International energy leader honoured with OBE
Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Heriot-Watt University’s Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability, has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Low Energy Technologies.
The honour was announced today (Dec 30) with the publication of the King’s New Year Honours List 2026, which recognises exceptional contributions made by individuals across the 15 Commonwealth realms.
This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the outstanding colleagues, partners and students I have had the privilege to work with in driving innovation, improving competitiveness, and ensuring a prosperous and sustainable transition to net zero.
An internationally recognised leader in energy innovation, Professor Maroto-Valer is Director of the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), based at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus. IDRIC plays a central role in supporting the green transformation of the UK’s industrial heartlands. Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding body for science and research, the centre brings together academia, industry and government to deliver practical solutions for economic growth to the country’s decarbonisation challenges at a scale that matters. She also leads Heriot-Watt’s Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS ), a world-leading engineering centre, inspiring and delivering innovation for the wider deployment of technologies needed to meet carbon targets.
Professor Maroto-Valer was selected for the honour by King Charles III in recognition of her internationally respected leadership in energy and her remarkable contributions in low-energy technologies that reduce emissions while supporting long-term economic growth.
She said: “I am deeply humbled to receive this Honour. Addressing climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, with low energy technologies representing not just an environmental necessity, but also an economic opportunity. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the outstanding colleagues, partners and students I have had the privilege to work with in driving innovation, improving competitiveness, and ensuring a prosperous and sustainable transition to net zero.”
Professor Maroto-Valer is a globally recognised engineer whose work has helped shape the international response to climate change and supporting growth in a low-carbon global economy. Since 2022, she has led Heriot-Watt University’s sustainability strategy and goals, working closely with students, staff and alumni to embed sustainability across teaching, research and operations.
She also holds leading positions in a number of professional societies and editorial boards. These include her role on the UN Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET), a high-level, independent advisory council supporting the UN Secretary-General’s ambition to identify practical engineering pathways to net zero through expert scientific analysis and guidance.
Congratulating Professor Maroto-Valer is Heriot-Watt’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard A. Williams, who said: “This honour is richly deserved and reflects Professor Maroto-Valer’s exceptional leadership, global influence and unwavering commitment to tackling climate change. Her work exemplifies Heriot-Watt University’s mission to deliver research with real-world impact, and we are immensely proud of her contributions to engineering, sustainability and the global energy transition.”
Professor Maroto-Valer will formally receive her OBE at a ceremony in 2026.