EPSRC offers prestigious Leadership Fellowship to University of Surrey lecturer
Wednesday 21 July 2010
In a speech made by David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, at Farnborough International Airshow, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) announced today (21 July) that it has awarded the University of Surrey’s Dr John Varcoe one of their highly sought-after Leadership Fellowships. It is deserved recognition that Dr Varcoe, Lecturer in Materials Chemistry, has established himself as a leading researcher of international standing.
Of his achievement Dr Varcoe commented: “I am delighted with being given such a prestigious award. It will allow me to fully capitalise on the world–leading polymer fuel cell technologies that have been pioneered by the Energy Materials Team in the Division of Chemical Sciences at the University of Surrey. The Fellowship aims to extend these technologies to recycling carbon dioxide emissions into useful fuels, production of clean energy from river and sea water mixtures, energy efficient wastewater treatment and to clean water production.”
The EPSRC Leadership Fellowships are offered to talented researchers who they believe have the most potential to develop into the UK's international research leaders of tomorrow. There was strong competition for receipt of these Fellowships, with only 16 Leadership awards being made this year.
The £980,000 multidisciplinary project involves colleagues from Surrey and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, as well as undisclosed industrial partners.
Answering calls to lead on climate change research, the project will focus on investigating the fundamental properties of low temperature carbonate fuel cells and developing a self–powering system that will simultaneously treat waste water and produce clean drinking water. If successful, Dr Varcoe and his team will be responsible for developing cleaner energy and water supplies. This Fellowship follows on from another recently awarded (June 2010) £390,000 EPSRC project led by Dr Varcoe that is to develop hybrid membranes for fuel cells, redox flow battery (energy storage) systems and cleaning industrial waste effluents.
Professor John Hay, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, commented: “It is wonderful that John’s outstanding work on fuel cells has been recognised with this award. The proposed work has potentially huge environmental benefits and I look forward further successes in the future.”
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