Bath celebrates Perera FDM award
13 Feb 2017
Bath university’s reputation as a leader in chemical engineering higher education has been boosted after professor Semali Perera has been named the winner of the Academic Award in the UK’s biggest such event for women in technology.
She was one of 33 finalists at The 2017 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards.
Colleague, Professor Tim Mays, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath said:
“Semali Perera is an inspirational academic engineer who has a keen eye for the impact of her research in a critical area of modern healthcare. Semali's achievements well-deserve the recognition that this important Award represents.”
An inspirational academic engineer who has a keen eye for the impact of her research in a critical area of modern healthcare
Professor Tim Mays, Head of Chemical Engineering, Bath university
Perera (pictured) previously won the Mary Tasker Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Teaching in 2002 and in 2007 the prestigious Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation. Her work on pollution control technology led to the formation of a University of Bath spin-out company nano-porous solutions ltd which was acquired in 2013 by IMI plc, a FTSE-100 listed company.
Speaking at the London awards ceremony, Perera stated: “I am honoured to have been recognised by the FDM Everywoman of the Year Awards. I hope this accolade will enable me to continue inspiring young people, and in particular young women, to study STEM and engineering subjects in which there remains a gender imbalance.”
Her comments come shortly after the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) revealed a 12% fall in the number of students opting to study chemical engineering. Applications reduced last year from 23,125 to 20,375, with intake figures down from 3,775 to 3,300.
