Derek Taylor holds a PhD in geology/geochemistry and began his career at British Petroleum before joining the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. From 1984 until 2009, he worked for the European Commission, where for many years he was a Head of Unit in the field of nuclear energy and safety. In recent years, Mr Taylor has focused on the security of energy supply and energy markets, where he has advised on the environmental impacts of energy and energy policy – in particular, relating to CO2 emissions and climate change, and international co-operation on CCS.