Birmingham opens major chemical engineering research conference
27th March 2017
Chemical engineering experts from across the UK and beyond are heading to the University of Birmingham today to discuss research innovations that could help to shape a better world.
The University is hosting ChemEngDayUK 2017 – a prestigious two-day event that sees leading UK chemical engineering academics, industry partners and international guests discuss developments and innovations towards a more sustainable future.
Chaired by Zhibing Zhang, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, the conference is organised by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). It brings together researchers, engineers and scientists from around the UK, Europe, USA and South East Asia to explore the latest technological advances and research results in core areas of chemical engineering.
IChemE’s President, Jonathan Seville, said:
“ChemEngDayUK is an important date in the UK chemical engineering calendar, for both academics and industrial researchers. The University of Birmingham offers one of our oldest established chemical engineering programmes, and was a natural choice to host this year’s event. Chemical engineering is at the heart of many of solutions to global challenges in water, energy, food and healthcare, and I look forward to hearing more about our collective efforts in these and other areas at the event.”
University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood launched the event, which this year has the theme ‘Better Life, Better World’. Research areas covered will include formulation engineering, energy storage, nano-pharmaceuticals, bio-fuels and ‘green’ chemistry.
David said:
“For more than a century, the University of Birmingham has thrived by developing innovative solutions to address big issues. Our School of Chemical Engineering has made some very important contributions to Birmingham’s continued success.
“We are delighted to host ChemEngDayUK 2017 and welcome so many distinguished experts from across the UK and beyond to our campus. Birmingham is a global ‘civic’ university, and therefore has a responsibility to enrich the life of people in our home city and the wider world.
“I look forward to future research partnerships and opportunities being forged here in Birmingham which will help to create a better life for people in Birmingham, Britain and around the globe.”
The conference programme includes distinguished speakers, technical sessions with invited talks by leading experts from academia and industry, and interactive sessions where participants showcase their research successes.
New opportunities for collaborative effort will be created and, in particular, industrialists will be able to establish new dialogues and build relationships with universities in addition to developing links across industries.
IChemE will also be at the conference, encouraging the researchers in attendance to explain why their work matters to society, in a way that the general public can understand. The initiative is based on the Albert Einstein quote – “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’ understand it well enough.”
Zhibing Zhang said:
“We should be proud of chemical engineers in the UK who have made outstanding contributions to modern civilization. We face new challenges that require us to be highly innovative in research and education, whilst working with scientists in different disciplines and collaborating with researchers in other countries. ChemEngDayUK provides an excellent platform for us to share the most recent achievements in our research and education.”