Xintong Cao is a PhD candidate at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester. Working with Dr Maria Sharmina and Dr Rosa Cuellar Franca, her research project aims to establish a framework to assess incentives for responsible sourcing of cobalt and to assess the effectiveness of available incentives, based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment. It contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 ‘Sustainable consumption and production’ and 13 ‘Climate action’.

Xintong recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MSc in Energy, Society and Sustainability. By investigating case studies from the electric vehicle industry, her master’s dissertation examined the effectiveness of blockchain technology in ensuring responsible sourcing in the cobalt supply chain.

She holds a BSc in Finance from Sichuan University. Prior to returning to academia, Xintong had strong experience of project analysis in the financial sector