Chemical engineer Aaron Low awarded the Earle Travel Fellowship

Chemical engineer Dr Aaron Low has been named the winner of the 2017 Earle Travel Fellowship. The annual award encourages New Zealand engineers and technologists in the early stages of their careers to travel abroad and expand their knowledge and understanding of the discipline, to apply to their work back home.

Low is a member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), and alumni of the University of Waikato, where he gained a PhD in Materials and Process Engineering.

He currently works at Ligar Polymers based in Hamilton, New Zealand – a Waikato Institute of Technology spin-out company.

The Fellowship will provide funding towards two international trips.

In October 2017 he will visit the UK where, among other things, he will attend IChemE’s Comprehensive Explosion Science course at its headquarters in Rugby. Then in March 2018 he will visit the US to attend a workshop on scale-up and commercial production of emulsion polymers.

Aaron Low said:

“This funding will provide me with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge by attending specialised training courses and visiting international companies to build new collaborative relationships. I can then bring that experience and knowledge back to New Zealand and Ligar Polymers. This is an exciting opportunity and I would like to thank Ligar Polymers for supporting my application. I would also like to thank The Richard and Mary Earle Technology Trust for awarding me the Fellowship. It is a privilege to be associated with the vision Richard and Mary Earle have for technology and innovation in New Zealand.”

Whilst in both countries Aaron will also visit a number of companies that Ligar is working with, as well as suppliers and university contacts.

Member of IChemE New Zealand Board, Jenny Culliford, sat on the Earle Travel Fellowship judging panel. She said:

“Aaron is a highly motivated professional who is a worthy recipient of this award. The judges were impressed by his maturity, his passion for engineering and commitment to his profession. We are confident that Aaron will derive significant benefits from the workshops and networking opportunities funded by the Fellowship.”

The Earle Travel Fellowship is open to young engineers working in product development and innovation management, or in process development in bioprocessing or food processing, who are members of IChemE, New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST), The Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ), or The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA).

It is envisaged that the skills gained, and the contacts made, through visiting overseas research and development institutes, and attending international conferences, will enable successful candidates to improve technology in New Zealand.