From Monday 16th to Friday 20th June 2025, the Centre for Nature Inspired Engineering at Department of Chemical Engineering, UCL hosted the NICE Summer Placement, led by Dr Nidhi Kapil. The one-week programme welcomed Year 12 A-level students who are interested in pursuing chemical engineering at university and wanted to gain real lab experience.
During the placement, students learned about what chemical engineering involves and how it plays a key role in solving global challenges. They explored a wide range of exciting topics including antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), cancer immunotherapy, methanol-to-olefin (MTO) synthesis, propylene epoxidation, diffusion fundamentals, and fluidisation.
An interesting session with Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens introduced students to the idea of Nature-Inspired Chemical Engineering, showing how ideas from nature can help design better and more sustainable technologies while also answering students' questions about studying chemical engineering.
Students also learned about lab equipment, nanoparticle syntheses and working of a lab scale reactor. The placement ended with students sharing what they learned, and which topic interested them the most. It was a great opportunity for young minds to experience university life and get a real taste of chemical engineering.
Here’s what the students had to say:
“Coming to UCL for an exclusive insight into Chemical Engineering & Nature Inspired Engineering confirmed this is the right place for me. The experience challenged me in the best way and showed me how the course bring together creativity, theory and hands-on lab work, not just study mechanisms but applying them to tackle real life issues. Hearing from PhD students, learning from Dr Nidhi’s phenomenal teaching and speaking with Prof Marc-Olivier Coppens was truly inspiring, it honestly felt like I was already graduating. I left feeling stretched, accomplished and truly excited.”- Aadriti Singh
“The placement overall has given me an immersive introduction into the incredible world of chemical engineering. From shadowing lab work to learning about the exciting new projects UCL is working on, I am confident this is the field I want to pursue in the future”- Isabel Castrillo Monila
“I am incredibly thankful to Nidhi and Marc-Olivier (and everyone who have up their time for us) for an invaluable placement that has taught me so much about chemical engineering. It has been incredibly interesting and has deepened my passion for the field. Thank you”- Sebastian Hail Cox
