Professor Coppens’s interdisciplinary research combines fundamental theoretical and computational work with experiments to address challenging problems, especially those related to resource efficiency (energy, water and materials), sustainable manufacturing, health and biomedical engineering. He is driven by the need for transformative technology, in the face of the critical, Grand Challenges our planet faces, as exemplified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, where incremental progress is insufficient. To do so, he has developed a unique approach, called Nature-Inspired Chemical Engineering (NICE). This involves the design of intensified chemical processes and innovative products, guided by fundamental mechanisms in natural systems that underpin desirable properties, like scalability, efficiency and resilience, and their use, adapted to the context of technological applications. The UCL Centre for Nature-Inspired Engineering (CNIE), directed by Professor Coppens, has extended this approach across disciplines, from catalysis, fluidized beds and fuel cells to cancer immunotherapy and water recovery, via a thematic, systematic Nature-Inspired Solution (NIS) methodology as a driver for sustainable design and accelerated innovation.