SCI Yorkshire and the Humber Group Annual Awards 2023

Joy is the Director of the Centre for Industry Education, based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York, overseeing a team of primary science specialists and researchers. She is responsible for the design and delivery of CIEC programmes, from making credible links with science industries and related careers, to translating science research into primary science activities. Joy has refined the Children Challenging Industry programme since its inception and presented papers at education and industry conferences across the globe on its impact on children, teachers, and industry partners.

Joy has delivered science CPD to thousands of teachers across the UK and beyond, and still gets occasional opportunities to work with teachers to support their practice.

Joy has authored or edited over 40 publications, interactive websites to support the teaching and learning of and research into primary science, industry contexts and career-related learning. Joy has served on several education committees over the years, including the Royal Society of Biology’s Curriculum Committee and the UK’s Association for Science Education Primary and regional committees.

Chris Rayner is Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Leeds, where he has been for over 30 years, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research interests are focused on various aspects of sustainable chemistry. Of particular relevance is his work on carbon dioxide chemistry which in 2009 led to the formation of C-Capture Ltd. (www.c-capture.co.uk) as a University start up.

C-Capture specialises in the development and application of highly efficient CO2 separation processes. It has developed a fundamentally new approach for separating CO2 out of the emissions of large scale point source emitters, such as power stations and from industrial processes. The technology developed by C-Capture significantly reduces energy requirements for the separation process, allows the use of inexpensive materials of construction, and has a substantially reduced environmental profile compared to current methods. The CO2 can then be utilised, or stored deep underground in geological features such as depleted oil and gas fields. This process is referred to as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and is essential if we are to reach net-zero CO2 emissions and avoid catastrophic climate change. Chris is also co-founder of Keracol, which is developing novel sustainable cosmetics and personal care products, and has associated research activities at the University, including the Polyester Infinity research programme, which has the potential to revolutionise textile dyeing and decolouration as part of a circular textile economy.

Throughout my career, my goal has been to deliver research of the highest quality from both a peer-review and industrial partner perspective. As an industrial statistician and engineer, I have worked at the interface of disciplines as this is where research challenges typically materialise. My strength of working with other disciplines has ensured that process/product understanding is integrated into the objectives of the research, thereby ensuring that the outcomes can be used in practice. By adopting this philosophy, my research has made significant contributions to R&D in the UK chemicals, specialty chemicals, food &drink, home and personal care (HPC) and bio/pharmaceutical sectors. In summary my expertise lies in the area of process engineering with a particular focus on transforming data available from processes and products into information and ultimately knowledge that can be used to characterise the system under investigation with the goal of aiding decision making with regard to the objectives of the study.

Prof. Richard A. Bourne is currently a Professor of Digital Chemical Manufacturing at the University of Leeds. He completed his PhD under the supervision of Sir Prof. Martyn Poliakoff, CBE, FRS. He is now a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair developing automated platforms for rapid development of sustainable processes with focus on continuous flow routes to pharmaceutical and fine chemical products. His group is based within the Institute of Process Research and Development (IPRD) at the University of Leeds, a joint institute between Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Research is supported by EPSRC, Catalysis Hub, Dial-A-Molecule, Horizon 2020 Funding (ProPAT and IbD), AstraZeneca, UCB Pharma, Syngenta, Royal Academy of Engineering and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.