A former Daphne Jackson Fellow, Dr Xuanli Luo, is today announced as one of Top 50 Women in Engineering: Sustainability award winners by The Women’s Engineering Society (WES).

The WE50 awards seek to recognise the wealth of female talent within engineering and related disciplines; an annual celebration aligned with the campaign International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) which takes place today on 23 June.

Now in its fifth year, the 2020 WE50 celebrates women who have made a significant contribution within sustainability. Winning nominees were required to provide evidence of their successful support of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals or the Net Zero Carbon Programme. Even in the current climate, the number and standard of nominations were high, emphasising the exceptional achievements made by women in this field. The WE50 awards were judged by a panel of industry experts.

Xuanli Luo completed her Daphne Jackson Fellowship in the Advanced Materials Research Group at University of Nottingham in 2019. Her Fellowship, sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering and University of Nottingham, looked at the ways in which hydrogen can be stored efficiently at room temperature using nano-materials. This new knowledge could revolutionise the use of hydrogen as an energy source and prove to be vital component of the developing energy sector. Since completing her Fellowship, Xuanli’s career has gone from strength to strength and she is now continuing her research, also at the University of Nottingham, with a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship.

“I’m honoured to be included in the WE50 awards today. Thank you to WES and of course to the Daphne Jackson Trust, who nominated me and supported me on my journey back to engineering.” Dr Xuanli Luo.

“I couldn’t be more delighted with the recognition of Xuanli’s career achievements and of the news today that she is included in the WE50 winners. We nominated Xuanli for her exemplary research project along with her determination and commitment to return to research – she is an inspiration for all other women at all stages of their STEM and research careers. She is proof that a successful career in engineering doesn’t have to end when you have a career break. Xuanli has successfully returned to engineering with a Daphne Jackson Fellowship and is now a Leverhulme Trust Fellow and an award winner!” Dr Katie Perry, Chief Executive of the Daphne Jackson Trust.

In 2018, another former Daphne Jackson Fellow, Dr Maria Ribera-Vicent was named as one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering.

All of the 2020 WE50 winners are published on the INWED website and will be celebrated during WES’ own virtual INWED event on 23 June and across social media and press throughout the world.