Angus Hardy, a graduate from the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, has received the Salters’ Institute Graduate Award, a nationally recognised programme that celebrates outstanding students who are making a positive impact in chemistry and chemical engineering. It is a highly competitive award, each year the Heads of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments at UK universities may nominate only one candidate per discipline, meaning a maximum of two nominations per institution. Nomination is only the first stage as all nominated students across the UK then compete for just five national award places in each discipline.
Candidates are expected to:
- be predicted to obtain a First-Class Honours Degree in either chemistry or chemical engineering
- show passion, skills and motivation to lead and shape the UK chemical or related sectors
- demonstrate the ability to motivate others
- show some knowledge of the current chemical industry and the need for future innovation
- have a willingness and ability to participate in the Institute’s activities and join our Alumni network.
Angus said: “Being recognised in this way was incredibly rewarding. The award aligns closely with my interests in sustainable innovation and the future of the chemical sector and it has strengthened my motivation to contribute to the industry’s development. I’m also particularly excited about the Salters’ Institute’s strong commitment to STEM outreach, especially its work to inspire younger students and raise the profile of chemical engineering. Becoming part of the Alumni network offers a fantastic opportunity to support these initiatives and help encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
Speaking about the event he went on to say “The awards ceremony itself was a wonderful experience, a great mix of celebration, networking with fellow engineers and industry leaders, and, on a lighter note, some genuinely excellent food. Overall, it was a very positive occasion, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in future outreach and volunteering opportunities through the network.”
Angus was nominated by Professor Jagroop Pandhal, Professor Rachael Rothman and Dr Alan Dunbar, with the application being supported and submitted by the Head of School, Professor Joan Cordiner.
Professor Cordiner said: “It was an easy decision to support Angus’ nomination. Angus was an extremely high-caliber student. He achieved high grades throughout his degree and took part in extracurricular activities, including the Sheffield Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) programme - a highly competitive scheme where students undertake a research project over the summer. This award is well deserved and a fantastic reflection of the hard work he put into his studies.”
The SURF project led Angus to do his dissertation project under Professor Pandhal’s supervision where he was looking at carbon capture using algae in a completely novel way. The research now is on the commercialisation journey thanks to the work done by Angus.
Professor Pandhal said: “Angus’s contribution involved modelling chemical processes and, in doing so, generated data on how best to scale processes from the laboratory into an industrial setting. This was a difficult and highly technical challenge which Angus took on and delivered to a standard well beyond that expected of a final year undergraduate.”
