresight Programme (1995-98). Between 2003 and 2007 he was Chair of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, an independent body charged with recommending the best approach to long-term radioactive waste management to the UK Government.  He was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution until its demise in March 2011