Sony Interactive Staff Spotlight: A Conversation with Enya Gomes Clynch

Sony has set-out a number of areas for action as part of its Road to Zero environmental plans. Academic research is instrumental to gain a full understanding of our environmental impact and develop effective management strategies.

One of the people helping to address this is Enya Gomes Clynch, an Environmental Research Engineer at SIE and a current Engineering Doctorate (EngD) candidate at the University of Surrey. Her work focuses on applying life cycle assessment tools to evaluate the environmental impact of gaming products and services. 

A Growing Passion

From a young age, Enya became a passionate advocate for sustainability and a strong believer in the power of engineering to create positive change. During her undergraduate studies in Biochemical Engineering (with a minor in Environmental Engineering), she became particularly fascinated by the intersection of engineering and sustainability. 

“I realized the crucial role that technological advancements and responsible decision-making play in addressing the significant challenges facing our society,” says Enya. “I firmly believe it is our shared responsibility to care for our planet, not only for ourselves but for future generations, and I take great pride in knowing that my research can make a lasting impact.”

This led Enya to apply for a Doctoral position at SIE applying the latest research to help the company better understand and reduce its environmental impacts:

“I was drawn to Sony Interactive Entertainment because of the impact it has to drive meaningful change and its strong commitment to ESG initiatives,” she says when asked why she chose to work at SIE. “Having owned PlayStation consoles my whole life, it’s been fascinating to see behind the curtain!”

Working as a Research Engineer at Sony Interactive Entertainment

As an Environmental Research Engineer at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Enya’s day-to-day work includes staying up-to-date with the latest research, analyzing carbon emissions data, and developing life cycle assessment models to evaluate the environmental impact of the company’s products. This, in turn, helps her identify key areas of improvement.

Aside from her daily responsibilities, Enya channels her passion for the environment into initiatives like PlayStation Cares, the company’s corporate giving and volunteer platform. Most recently, she helped clean up Tower Hamlets Cemetery, a nature reserve in East London. When asked about the experience, she says: “It was incredibly rewarding to see the impact of our efforts as a team and a great opportunity to connect with colleagues from different parts of the business.”

Enya’s Doctoral Research

Enya is pursuing a doctoral degree, based full-time at Sony Interactive Entertainment, to expand her expertise in the field and help formulate new solutions. “My research focuses on developing and applying life cycle assessment tools to evaluate and manage the environmental impacts of gaming products and services,” she explains. “Building on our company’s existing carbon footprint research, my research aims to expand the scope to include a wider range of environmental impact factors.” 

“The goal is to identify hotspots – key stages in the life cycle with significant environmental impacts – for our products and services and to gain a better understanding of the underlying drivers of change for these impacts.”

Enya’s research is still in its early days, but she hopes it can provide deeper insight into environmental impacts and contribute to developing effective strategies for Sony Interactive Entertainment to meet Sony’s Road to Zero targets.

Advice for Future Researchers

The work of an environmental research engineer has many different pathways. While Enya found her way to Sony Interactive Entertainment, she acknowledged that hers was her own unique journey. And to those just starting out in this field, she reaffirms that being open to whatever prospects arrive is crucial. 

“I encourage you to stay curious, ask questions, and be open to all kinds of opportunities – you may never know where one door may lead,” she says. “If you are passionate about sustainability, show it! Volunteer, research, and explore the subjects that interest you.” 

Enya also gives her guidance to other women entering this line of work: “As a proud woman in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), I also encourage other women interested in this field to seek out mentors and role models who can inspire and guide you. Collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches are essential for tackling complex environmental problems and breaking the mold. Participating in women’s networks has allowed me to contribute to fostering diversity and representation within the STEM community, an aspect I deeply value.”

How Gamers Can Help

With the research that Enya does to help identify and reduce Sony Interactive Entertainment’s environmental impact, you might be wondering how you can contribute when playing on PlayStation consoles. 

“One of the easiest ways is to ensure energy-saving features are enabled,” Enya explains. “This includes enabling automatic power down and ensuring you select the rest mode settings that best suit your preferences. Small changes like these can make a significant difference over time.”

For more details on how to use the PlayStation console settings to best suit your preferences, consult our pages about charging in rest mode, optimizing console settings, and power consumption. 

About Our Approach

Sony Interactive Entertainment is committed to Sony’s Road to Zero environment plan,  to reduce the environmental footprint of our products, services, and operations to minimize our impact. Research like Enya’s helps us turn our intentions into action and better address the specific challenges of our industry.