Two IChemE Fellows awarded new year honours

TWO Fellows of IChemE have been awarded orders of the British Empire in the new year honours list.

Richard Williams, vice-chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, was awarded a CBE for services to education, engineering, and entrepreneurship, while Kate Barclay was awarded an MBE for her contributions to education and skills.

New year honours are awarded annually by the British monarch to recognise the “achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK”.

Williams has worked in academia since 1986 and has spent much of his career in mineral engineering research. He has been vice-chancellor of Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh since 2015. He is also an editor of IChemE’s Chemical Engineering Research and Design journal.

Williams said: “I am honoured to receive this recognition, which is also built on the achievements of colleagues, students, external partners, and the goodwill and prayers of so many across our remarkable Heriot-Watt community.

“It celebrates the distinctive and purposeful approach we have in supporting inclusive and accessible education and our impact on the wider economy in Scotland and beyond.

“Engineering skills and transition of ideas into practice are critical to new business creation and to assure our future societal sustainability, especially in the areas of critical minerals and energy storage technologies.”

Barclay, meanwhile, has spent over 30 years in commercial manufacturing and early clinical R&D in the pharmaceutical industry. Since 2015, she has guided government policy on technical STEM education and has sat on the board of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education since its launch in 2017.

Barclay spoke at an IChemE roundtable in parliament in February 2024 about the need to attract new workers to jobs in the green transition sector. She advocated for apprenticeships and technical education at any career stage.

She told TCE: “I have a real passion for opportunity and believe that your background and previous experiences should play a positive part in the contributions you make, and definitely not be a barrier.

“Playing a leading role in apprenticeships and technical education has been a real privilege and I hope there are now many more opportunities for people to progress into meaningful careers in engineering.”