Italian-Greek chemist and climate activist named Young Energy Champion at the European Sustainable Energy Week
Livia Kalossaka, who holds a PhD in 3-D printing and biomaterials, recognised by European Commission for her efforts to advance clean energy technologies and inspire other young changemakers.
Today, in Brussels, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson presented Livia Kalossaka as the Young Energy Champion during the opening day of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and energy efficiency in Europe. Livia is a 29-year old Italian-Greek professional with a Doctorate from Imperial College London, who combines her academic background and activism with industry experience to bring clean energy innovations to market.
The Young Energy Champion recognition celebrates a person under the age of 35 who is inspiring ambitious energy action and advancing Europe’s clean energy transition. This distinguishment is given directly by the European Commissioner for Energy and is carried out in the framework of the fourth annual European Youth Energy Day.
‘Currently, youth has a huge potential to play an active role in the energy transition, as this becomes a digitalised one, we have the power in our hands to be the best equipped generation to drive this change,’ says Livia when discussing the importance of institutions supporting young people.
As Vice-President of YES-Europe, Young leaders in Energy and Sustainability, Livia actively promotes a culture of positivity, collaboration, and empowerment among the organisation’s 6 000 followers, present in more than 18 European countries. She has also recently been appointed as one of the 30 EUSEW Young Energy Ambassadors – a new Europe-wide initiative by the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
‘To deliver on our mission to accelerate the sustainable energy transition, I believe it is essential that each individual member can openly discuss ideas in a safe space and take action in projects whether at a local or international level.’
Already at a young age, Livia has a varied and impressive academic and professional background, spanning several European countries including France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. This lends her a unique and holistic perspective of the energy sector which she aims to share with other young people throughout Europe to help them determine opportunities and synergies in advancing the clean energy transition.
As a researcher at Imperial College London, Livia was responsible for the development of new bio-receptive materials using advanced manufacturing techniques, which allow to grow microorganisms directly onto the material’s surface as a novel cladding system. As a result of her work, instead of building against nature, these biological solutions can be integrated into structurally engineered materials and processes.
In her current role as Climate Lead for the Creative Destruction Lab at Station F in Paris, the world’s largest start-up campus, Livia scouts for emerging businesses in the cleantech sector to join the programme and accelerate the commercialisation of their technologies.
‘The number of passionate and talented individuals I have the honour to collaborate with every day has allowed me to quickly grasp which ideas and teams have the potential to scale and have a positive impact on our planet,’ explains Livia on the importance of cooperation. ‘For the future I wish to strengthen my collaboration with policymakers and economists in order to unlock mechanisms to deploy solutions where people need them most.’
About the European Youth Energy Day
The European Youth Energy Day, in the context of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), has been organised since 2020. Each year, it gives young EUSEW participants (aged 18-34) the chance to get involved in Europe’s sustainable energy transition. The fourth edition of the European Youth Energy Day took on a new format to give young professionals from the field of clean energy and climate change mitigation space to share their visions and co-create energy transition solutions. This year, EUSEW presented the first cohort of 30 EUSEW Young Energy Ambassadors, selected on the basis of their achievements in climate change mitigation efforts, including through accelerating Europe’s clean energy transition. They bring together 22 nationalities and are aged between 20 and 35.
EUSEW 2023
The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) brings thousands of sustainability stakeholders together to explore policy topics related to protecting European consumers from price volatility and sharpening their skills to produce and save energy within the current energy context. There is still time to attend EUSEW 2023. Media and participants can access the event online until 22 June.
For interview requests with Livia or additional media information, please contact [email protected]