Charlene Vance is a PhD Researcher in the School of Biosystems & Food Engineering at University College Dublin. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Energy Systems from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A., and master’s degrees in Innovative Sustainable Energy Engineering from the University of Iceland – Reykjavik, Iceland, and Chalmers University of Technology – Gothenburg, Sweden.

Charlene has a total of 3 years of work experience as a Mechanical Engineer, R&D Engineer, Process Engineer and Project Engineer. Currently, Charlene is an Early Stage Researcher working within the AgRefine ITN, an EU project which aims to ‘address the shortcomings and overcome the weaknesses that current stand-alone AD and biorefinery technologies possess’. Her research focuses on developing life cycle assessment methodologies which better quantify the impacts of novel biorefinery technologies through dynamic and holistic approaches. She hopes to help stakeholders and society better understand the role of the biorefinery concept within a circular and sustainable bioeconomy and in a sustainable future.