Long Seng’s research tackles the challenge of providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all in the context of increasing long-term pressures and sudden shocks, such as climate change, disasters and conflicts. She holds an Engineering for Development Research Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering on enhancing community energy resilience using renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
She was previously Co-Investigator of the MECS programme where she led work on modern energy cooking services in humanitarian settings, and was also Co-Investigator of the CESET project which focuses on community energy in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique. Dr To served as Chair of the UN Expert Group on Resource Management Solar Subgroup (which developed the first UN standard for solar energy resource classification) and Chair of the Framework for Energy Security and Resilience in the Pacific Steering Committee (the overarching energy policy for the Pacific Islands in 2021-2030).
Her previous work includes providing capacity building support for the UK Aid funded Transforming Energy Access programme; mapping the synergies and trade-offs between energy and the Sustainable Development Goals; agro-industries and clean energy in Africa; capacity development for renewable energy projects in rural China and Indonesia; solar-powered water purification in remote areas in Australia; and local manufacture of solar photovoltaic systems in Nicaragua.