Three chemical engineers recognised in New Year’s Honours

THREE Fellows of IChemE have been awarded in the Queen’s 2020 New Year’s Honours list. Lynn Gladden has been recognised with a Damehood, and Mark Apsey and Adisa Azapagic have been awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Gladden has been recognised for her services to academic and industrial research in chemical engineering. She is the Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). She also volunteered as a Trustee for IChemE from 2015–2018 and is a judge for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

Her work involves developing magnetic resonance imaging techniques for use in chemical engineering research. This includes developing a better understanding of multi-component adsorption, diffusion, flow and reaction processes.

Apsey was awarded an MBE for his services to sustainable energy and energy efficiency. He is Director at Ameresco where he leads the technical and business development teams focussing on helping organisations identify and implement energy efficiency and renewable projects across all sectors.

He is a founding Board member and the current Chair of the IChemE Energy Centre where he led the Centre’s Energy and Resource Efficiency (ERE) task group. The task group launched an initiative to help chemical engineers from different sectors to understand strategies and approaches to improve energy and resource efficiency. He is co-ordinating the ERE task group and collaborating with several UK engineering institutions to develop a UK national energy plan for 2050.

“It is a huge surprise and honour to be recognised for services to sustainable energy in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2020,” said Apsey. “I am grateful to everyone I have worked with so far on this journey. We have so much more to do and I take inspiration from this award to continue working hard to do everything we can to protect the life support systems of our single shared planet. Chemical engineers are uniquely placed to act in some of the most energy and resource intensive industries and I am hopeful we can all come together to transition to a net zero carbon future as quickly as possible.”

Azapagic was awarded an MBE for her services to sustainability and carbon footprinting. She is Professor of Sustainable Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester. She has been an active volunteer for IChemE’s sustainability and university accreditation work and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Sustainable Production and Consumption. She was also the Chair of the technical committee for an inaugural international conference in October 2018, which focussed on the themes of the journal.

Her research considers aspects of sustainability in different regions around the world and addresses issues of industrial significance, as well as those that affect people in everyday life.

“I’m pleased that my contribution to sustainability has been honoured by an MBE,” said Azapagic. “I see it as a recognition of not only my work but also of the invaluable contribution of my colleagues and students who work hard to make chemical engineering more sustainable.” 

IChemE President Stephen Richardson said:

“Many congratulations to Lynn Gladden for being awarded a Damehood and to Adisa Azapagic and Mark Apsey for being awarded MBEs in the New Year’s Honours. I’m absolutely delighted that they have been recognised for their many years of outstanding contributions and dedication to chemical engineering.”

“They each truly deserve these honours for their leading work in research and industry, which are helping to advance chemical engineering in energy, sustainability and chemical processes to provide significant benefits to wider society.”