Bath’s Perera wins Everywoman academic award

UNIVERSITY OF BATH chemical engineering professor and IChemE Fellow Semali Perera has won the FDM Everywoman in Technology Academic Award.

The awards celebrate women in technology and STEM in the UK, and their work in changing the face of technology and inspiring the next generation. The Awards are run by Everywoman, an organisation set up to support women in business and industry. The organisation presents 12 Technology Awards each year, with categories including Rising Star, Software Engineer, Entrepreneur, and Digital Star. This year’s awards ceremony was held on 9 February at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in London, UK, attended by more than 550 business and technology leaders.

The Academic Award is presented to a woman in academia who has made an outstanding contribution to technology and science. Perera was specifically recognised for her work designing, developing and modelling novel structured materials, including drug release depots to treat ovarian cancer and to remove CO₂ in NASA space expeditions.

Perera currently leads a team at Bath to develop a new way to deliver sustained chemotherapy drugs to patients with reduced side effects and fewer deaths, which are a result of the high doses necessary.

“I am honoured to have been recognised by the FDM Everywoman of the Year Awards. I hope this accolade will enable me to continue inspiring young people, and in particular young women, to study STEM and engineering subjects in which there remains a gender imbalance,” said Perera.

Tim Mays, head of Bath’s chemical engineering department and also an IChemE Fellow, said that Perera’s colleagues and friends at the university are “delighted” at her success.

“Professor Semali Perera is an inspirational academic engineer who has a keen eye for the impact of her research in a critical area of modern healthcare. Semali's achievements well-deserve the recognition that this important award represents.”