Staff profile

Ben’s background in teaching science and devising field ecology studies led him to become involved in climate action and climate litigation. In 2020, he completed an LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at the University of the West of England, receiving the Edward Elgar Prize for highest overall performance. Alongside his LLM research, he brought a case against Shell UK on the grounds that it was “misrepresenting a carbon intensive product as being carbon neutral” (Mr Ben Hall v Shell UK, G4QZ3G03 [2021]). As the litigation unfolded, Shell’s ‘carbon neutral’ advertising campaign was dropped. This experience provided the groundwork for his subsequent doctoral research into climate governance, environmental claims and participatory action through law.

Ben completed his PhD in Climate Change and Energy Law at Durham University in 2026. His research examined the legal and regulatory framework governing renewable energy certificates and environmental claims by electricity suppliers, and explored the potential for participatory action through law to challenge energy greenwashing. Alongside his doctoral research, Ben has developed extensive experience of applied and interdisciplinary research. He has worked as a Research Associate at the University of the West of England and Swansea University, including research on the legislative and regulatory arrangements for Green Infrastructure in Wales. In 2024, he undertook a UK Government placement with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, researching international approaches to locational electricity pricing and developing policy options for the future design of the GB electricity market. His work combined legal, policy and interdisciplinary research with interviews with system operators and regulators, and findings were presented to government and energy-sector stakeholders. He has also contributed to interdisciplinary research through the Durham Energy Institute, and his work has been presented at universities and conferences in the UK and internationally.

Research interests

Ben’s research examines the role of law and regulation in delivering a credible, equitable and effective energy transition. His doctoral research investigated whether the UK’s framework for renewable energy certificates and fuel-mix disclosure supports electricity suppliers’ environmental claims, and explored how participatory action through law can enable citizens to challenge energy greenwashing. The research combined doctrinal legal analysis with empirical and ethnographic methods, including analysis of electricity-generation and emissions data, structured interviews with stakeholders, and participatory action research with a community of energy consumers.

His wider research interests include climate and energy regulation, environmental claims and greenwashing, renewable energy certificates and carbon accounting, electricity-market design, climate litigation and corporate accountability. His interdisciplinary work engages with the ethical, regulatory and policy challenges arising from the transition to a low-carbon energy system, including through his work with the Durham Energy Institute.