An award-winning technology developer (Liquid Air Energy Storage/Highview Power and the Dearman Engine), Toby leads the University's Birmingham Energy Institute’s activity around the Cold Economy and Clean Cooling and Cold-chains (for food and vaccines /pharma) and is recognised as one of the main architects of a growing UK and International understanding and realisation of the need for greater research and activity on clean cooling and cold-chain.

Toby specifically researches whole-system solutions to transition to sustainable cooling and cold-chain in both Developed and Developing Economies. He is co-Director of the Centre for Sustainable Cooling and is leading or collaborating in more than £20M of programmes across UK, Europe and the Developing World. This includes the design, finding and establishment of the first-of the-kind Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-chain (ACES) with further Centres in development in other key geographies. He is also a Senior Advisor on Cooling/Cold-chain for Sustainable Energy for All, UNEP's Cool Coalition and the World Bank Group, as well as sits on numerous international advisory boards.