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Personal statement

Matthew is Director of the º£½ÇÂÛ̳ Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) and Professor of Sustainable Energy Business and Policy at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation within º£½ÇÂÛ̳ Business School. His research explores pathways for fair and sustainable futures, where communities are represented, empowered and enriched.

He is a co-investigator on two major UKRI-funded research projects ( and ) that explore the role of people and place, in realising a just, low-carbon future. Other recent research projects have examined: a) , b) and c) the .

He is Lead Technical Author for BSI’s standard on for their . He is also chair of the community environmental charity , host of the award-winning and sits on Uswitch’s review panel.

Current research projects:

• Exploring community energy trends, barriers and drivers in Scotland (funded by Scottish Power Energy Networks)

Past research projects:

• A review of Community Benefit Fund design, operation and governance (funded by Foundation Scotland)
• Principle investigator of the Scottish Universities Insight Institute funded project -
• Principle investigator on an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account project, titled Community energy at a crossroads: Co-developing a path forward for South Seeds and the UK community energy sector.
• Co-Investigator on a UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) funded project titled ‘Whole Person - Whole Place’ energy solutions for net-zero neighbourhoods, which explores how social relations impact energy retrofitting decisions.
• Co-Investigator for the UKRI £8m Energy Revolution Research Consortium to support a smart, locally led energy system. Co-I for work packages on: (1) business and finance; and (2) policy and regulation (commenced Dec 2018). Principle investigator on an Energy-REV flex-fund project titled Smart local energy systems for a ‘just transition’
• Co-Investigator on  (2017-2019). Lead on community energy case studies work package.
• Co-Investigator on Political hyping of new energy technologies project to explore how parliamentary processes fuel or deflate expectations surrounging low-carbon technology innovations.

PhD supervision:

• Jan Jasinski - Smart but fair? The impact of smart, low-carbon energy technologies on justice.
• Rebecca Gowens - Exploring best practice for Community Benefit Funds in Scotland and beyond.
• Jonny Lindsey - Market formation approaches for new energy technologies and their justice implications. The case of Dounreay and the fast-breeder nuclear reactor.
• Kristine Heimdal - An ecosystem approach to establishing Glasgow as a centre of net-zero innovation.

Selected journal publications:

• Gonzalez, H., Hannon, M., Tapinos, E. (2026) , Business Strategy and the Environment 0:1–26
• Gowens, R., Hannon, M., Roberts, J.J., Cairns, I., Major, L. (2025) . º£½ÇÂÛ̳ Institute for Sustainable Communities, University of º£½ÇÂÛ̳, Glasgow.
• Hannon, M., Gowens, R., Searle, R., Roberts, J. J., Cairns, I., Major, L. (2025) , º£½ÇÂÛ̳ Institute for Sustainable Communities, University of º£½ÇÂÛ̳.
• Hannon, M., Gowens, R., Roberts, J. J., Major, L. & Cairns, I., (2024) , University of º£½ÇÂÛ̳.
• Hannon, M., Cairns, I., Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hardy, J., Sharmina, M. (2023) . Energy Research and Social Science, 100.
• Cairns, I., Hannon, M., Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hardy, J., Sharmina, M., & Manderson, E. (2023) , Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 46.
• Knox, S., Hannon, M. J., Stewart, F., Ford, R., (2022) , Energy Research and Social Science, 83
• Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hannon, M. J., Hardy, J., Cairns, I., Sharmina, M., & Manderson, E. (2021). . Energy Research and Social Science, 78
• Braunholtz-Speight, T., Mander, S., Hannon, M., Hardy, J., McLachlan, C., Manderson, E. & Sharmina, M. (2020) , Nature Energy 5 pp: 169–177
• MacKenzie, N., Knox, S., Hannon, M. (2020) , Business History
• Skea. J., Hannon, M. J., van Diemen, R., Rhodes, A., Gazis, E., Hu, R. (2019)  Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham
• Hannon, M. J., Topham, E., MacMillan, D., Dixon, J. Collu, M. (2019) , University of º£½ÇÂÛ̳, Glasgow.
• Hannon, M. J., van Diemen, R., Skea. J. (2017) , University of º£½ÇÂÛ̳
• Hu, R., Skea, J., Hannon, M. (2017) , Technological Forecasting and Social Change 127 pp: 227-244
• Bolton, R. P. G., Hannon, M. (2016) l, Research Policy 78 (9) pp. 1731–1742