Klara and Linlin won UCL Chemical Engineering Departmental Awards

CNIE group members Ms Klara Burdova and Dr Linlin Xu have won UCL Chemical Engineering Departmental Awards, announced at the recent departmental party!
Klara Burdova, first-year PhD student in our group, has been a brilliant, exceptionally dedicated Postgraduate Teaching Assistant for NICE (nature-inspired chemical engineering) course, winning "Best PGTA Term 1" Award for 2024/25. A former student of the course as senior undergraduate last academic year, she understood the needs of the students and went much beyond the typical support with feedback and grading, but supported students with their projects in class, organised CNIE researcher guest lectures, a visit to the UCL Grant Museum of Zoology, NICE/Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering (CNIE) lab visits, and stepped in with any time-consuming logistic issues. She always finds time for the students, and exudes professionalism and a positive attitude, with a smile, no matter the challenge!
Linlin Xu, who obtained her PhD recently, was awarded "Best Experimental Researcher Prize" for 2024/25, for her paper on lizard-inspired hydrogen (PEM) fuel cells, published in Advanced Science last year. This paper investigates the crucial challenge of water management in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) employing hydrogen. This is a key factor limiting their performance and broader use. Inspired by the efficient water transport mechanism found in desert lizards, a novel flow field design incorporating capillary microchannels is introduced. This nature-inspired strategy leads to significant enhancement in PEMFC performance, achieving up to 15% increase in maximum power density. Electro-thermal mapping and neutron radiography provide insights into the improved uniformity of current and temperature distribution and the effective removal of excess water, offering a scalable and robust solution for PEMFCs. Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202404350
Congratulations, Klara and Linlin!