A University of Sheffield chemistry researcher has won a top award for women working in engineering.
PhD student Manasi Mulay has received a Lady Engineer Award from the Institution of Engineers in her home country of India.
The award was given as part of India's annual Engineer's Day celebrations, which are held on the birthday pioneering civil engineer Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya
Manasi said: "Awards like this are an encouragement to many young girls, including those from my hometown, who aspire to careers in STEM or research. This award means a moral responsibility to continuously improve myself and work for the greater good in the future."
After completing an engineering degree at the College of Engineering, Pune, Manasi became an Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers.
She came to Sheffield to complete a masters course on nanomaterials in the University of Sheffield's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She is now working on her PhD with Dr Natalia Martsinovich in the Department of Chemistry, and as Grantham Scholar with the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures.
Manasi's project involves studying surface interactions of water pollutants with photocatalysts by computational chemistry methods such as density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics.
The Lady Engineer Award came through the Ahmednagar local centre of the Institution of Engineers, who recognised Manasi's work on sustainability and clean energy research, as well as her efforts to promote diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
She said: "To be honest, I did not expect to get any award at this early career stage of mine. But also it was probably a result of the continuous efforts I have been putting in so far. It reminded me of my roots. And it is always a pleasure to be recognised by a place where you started from.
"I also feel grateful for all the great research and outreach opportunities I’ve got so far to work with some of the brightest minds.
"This award is a reminder that your efforts are being acknowledged, no matter how tiny those are in the ocean of innovation and expertise."