Young engineers call for more industry support at the 2025 YEAIS

MORE than 100 young engineers, students, and industry leaders packed the historic Royal Society in London for the 2025 Young Engineers Awards for Innovation and Sustainability (YEAIS) showcase – one of five global events hosted by IChemE to spotlight the next generation of chemical engineers. From hydrogen production to vaccine cooling systems, attendees explored cutting-edge solutions to global challenges and celebrated the power of fresh thinking in engineering.

“The chemical engineer’s toolbox is ever-expanding,” said Gayatri Sundar Rajan, a finalist in the clean energy and climate action category. “We as chemical engineers have the agency to bring about change with the expertise we have accumulated from school, university, and working in industry.”

This year’s YEAIS goals aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including clean energy and climate action, water and sanitation, and food, health and wellbeing. Entrants in the expanded awards participated in four main categories: undergraduate, postgraduate, early career and schools – the latter open to UK students aged 16 to 18.

Congratulating peers

Among the young engineers and presenters eager to showcase their research posters and findings was student Zhi Ling Chew, winner of the postgraduate prize. She had flown in from Malaysia with her family to present her work on converting biowaste into gel coatings for food preservation.

She said: “I am incredibly honoured by this award, as I was not expecting it at all considering the number of amazing entrants.”

Studying at the Xiamen University of Malaysia, Chew noted that IChemE’s presence in the region was still limited, and attending events like the YEAIS was “really helpful” for connecting with peers and learning more about the profession.

“I found out about the event through my supervisor and took the opportunity as it gave me a chance to share my work with a wider audience.”

Similar thoughts were shared by Sam Sarrafi and Rowan French, graduate engineers from United Utilities who were finalists in the water and sanitation category. As part of a £1.4m (US$1.9m) project with Ofwat, they are exploring how metagenomics – the study of genetic material from the environment – can improve wastewater plant operations.

French said: “Having the chance to present is really helpful for us because you are talking to people who are not your colleagues, so may not already know what you’re talking about. It gives us an opportunity to build on our communication skills .”

Early career category winner Will Ryden had taken his presenting skills a step further by engaging in community outreach, speaking to schoolchildren in Wem, Shropshire, about his wastewater treatment technology and how it could benefit their town.

“It is amazing speaking with local people about technologies which could affect the way they live, you find out quickly that these people are interested and want to know more.”

The graduate process engineer is working with Mott MacDonald and Severn Trent on developing a “reduced footprint” sludge plant called Oxibox, which will separate solid materials from wastewater and improve river quality.

Community guidance

One of the most ambitious presentations came from a team of Imperial College London students who have developed a refrigeration system for the safe transportation of vaccines in the world’s hard-to-access regions.

The team won the undergraduate category, which was sponsored by journal publisher Elsevier.

Ani Ahmed, Eylul Akgok, and Daniel Hajime Bull presented their technology, EcoMed, a vaccine storage unit which keeps malaria vaccines at a strict temperature of 2–8°C. The team focused their research on Kano, Nigeria, as the country has the highest number of malaria cases in the world.

“We wanted to develop a sustainable solution for people who need it the most in the world,” said Ahmed.

“Regarding next steps, we are looking into completing assessments in computational fluid dynamics and machine learning for our technology. For this we would appreciate the IChemE and the wider engineering body in helping us with access to funding and resources.”

Winner of the clean energy and climate action category, sponsored by the Environment Agency, Ikuni Ebereonwu, a graduate process engineer for Arup, also spoke about the wider support young engineers need from the wider professional community, specifically when it comes to navigating the “complex jobs market”.

“More than anything I would like to see more support for young people in regional areas of the UK. I am based in Wales, and sometimes it can feel like we’re quite excluded,” she said.

“It is great coming to events like the YEAIS because you can talk with people from different places and backgrounds, all working on projects you have never thought of. It forces you to think outside the box.”

In the final awards ceremony, more than a dozen trophies and certificates were presented to winners and speakers by industry leaders, including newly appointed IChemE president Raffaella Ocone. In her address to the winners, Rachel Bibby, IChemE’s director of membership and professional learning, called for the community to stand together.

“Stay engaged and keep in communication with us as we look to make our institution better,” she said.

IChemE will be holding upcoming parallel award ceremonies across the world, including an in-person event in Trinidad and Tobago, and online events in Malaysia, Australia, and again in the UK.

You can register your interest for the 2026 YEAIS awards here.