Dr. Giovani Palafox Alcantar

Biography

Giovani Palafox-Alcantar is the Head of Executive Education at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE) at the University of Oxford. He plays a pivotal role in expanding and delivering high-quality Executive Education programmes that cater to a diverse range of clients including corporate, government, and NGO entities. He is responsible for creating, developing, planning, and coordinating SSEE's Executive Education offerings, aimed at influential decision-makers and champions of positive change. Giovani is recognized for his efforts in reinforcing SSEE's leadership in education and research, enhancing its global presence through collaborations with a variety of institutional partners. Initially, he joined the Smith School as a researcher in Sustainable Cooling Production Networks at the Future Cooling Programme, focusing on Global Production Networks for cooling systems and their integration within Circular Economy principles. His research also addresses the environmental impacts of high Global Warming Potential refrigerants and explores innovative business models like Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) to make cooling technologies more accessible and energy-efficient. Giovani holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Birmingham, UK, where his research centered on developing tools for stakeholder cooperation in the adoption of Circular Economy principles in Municipal Solid Waste Management, particularly within the Energy-from-Waste sector.

Research Interests