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Joan Cordiner

Joan Cordiner set to serve as IChemE president in 2027/28

Professor Joan Cordiner has been confirmed as IChemE’s next deputy president, following the close of nominations for Trustee roles ahead of the Institution’s AGM In June.

The Chemical Engineer
A strand of DNA

UK-wide nucleic acid network launches to connect research, industry and innovation

The University of Sheffield is part of a new national network led by the University of Portsmouth which has launched to accelerate innovation across nucleic acids, bringing together researchers, industry partners and policymakers from across the UK.
Meet the winners: Grace Chen., Nengchao Luo, Fanran Meng

Dr Fanran Meng has received the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award

Congratulations to Dr Fanran Meng who has received the ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award. This annual award honours early‑career researchers worldwide whose work advances sustainability, green chemistry, or green engineering.

American Chemical Society
A researcher wearing a purple jumper is demonstrating the GEA bioreactor system at The Diamond
Demonstrating the GEA bioreactor system at The Diamond

Outreach spotlight: Inside the lab with Hinde House Academy

Members of the algae research group recently welcomed 30 Year 9 students from Hinde House Academy for a full day of immersive science, careers exploration, and hands-on discovery at the University of Sheffield.
Grike Fell overlooking Sellafield

Government allocates £154m for plutonium disposal

Dr Lewis Blackburn is quoted in a BBC article about money that will be spent by the government to investigate how best to dispose of the 140 tonnes of radioactive plutonium it currently stores at a nuclear plant.

| BBC news
two men in hi-vis jackets shovel cement which is pouring from a tube

The green steel revolution is creating demand for new approaches to cement production, study finds

The UK’s race to reach net-zero is rapidly transforming two of its most carbon intensive industries – steel and cement. However new research warns that progress in one, could hinder the other with major implications on the nation’s climate strategy.
DNA molecules

Under or over? The twists and turns of genetic research

Using what is known as an atomic force microscope, advanced computer software and AI, researchers are able to visualise DNA molecules, trace their paths and measure them.
Firth court

Driving innovation with successful spinouts

This academic year has seen the incorporation of seven new spinout companies from the Faculty of Engineering. Five of these spinouts are from the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.

Fiona Macleod stands in front of the reconstructed Banqiao dam
Fiona Macleod stands in front of the reconstructed Banqiao dam

The forgotten and the dammed: The hidden risks behind the world's water and waste reservoirs

Fifty years after the Banqiao dam collapse killed hundreds of thousands in China, Professor Fiona Macleod says deadly failures continue to expose the global threat of ageing infrastructure, climate extremes and toxic waste.

| The Chemical Engineer