News story: Professor Lynn Gladden selected as Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Professor Lynn Gladden, CBE, FRS, FREng has been selected to take up the new role within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October in succession to Professor Philip Nelson who will step down at the end of September.

Professor Lynn Gladden is currently Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Professor Gladden is internationally recognised for her work on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods which have benefited a wide array of industrial processes and contributed to a range of products and process technologies across multiple sectors.

UKRI is the main mechanism that promotes the UK’s unrivalled strengths in research and innovation both at home and around the world, and is at the core of our modern Industrial Strategy to ensure that we continue to make the most of our world-leading R&D sector and provide support for our researchers and scientists.

EPSRC is the UK’s main funder for research across the engineering and physical sciences. EPSRC supports excellent, long-term research and high-quality postgraduate training, in order to contribute to the economic competitiveness of the UK.

Professor Gladden said:

EPSRC science delivers world-leading, original thinking in mathematics, physical sciences and engineering that transforms the world we live in, and I am honoured to have been selected to be its new Executive Chair.

This is an exciting time to lead EPSRC. In particular, the formation of UK Research and Innovation offers opportunities for EPSRC science and thinking to expand into new fields through collaboration with partner Councils, and to explore new ways of working to deliver the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

Sir Mark Walport, UKRI CEO, said:

Professor Lynn Gladden is a world-leading chemical engineer. Her ground-breaking work in academia coupled with her strong collaborations with industry makes her the ideal candidate to lead EPSRC and ensure the wider success of UK Research and Innovation.

Lynn will build on the successes of her predecessor, Professor Philip Nelson, who I would like to thank for his exceptional leadership of EPSRC over the last four years and the crucial role he has played in the creation of UK Research and Innovation.

Professor Gladden is Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Her research has focussed on advancing magnetic resonance imaging techniques, originally developed for use in the medical environment, and using them in engineering research to gain greater understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena that determine the performance of chemical processes and their resulting products. In addition to her own research, Professor Gladden has held a number of research oversight roles in the UK and abroad, and has also been Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Cambridge. She is currently a Judge for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.