Women in Hydrogen

Sustainable hydrogen evolution catalysts

I studied chemical engineering at Queen’s University Belfast and was lucky enough to get a summer placement with QUILL (Queen’s University Ionic Liquid Laboratories) which made me realise how much I enjoyed research and that I wanted to do a PhD in alternative energies.

The project involved working on catalyst for the synthesis of biofuel additives and I found that I really enjoyed synthesising and understanding catalysts. I was on the integrated masters pathway so after my third year I went on placement to a large pharmaceutical company where I had time to seriously think about my future. I already knew I wanted to do a PhD so I decided to apply for PhDs in green technologies. 

I found the sustainable hydrogen CDT and was really excited by the range of projects and the attitude towards different backgrounds, so I applied. The interview I had with the CDT was really different from any of the other PhD interviews I had done, and I really liked the attitude, so I gladly accepted the offer! About a month after my first interview, I was invited to visit the University of Nottingham to meet the supervisors of the two projects I was most interested in and ended up sticking with my first choice because I really liked project!

I really enjoy being part of the CDT because it’s almost like having a second research group so double the opportunities. Within the CDT we have opportunities to be social together but also opportunities to learn new skills and to meet new people. The CDT organises events such as workshops, stakeholder engagement sessions and EDI sessions so there is always something to be involved in. 

The goal of my PhD project is to investigate sustainable catalysts for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis. As we move towards net zero there is a need for increased capacity to produce green hydrogen but unless we use catalysts which are sustainable and efficient then we are at risk of causing further damage. My work aims to develop electrocatalysts which are not only efficient and stable but also which do minimal damage to the environment from extraction to disposal.

The part that I enjoy most about my PhD is that I’m always learning something new! I also love the practical aspect of my project and I’m really enjoying the synthesis aspect. My research group is based in the CNL building on Jubilee Campus which is just a fantastic facility to be working in considering the building itself was designed with sustainability in mind!

In my first year (20/21) it was difficult due to COVID as everything had to be online but now that we can travel it is getting much easier! In first year, we had lots of Teams calls for helping each other with the taught modules, workshops and for social events. As the modules are so varied it was really useful to chat to other people in the CDT as our areas of expertise are also varied and people were always happy to help chat things over! Teams has been really useful for other social events like quizzes but since September we’ve had a few in person events like the CDT picnic and stakeholder event.  

By far the best part of the CDT is the people! The students have all come from different backgrounds but we have a great sense of community despite being online the whole of my first year! Moving somewhere new by yourself in a pandemic isn’t easy but everyone was really supportive of each other which was really helpful.

Since September 2021 we have been able to have in person events which has meant that we have gotten to see other universities and facilities that we otherwise wouldn’t have. The range of universities gives rise to a range of projects and so a range of people which I really enjoy. I really enjoy being able to hear about a whole range of projects which are all linked by sustainable hydrogen and I don’t think we would get the same range from just one university.

 BA in Economics and Politics, MSc and PhD in Economics

 I completed my doctoral studies in Economics at the University of Warwick in 1995 and have worked in Economics Departments and Business Schools across the UK enjoying the intellectual challenges of working in multidisciplinary environments. Before joining Loughborough as a Professor in Microeconomics in 2015. I have worked at the Universities of Warwick, Nottingham, Aston and Exeter.

 My current research work looks at development of local energy markets and communities. This is done via surveys of energy consumers and prosumers. I am also looking at data on energy consumption and prices to assess the distributional impact of energy policy interventions. 

 Throughout my academic career I have investigated a wide range of issues relating to energy consumption and energy markets, including competition and regulation in wholesale and retail energy markets, decentralised energy production and storage, energy consumers’ and prosumers’ behaviour and energy poverty, often in productive collaborations with current and past PhD students.

 I don’t know enough about hydrogen to have identified my heroes. A couple of bright and caring economists however have helped me understand our potential role in the energy transition: Catherine Wolfram (https://haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/wolfram-catherine/) and Michael Greenstone (https://epic.uchicago.edu/people/michael-greenstone/) 

 Being able to learn about the exciting progress in technology and science which can help develop a successful energy transition

 I hope to use my academic expertise to inform the difficult policy and commercial decisions which can help achieve critical environmental targets.

 In the little time that teaching and research leave I enjoy swimming, reading and learning foreign languages.

 BE in Mechanical Engineering in University College Dublin, followed by a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast

 I enjoyed my final year undergraduate project which was my first real experience of research and involved the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to understand the airflow in container trucks. The project led me to consider postgraduate study and I applied for a PhD using CFD to model the fluid behaviour in race car airboxes. After a brief period working on space applications as a CFD development engineer in industry I joined Ulster University as a researcher in the HySAFER team. 

 I am Reader at Ulster, my role involves a combination of research and teaching. My research interests are in hydrogen safety, and specifically the understanding of releases and fires. I coordinate the HyResponder project, a European “train the trainer” programme in hydrogen safety for responders. At Ulster I teach across several engineering courses and particularly enjoy teaching fluid mechanics. 

 Hydrogen releases and fires. 

 It’s a challenging but rewarding area with many opportunities.

 Long distance running

BSc Chemistry and PhD in Materials Chemistry at University of Southampton. PhD involved using high pressure oxygen at up to 800 bar and up to 800°C to access unusual oxidation states of the late transition metals. I gained a lot of experience in techniques X-ray diffraction, Electron Microscopy, thermal analysis and spent a lot of time at central facilities (doing Neutron Diffraction and EXAFS) and collaborated with colleagues in Liverpool (Mossbauer Spectroscopy) and Durham (SSNMR).

I stayed at the University of Southampton for a further 3 years to do a postdoctoral position for 3 years where I designed and built a high pressure hydrothermal rig (2Kbar, up to 800°C) and learnt to weld gold, cone and thread high pressure tubing and seal glass ampoules.  Then I took up a lectureship at Loughborough in 1997 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2000. Following various roles and responsibilities including 4 years as Associate Dean for Teaching, I was promoted to Chair in 2019. Throughout my different roles I have felt the public understanding of science was important and presented at too-many-to-count science fairs and festivals.  I have had a variety of projects and foci during my career leading me to work with a many different industrial and academic collaborators.

I am currently PI on a mini-CDT with 7 other academics and 7 students on Sustainable Low Dimensional Catalysis (SLowCat) and supervise students that are involved in regenerating materials form waste.  The production of hydrogen is one of the target species. We have recently been accepted at the Royal Society Exhibition for 07/22. 

I am primarily a materials chemist and my research expertise is in preparing and characterising solid state materials with a mixture of short range and long range techniques.  This means I apply my expertise to linking structure to properties in many different types of material rather than concentrating on a single application. In my career I have worked on many different materials from pigments to catalysts, from pharmaceuticals to hydrogen generation materials.

While Cavendish and Lavoisier respectively identified and named hydrogen, for me the hydrogen heroes are those that first moved forward the idea of the fuel cell. Schoenbein in 1838 discovered that hydrogen and oxygen could be combined to give an electrical current and generate only water as a byproduct. Grove, a wealthy judge and scientist, then took this finding and made it practical by inventing the ‘gas battery’ in 1845. Without these discoveries, the fuel cell wouldn’t exist.

Clean and sustainable energy production is a global problem that needs to be solved now for the sake of every living thing on the planet.  Hydrogen generation and fuel cells are exciting, fast-moving areas of research which are set to be game changers in making the ideal a reality.

Continue to use my materials background to solve problems in projects that I find interesting.

I have a number of pets (cats, dogs and ducks) that keep my husband and I busy outside of our day jobs.  I enjoy reading and watching detective novels/series and an occasional PS4 game.  I took up fruit and vegetable growing during lockdown, enthusiastically if not terribly successfully!

BEng Mechanical Engineering (Imperial College), PhD Mechanical Engineering (University of Nottingham)

After completing an apprenticeship in the Aerospace industry I decided to move to the Energy industry to understand how we could reduce the environmental impact of energy generation.  Through my career I have combined these experiences to look at both transport and energy systems to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact, including decarbonising as well as pollutant reduction.

My research is on thermofluid systems using modelling and experimental approaches to extend the engineering science and understanding of multi-phase reactive systems.  This allows us to create design rules to reduce the environmental impact from electrical machines, aeroengines or power station boilers.  This research enables industry to deliver new generations of devices that better meet society’s needs with a reducing environmental impact.

My expertise is in liquid-gas, solid-gas multiphase flow including where reactions are present.  I use this to understand thermal management, combustion and conveyance/delivery systems. 

The potential impact that it has in solving some of our energy and transport challenges we have in reducing/removing environmental impact that arises from society’s desire to have ready energy availability and the ability to travel.

I would love to decarbonise electricity generation and aviation with solutions that also deliver a pollution free answer.

BSc Microbiology PhD Biochemistry

Moved into bioinorganic chemistry (microbes and metals and bioremediation) then nanoscience (catalytic bionanoparticles for environment and green chemistry) and biochemical engineering (integrated processes).Then since 2000 into hydrogen biotechnology and fuel cells. Since 2014 into sustainability and circularity (resources from wastes).

 

Writing up large backlog of papers. Supporting colleagues in research bids as CoI. Co Director of CDT in Sustainable hydrogen

The man who designed the Hindenberg. Pity he didnt use helium. The guys working on the fusion reactors. Useful stuff helium. 

Being part of tomorrows green energy development

 

Stay alive long enough to seen hydrogen energy become a reality before we lose the worlds coastal cities and Bangladesh.

Stay healthy enough to go on a booked trip to Antarctica in 2023 while we still have it. Witness the fjrst Mars mission for which Antarctica is a surrogate (I used to lecture ln Exobiology while it was still ‘fringe’) 

Upcycling and repurposing of waste. My animals… 5 large cats and a dog.