Queen Elizabeth II awards Order of the British Empire to Dr. Alan Lowdon, Director of Strategic Development, NOWI, Bristol Community College
Dr. Alan Lowdon, Director of Strategic Development, National Offshore Wind Institute (NOWI), Bristol Community College and Professor in Practice, Durham University Energy Institute,
U.K., was recently awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on January 1, 2022. Dr. Lowdon’s candidature of this important
honor was proposed by the U.K. Consulate in Cambridge, Mass., and highlights Alan’s
innovations and dedicated service to U.K. - U.S. Offshore Wind Collaboration.
As Director of Strategic Development for the National Offshore Wind Institute (NOWI), Alan supports the state-of-the-art training institute focused on workforce development initiatives that are demonstrably relevant to career pathways and that accelerate development of a national offshore wind industry in the United States.
Dr. Lowdon comes to Bristol with more than 20 years of experience in the offshore wind industry. Alan was instrumental in the Green Port Hull initiative in the United Kingdom, where he served as Research, Development and Innovation Director, helping to establish the Project Aura offshore wind initiative. Alan was formerly Director of Technology & Innovation at the U.K. New and Renewable Energy Center (NaREC), where he oversaw partnership development with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Wind Technology Testing Center (WTTC). Over the last 10 years, Alan has also convened significant U.K.- U.S. academic engagement in offshore wind. In addition, he has worked for several progressive international organizations, such as NEI/Rolls Royce, British Gas, Suez Lyonnaise, Shell, ITI Energy, Mott MacDonald, Technology Strategy Board and Jacobs.
Bristol’s NOWI will provide the offshore wind industry with required training, certifications and customized programs including Global Wind Organisation (GWO) Basic Safety and Technical Training, customized training for the industry, professional development, Virtual Training and a soon-to-be developed Innovation & Entrepreneurship program.
For more information about Bristol Community College’s National Offshore Wind Institute (NOWI), please visit www.nowi.org.