Hilton graduated with an MSc Electrical Engineering in 1983 and is a research fellow in the Global Risk Governance programme University of Cape Town (UCT) Public Law Dept),  Honorary Research Associate at the Energy Systems Research Group (UCT) and Research Associate at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in Paris. He has also worked at senior levels in government and the private sector. Green iron and steel – From 2018 he has led research involving reconfiguration of global value chains to locate green primary iron/steel production in South Africa and other developing countries. In addition to techno-economics, this involves national and international economic, trade, industrial, strategic autonomy and climate policies and political issues. He is currently leading development of a policy brief on EU Green Iron Trade.