In September 2024, Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) welcomed Dr. Tonny Kukeera to our academic community. A Lecturer in Innovation and Sustainable Business, Tonny brings a wealth of experience and fresh insights into sustainability, entrepreneurship, and energy transitions. We discussed Tonny’s journey before academia, his PhD research, as well as projects he is currently engaged with.

A Pathway to Academia: Engineering and Energy Innovation

Before embarking on his PhD, Tonny’s background was rooted in engineering. He spent several years working in the energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on improving energy efficiency and making electricity access more transparent to consumers. His work aimed to increase public participation in the energy transition by supporting awareness of their consumption patterns, ultimately paving a way for a more sustainable energy future.

However, Tonny quickly realised that technology alone wasn’t enough to drive sustainable energy transitions. While technological advancements in renewable energy—such as solar panels and energy storage—were rapidly evolving, deeper systemic challenges prevented their widespread adoption. Indeed, Tonny explained that “the innovation happening in the sector isn’t just about technology. There are so many other things that need to change to allow these technologies to work. The real challenge is creating the right policy environment, investment opportunities, and business models to drive the uptake of these solutions.”

This understanding propelled him toward academia, as Tonny saw a need to investigate and understand how to create supportive environments for energy innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship, both in developed and developing nations. With that goal in mind, he pursued a PhD to gain a more nuanced understanding of the broader systemic issues that shape the energy transition.

Doctoral Research at Oxford: Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and Energy Policy

Tonny completed his PhD at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at the University of Oxford, where he focused on how entrepreneurial ventures in the energy sector can simultaneously drive clean energy access and the achievement of multiple sustainable development goals in sub-Saharan Africa. His research sought to answer key questions about the interplay between business, policy, and energy transitions, including how businesses in the energy sector can thrive while promoting access to affordable clean energy and what key policy decisions can accelerate this transition.

Beyond theoretical contributions, Tonny’s research was deeply practical. He engaged directly with businesses and policymakers to identify barriers and solutions for scaling clean energy technologies. After completing his PhD, Tonny continued working at Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher, further exploring barriers to entrepreneurial activity in the Renewable energy sector in the Global south, including business and policy innovations that can support energy transitions, before joining the University of Manchester in September 2024.

Current Research: Innovation Systems, Business Models, and Resilience

Tonny is currently working on several research projects that build on his previous work. One of these projects focuses on innovation systems and resilience in the energy sector, examining how businesses, governments and other actors can be better equipped to respond to crises. Using data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic including interviews, reports and surveys, Tonny is analysing how the responses we witnessed can inform future policies to create more resilient innovation systems. “Instead of thinking about resilience as an afterthought,” he explains, “we need to embed it within innovation systems from the very start.”

Another research project investigates why certain firms are able to maintain their purpose and focus on sustainability over time while others struggle. This research uses the case of businesses in the energy sector. Tonny is particularly interested in understanding how these companies innovate their business models to sustain their purpose and deliver long-term value despite economic and environmental uncertainties. In a third major project, he is studying entrepreneurship in resource-constrained environments. Based on fieldwork and workshops conducted in Kenya, he is examining how entrepreneurs in the climate space contribute to solving grand challenges despite limited access to financing and infrastructure.

A Vision for the Future

As he settles into his role at MIOIR, Tonny is excited about the opportunities ahead. With Tonny’s work sitting at the intersection of technology, policy, and business, driven by a desire to create a more inclusive and sustainable energy future, Tonny will be teaching on the new Master in Sustainable Business program. He will teach topics including sustainable entrepreneurship and business model innovation, remarking that “it’s such a privilege to be able to teach the next generation of managers on how they should think about solving some of the biggest problems the world is facing.” Alongside shaping the thinking of future business leaders, Tonny also looks forward to collaborating with colleagues who share his passion for innovation and sustainability.

We are thrilled to have him as part of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research and look forward to seeing how his research and teaching continue to shape the field of sustainable business and innovation.

Welcome to MIOIR, Tonny!

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