CEB Focus 1, Oct 2010

In this issueWelcome 2

Editorial 2

Message from HoD 3

Undergraduate Focus 5

Postgrad/Postdoc Hub 7

Teaching Matters 8

Research 10

Industry Business 12

Achievements 16

Alumni Corner 18

Events Calendar 21

Arrivals and Departures 22

Tea-Time Teaser 23

Letters to the Editor 23

CEB FocusDepartment of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyMichaelmas 2010 Issue 1

Professor Nigel SlaterNewHead of Department p.3

Summer Internships p.6 Professor John Davidson’s Award p.16Drying without dying p.10

Launch issue:Layout 1 8/10/10 12:08 Page 1

Welcome

Welcome to the first issue ofCEB Focus, the newsletter of theDepartment of ChemicalEngineering and Biotechnology.

As a recently mergeddepartment, this newsletterintends to continually buildbonds between our three sitesand keep our stakeholdersinformed about our teaching andresearch activities anddevelopments as well as tohighlight our people’sachievements.

We would like to make ouralumni and research and industrypartners part of our success.

As we move into a new academicyear and I step down as Head ofDepartment (HoD), I have nodoubt that the Department will

go from strength to strengthunder the leadership of our newHoD, Professor Nigel Slater.

A few of the many achievementsof our department as a wholeand of key individuals aresummarised in this issue.Teaching and research highlights,including undergraduate mattersand relevant events, are alsocovered, as well as recent arrivalsand departures. Finally, a light-hearted tea-room teaser isfeatured. Please note that yourcomments and feedback arealways welcome, which will bepublished under the ‘Letters tothe Editor’ section.

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EditorialThe Editorial team welcomes you to the CEBFocus Launch Issue!It has been of immense importance to us to get arepresentative newsletter started, ensuring that theinformation communicated reflects the newidentity of the merged department. We haverepresentatives from the Chemical Engineering,Biotechnology and MRRC sites generating ideas,providing input, and liaising with academics,research groups and students in order to make thispossible. Contributions from department membersand corporate partners are much appreciated and itis hoped that this will continue. We welcome ourreaders to contribute their research and ideas tohelp us carry on.

If you have any comments or suggestions forarticles to be included in the next issue, please getin touch with the Editorial Team [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you!

For those wishing to receive a regular copy of CEBFocus electronically please subscribe by sending amessage to [email protected] with‘subscribe’ as the subject of the message.

Professor Lynn Gladden,Pro Vice-Chancellor forResearch and formerHead of Department

Left to right: Elena Gonzalez, Sohini Chakrabortee, Alastair Clarke, AmyChesterton and Fernando Abegão


Message from Head of Department

Ex antiquis et novissimis optima(‘The best out of the old and the new’)As the newly incumbent Head of Department, Iwelcome you warmly to the first issue of the newCEB Focus, a mouthpiece of what is still a relativelynew Department of Chemical Engineering andBiotechnology. Granted, it is odd for someone whowas thrown out of Latin classes at age eleven towrite under this heading, my college motto, but‘The Best of the Old and the New’ is precisely whatwe intend to do; the best of the two old institutionsin one new department. Collectively, we havemade enormous strides over the past decade; themerger itself, record undergraduate numbers, top ofthe Chemical Engineering rankings in the 2008Research Assessment Exercise, the Queen’sAnniversary Prize to Biotechnology, huge researchoutput, many distinguished awards to staff and thesuccess of the Masters programmes in BioscienceEnterprise and Advanced Chemical Engineering.Underlying all these achievements are the immenseefforts of our academic and support staff rightacross the department, and in particular ProfessorsChase, Gladden and Lowe, who have led ChemicalEngineering and Biotechnology through thisdecade.

Where now? Quite simply, our goal is to providethe new generation of chemical engineers and

biotechnologists with the outstanding educationalfoundations that they will need to competeprofessionally on the international stage and to be aleader in their chosen field. We believe passionatelythat society needs outstanding engineers andtechnologists with the skills, vision and confidencethat will be required to tackle the big challengesthat face their generation; be they economic,environmental, or sustainability and healthcare. Iget a tremendous buzz in seeing our students growin professional stature as a result of our influenceand in this way, too, we really do achieve the best ofthe old and the new.

So, the pursuit of our goal is an exciting venture andit is one in which we invite all our friends andalumni to join. They, too, are stakeholders in thereputation and traditions of the department andthey, too, share our goal. Certainly, in the currenteconomic times we need financial support toprovide modern facilities in which we can unite thedepartment on one site. But the support we needis not only, or even mainly, financial. We needaccess to the commercial and professionalexperience of our alumni, we wish to benefitinstitutionally from their influence and contacts andwe are eager to learn from their valuable advice andguidance. So, a promise, if any of our friends andalumni would like to join us in our venture thenplease either call or write to me and I shall bedelighted to discuss how that might be done. Itwill, of course, be an even greater pleasure for me towelcome our friends and alumni in the departmentso that they can experience the same buzz that Ifeel.

Please note on-line CUCEB platforms on LinkedIn,Facebook and Twitter have been created to helpour alumni get career advice from other members,reconnect with old friends. These networks helpthem keep in touch with department members andbe informed about our relevant events. Mostimportantly, these are platforms where they canvoice their views and concerns.

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | �

Professor Nigel Slater,Head of Department


Message from Head of Department


My journeyShortly after arriving back inCambridge in 2000, I wrote forChemE Interfaces “working infamiliar surroundings with oldcolleagues … has been verystimulating. The majority of thestaff are young academics withexciting ideas, a clear vitality andwith a vision for their teaching andresearch that promises well for thefuture of the department and forthe profession. The building hasbeen extensively refurbished andthe facilities are well matched tothe needs of modern research in ourrapidly evolving discipline. Moststimulating though is the obviousenthusiasm for applying modernanalytical methods for the study ofcomplex products and processes,which is testing the conventionalboundaries of the discipline.” Adecade later these qualities arestill as stimulating as they werethen and underpin the successthat the department has had inthe intervening time.

Looking further back, these sameCambridge qualities led to myarrival in the department. As astudent at Sidney Sussex, JohnAgar would talk passionately

about irreversiblethermodynamics rather than IAchemistry and though Iunderstood not a word the magicwas irresistible. My PhDapprenticeship to David Husain inPhysical Chemistry proved animmensely rich and valuablelifelong experience and led to myfirst tentative steps in academiaas a Junior Research Fellow atFitzwilliam College (“Fitz”) in1978. There, a chance discussionwith Nigel Kenney over lunchresulted in an appointment as anAssistant Lecturer in ChemicalEngineering in 1979 – a positionthat is no longer advertised forbeing too lowly. An odd positiontoo; a chemical engineeringstudent in the morning, asupervisor in the afternoon and aresearcher out of term. But whatan experience under JohnDavidson’s leadership and onethat led to a Lectureship in 1982.

What was then planned as a oneyear industry secondment led toten years in “the real world” –except that it was no more or lessreal than life in Cambridge;research funding had to besecured, milestones met in ourprojects, reports written andpresentations given. I returned toacademia in 1995 as Head of theDepartment of ChemicalEngineering and AppliedChemistry at Aston University,leaving a laboratory of 120scientists and engineers on aFriday evening and arriving onmy own in a completely emptylab the following Monday.

Somehow, things moved forward;I secured some grants to pursuemy research interests inbiochemical engineering and wasallowed to recruit some youngstaff. We built momentum andsoon after I left in 2000 theSchool reached the top rankingin Research Assessment.

So, finally back to Cambridge andFitz as a Professor of ChemicalEngineering in 2000; in all, it hastaken me 31 years to move threedoors down the corridor. I alsobecame President of Fitz in 2009– a post without any discerniblejob description, but veryrewarding because Nigel Kenneyhad held it previously. Lookingforward, I see the challenge tobuild on the department’sexcellence in teaching andresearch by maintaining its poleposition in the forthcomingResearch Excellence Framework,enhancing its infrastructure andenvironment and strengtheningthe training offerings.

Do I still find the departmentstimulating?

You bet I do!

I see the challenge to buildon the department’sexcellence in teaching andresearch bymaintaining itspole position in theforthcoming ResearchExcellence Framework.

A decade later thesequalities are still asstimulating as they werethen and underpin thesuccess that thedepartment has had in theintervening time.


Undergraduate Focus

New CUCES Committee �010-�011Annual elections have taken place to elect a new committee for the Cambridge University ChemicalEngineering Society (CUCES). In Lent term, undergraduates packed the tea-room and voted-by-ballot fortheir preferred candidates. They chose to take the society in a fresh direction with all available positionsgoing to students with no previous CUCES experience.

Constantinos Pittas will take over from Annie Spencer as the new CUCES president. Rikita Sood is the newtreasurer and Vin Rajendran, the new secretary. Mgawa Mkandawire continues as the Part I representativeuntil the new students arrive this term. Naveed Kayaam (Frank Morton), Zam Shabeer Thahir (IT andPublicity) and Anna Kvarngren (Events and Careers) have also been elected. The Events and Careersrepresentative is a new position. According to Constantinos, this reflects “the increasing attention CUCESgives to the career-related issues of its members.”

CUCES is a student-run society that organises events for undergraduate and postgraduate members of thedepartment. They lead technical evenings intended to act as a conduit between students and potentialemployers from industry, as well as organising social events such as the CUCES annual dinner.

New president Constantinos Pittas plans to build on the success of CUCES. “The current committee promisesto work for the best interests of the students and the Department and to maintain and strengthen the alreadyvery strong family spirit that exists and distinguishes us as a department. We are extremely grateful to thedepartment, and companies such as BP, ExxonMobil and Shell for providing us with a platform to do this.”

And the CUCES president has already got some ideas for the future. “We plan to create a CUCES careerquestionnaire to gauge on the types of careers that students are seeking and then organise an internship eventwhere older students, and potentially representatives from the industry, can network with us and share theirknowledge and experiences.”

For more information on the activities of CUCES, please visit the website: www.srcf.ucam.org/cuces


Mgawa Mkandawire (far left) with the Committee members: Vin Rajendran, Zam Thahir, RitikaSood, Naveed Kayaam, Constantinos Pittas (President) and Anna Kvarngren


Undergraduate Focus

Summer InternshipExperiencesDuring the summer months,some undergraduates decide totake part in internshipprogrammes with chemicalengineering companies. Threestudents describe theirexperiences below.

BiogenGreenfinchRici MarshallThis summer I have been workingat BiogenGreenfinch, a companywho design, build and operateanaerobic digestion plants.Anaerobic digestion (AD) is ameans of producing energy fromwaste food. Anaerobic bacteriaare used to break down themacro-molecules found in wasteinto small substrates formethane-producing bacteria. Themethane is then used to produceelectricity and heat, and the by-product can be used as fertiliser.

BiogenGreenfinch is a fairly smallcompany split over two offices. Iwas working in the Ludlow officewhere the technology andinnovations teams are based. Myproject looked at the sciencebehind AD odours and tried tofind technologies that mitigatethem. The AD process produces anumber of unwelcome smellsand the future success of ADrelies on these being controlled.Different people will responddifferently to a given odour indifferent environments; it iscertainly not easy to measure thiseffect quantitatively! Once Iidentified the cause of the odours

and understood the chemistry ofaerobic and anaerobic digestion,stagnation and combustion, I wasthen able to conduct on-siteexperiments and identifychemicals found at the plant. Ireviewed a range of odourmitigation technologies to findthe best one forBiogenGreenfinch. I presentedmy results in a report and talk.Although there is no clearsolution, it has been a usefulproject to both the company andto me.

Air Liquide UKNaveed KayaamI have just completed an eight-week internship at Air Liquide,UK. Air Liquide, a French-basedcompany, is the world leader ingases for industrial, medical andenvironmental use. I had twoprojects concerning a methaneplant located at Stoke. The firstproject looked at analysing thefeasibility of restoring and

running a shut-down plant inparallel. The other looked at thefeasibility of switching from asteam-driven heat exchanger toan electrical unit. My workinvolved plenty of engineeringcalculations, as well as helping tokeep the filing systems of all thecompleted engineering jobsup-to-date. As part of myinternship, I also enjoyed severaltrips to Stoke.

At times I would wonder why Iam working and not enjoying myholidays, but by the end of theinternship the knowledge andexperience I had gained waspriceless. Saying this, I was paid adecent amount which wouldcome in handy for the rest of theholidays! I would recommendstudents entering Part IIA to startapplying for internships straightaway. When applying try applyingto smaller firms as well, as thecompetition for the bigger onesis pretty intense.


Naveed Kayaam at Air Liquide plant, Stoke


Postgrad/Postdoc Hub

Dow ChemicalsRitika SoodThis summer, I spent six weeksworking at Dow Chemical at itsEuropean headquarters inHorgen, Switzerland. I worked ona market research project onbiosolvents, which are greensolvents derived from renewableraw materials. This researchreflects the recent surge fornatural, sustainable products inthe cosmetics industry. Giventhere are different interpretationsof what a “green biosolvent” is,part of my research was topropose a definition which isapplicable for all industries andtakes into account their impacton the environment and onhuman health. I also researchedthe current market standing andgrowth potential of biosolventsas part of my work.

The whole experience was bothenjoyable and educational. Igained a fascinating insight intohow international companieswork. My boss was not located inSwitzerland, but in Rheinmünster,Germany and this mademeetings an interestingexperience! At the end of theinternship, I had to give apresentation to an audienceparticipating from three differentcontinents, attending either inperson or via a conference call.


CEB students make connectionsbetween science and artSandy Kwok and Leo Martinez-Hurtado, both CEB students,expressed scientific research in an unconventional mannerin September, for a “Dance your PhD” competition. Theyhelped Radek Lach from the Wellcome Trust SangerInstitute transpose his research on synthetic lethalinteractions in cancer into choreography.

The CEB students scripted the research project into dancemovements. They invested hours of hard work togetherwith other volunteers to explain in dance the process ofscreening for synthetic lethal interactions between cancergenes and small molecules. You can judge whether theysucceeded, by watching the results athttp://tinyurl.com/CEB-PhD-dance and observing thatscientists can actually dance.

The competition was launched by GonzoLabs(http://gonzolabs.org) along with the support of TheAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science(AAAS) to intertwine science and art. This year thecompetition for science PhD students ran for the third time.It provides an opportunity for young scientists to get thespotlight with their research projects and to highlight thebeginning of their academic carrier. The winners get $1000and enjoy a lot of publicity, including screening at theImagine Science Film Festival in New York City andcoverage in the Science magazine.

This year’s winners will be announced on 24 October 2010.

Sandy and Leo rehearsing


Teaching Matters

IChemE accreditation of MEng degree renewed through to �01�/1�Dr David ScottIn May, the department's undergraduate course for the Masters of Engineering (MEng) degree wasassessed by accreditors from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). The accreditors looked atdocumentation provided by the department, and talked to many of its members, including academics,support staff and students. We are pleased to report that the course has been re-accredited for 5 yearsfrom 2010 entry to the university.

IChemE accreditation provides benchmarking of academic programmes against high, internationallyrecognised standards, which is of increasing importance as the globalisation of engineering products andservices demands greater confidence by employers in the skills and professionalism of the engineers theyrecruit. Further, an accredited degree helps provide a graduate with a straightforward pathway toqualification as a Chartered Chemical Engineer (MIChemE). Graduates with a Masters-level accrediteddegree will have met the formal educational requirements for Chartered status membership in full; theywill simply need to demonstrate that they have acquired professional competency following a period ofrelevant training and experience post graduation.


Cambridge – Beijing SummerSchool Launch: an internationalexchange venture

Dr Kamran YunusThe first Cambridge-Beijing Summer School washosted last July in Cambridge. This course wasattended by students and academics from theBeijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT),and during the 10-day programme, a series of

lectures and seminars were delivered by CEBmembers and invited speakers from industry.

The event focused on providing an overview forresearch activities in the department and outreachto international students; and in engaging with theemerging Asian markets in Science and Technology.Looking ahead, the course aims to open admissionsfor students across Asia, in the anticipation ofengagement with top universities from China,Malaysia and Singapore.

The course delivered an insight into the evolvingfield of chemical engineering and biotechnologyand its broad range of cross-disciplinary activities.The programme covered research topics such asmulti-scale reaction engineering, renewable energyand biotechnology. A series of workshops wereused to promote awareness in R&D trends beingpursued at CEB in Cambridge.

As a result of this successful undertaking, ProfessorGladden was invited to visit BUCT. She attended aceremony in Beijing on September, when she wasappointed Honorary BUCT Professor.

BUCT students in the lab


Teaching Matters


New Teaching staffDr David ScottMichaelmas Term 2010 will see some changes to the teaching staff in the department.

Dr Axel Zeitlerhas beenappointed as aUniversityLecturer. Axelgraduated in

Pharmacy and Chemistry at theUniversity of Wurzburg,Germany, in 2002. He gained aPostgraduate Certificate andPhD in PharmaceuticalTechnology from the Universityof Otago on the applications ofterahertz (THz) radiation to thepharmaceutical sciences. Duringhis PhD, he was a visitingstudent at the CavendishLaboratory working withProfessor Sir Michael Pepper andTeraView Ltd.. After completinghis PhD, he returned toCambridge to work as aPostdoctoral Research Associatewith Professor Lynn Gladden,and in 2008 he joined Gonvilleand Caius College as a Fellow.His research interests haveevolved from thecharacterisation ofpharmaceuticals solids and filmcoating into molecularinteraction in solids and liquids.He has started to work withProfessor Gladden and DrMcGregor in applications of THzspectroscopy in catalysis. Inaddition, he is interested in howTHz and MRI can be usedcomplementarily. He enjoystravelling and having good food!

Dr BartHallmark hasbeen appointedas DesignLecturer to runthe Design

Project. He will also be involvedin other undergraduatecoursework and in thepostgraduate transferable skillsprogramme. Bart gained hisMEng and PhD degrees in CEBwhere he has been apostdoctoral researcher since2005, working in the PolymerFluids group on microcapillaryfilms, amongst other topics. Forthe last two years, he has been aTemporary Lecturer and ran the2010 Design Project on‘Glyphosate production’ inconjunction with DowChemicals. He fills his spare timewith outdoor activities, includingmountain biking and downhillskiing, alongside maintaining a1972 series III Land Rover. Healso spent nine months in 2000and 2001 as a crew member ona round-the-world yacht race.

Dr JamesMcGregor hasbeen appointedas a TemporaryLecturer. Jamesgraduated with

a Master of Chemistry from theUniversity of Edinburgh in 2002and completed a PhD inheterogeneous catalysis at theUniversity of Cambridge in 2006,under the supervision ofProfessor Lynn Gladden. Sincethen, he has been a ResearchAssociate working in theMagnetic Resonance andCatalysis group at CEB. Hisresearch has focused on thecatalytic transformations ofhydrocarbons, in particularhydrogenation anddehydrogenation reactions. Acommon theme throughout hisresearch has been the role ofcoke in catalytic reactions. Therole of carbon deposits infacilitating the non-oxidativedehydrogenation of lightalkanes has been the subject ofa patent application. In 2009, heworked for four months as aguest scientist in the group ofProfessor Robert Schlögl at theFritz-Haber Institute, Berlin. He isa Member of the Royal Societyof Chemistry and an AssociateMember of the IChemE.


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Drying without dying: molecularmechanisms undertaken byanhydrobiotic organismsDr Sohini Chakrabortee, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Nearly seventy percentof our bodies are madeof water and it isimpossible for humanbeings and most otherorganisms to survivewithout water. However,some organisms cansurvive extreme waterloss for indefiniteperiods; in the dry state,metabolism and lifeprocesses come to ahalt, but resume onaddition of water. Thisremarkable ability, calleddesiccation tolerance, oranhydrobiosis, is foundacross all biologicalkingdoms, including

animals and plants. A major area of research in Dr AlanTunnacliffe’s lab is to elucidate the machinery that confersdesiccation tolerance; specifically my research focuses on theinvestigation of the molecular mechanisms of cellularprotection by intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Our labhas discovered two novel functions associated with the IDPsimplicated in conferring desiccation tolerance in nematodes:that of a ‘molecular shield’ and catalytic activity.

A central theme of action of several of these IDPs is to reducegeneral protein aggregation in vitro during desiccationstress1,2. To model their functions in a living system we over-express them in mammalian cell cultures, where also theydisplay anti-aggregation properties and confer them partiallytolerant towards mild desiccation2. Here, they localise intovarious compartments of the cell, some are ubiquitouslyexpressed in the cells while others show exclusively eithernuclear or cytoplasmic localisation2,3. One such example of anIDP that is exclusively expressed in the nucleus of themammalian cells, is shown here.

Teaching Matters continued ...

Education and Industrytogether at Dow King’sLynnEmma Harding, DowThe Design Project is a key part of thePart IIA (3rd year) Chemical EngineeringTripos at Cambridge. In May and June2009, students were asked to design aprocess for the manufacture of acommonly-used herbicide. The projectwas developed in partnership withDow. A total of 80 students and staffvisited Dow’s King’s Lynn site wherethey were hosted by Dow employees:Bob Guy, Carla English, Gary Backhouseand Kevinecticides. Roper. Theyreceived a tour of the facilities used tomake Styrofoam and insecticides.

After an intensive five weeks, studentspresented their solutions to a judgingpanel which included Martin Tooley,Global Improvement Leader for DowAgrosciences. Martin was instrumentalin setting up the partnership withCambridge, working with Dr BartHallmark, Lecturer at the Department ofChemical Engineering andBiotechnology.

Martin feels that such collaborations areessential for the company and studentsalike. “Partnerships such as these areincredibly valuable. They allow thestudents to work on vocational projectswhich give them an insight into theindustrial applications of what they arestudying. In turn, we get a freshperspective from young and enquiringminds.”

Bart agrees with Martin on the benefitto the students. “Working with a leadingglobal chemical manufacturer, such asDow, provides excellent experience for ourstudents. In particular, the chance tospend time out of the classroom and at amanufacturing facility, seeing chemistryon an industrial scale and working on realissues, is incredibly important.”

Research

The figure shows nuclear localization of amolecular shield protein, anhydrin (red), incultured human cells. GFP tagged PABPN1-A17(poly adenine binding protein with 17 alaninerepeats, green) is co-expressed in these cells,which form spontaneous aggregates(responsible for oculopharyngeal musculardystrophy), marked with white arrowheads. Thenulcei are highlighted in blue by DAPI staining.


Research

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | 11

Combating Mother-to-Child HIVTransmissionStephen Gerrard, PhD Student

Mothers in sub-Saharan Africa arelosing their babies through thetransmission of the HumanImmuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)while breastfeeding. This probleminspired five students includingmyself and a public health doctorat the 2008 International Design

Development Summit (ddsummit.org), to develop apotential solution that is cheap, effective and practical.Together we founded a team called JustMilk(www.justmilk.org), which proposed a novel modificationto conventional nipple shields that allows antiviralcompounds (known as microbicides) to be transferred intobreast-milk. The mother places the nipple shield on herbreast to cover her own nipple just before breastfeeding.The design aims to have the microbicide mix with the milkas the baby feeds and rapidly reduce viral infectivity withinthe milk.

Since 2008, JustMilk has grown to be an internationalopen-collaboration between members of the Departmentof Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at University ofCambridge, FHI (previously known as Family HealthInternational), virology and microbicide experts at DrexelUniversity College of Medicine, public health scientists andvirology experts at University of California Berkley andpublic health scientists at PATH.

The initial lead microbicide tested for reduction in viralinfectivity (performed at Drexel University) was sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS), an ingredient found in toothpasteand other personal care products. At the levels found invitro to rapidly reduce viral infectivity, researchers at Drexelfound that SDS had no significant effects on the majorimmunological and nutritional components of breast-milk.For the nipple shield design, JustMilk proposed to havemicrobicides such as SDS impregnated into a replaceabletextile disk which is then incorporated in the tip of thenipple shield. My research currently focuses on improvingthe controlled release of SDS and other active agents fromthe disk into the milk in a simulated breastfeedingenvironment.

Interestingly, we found that these IDPs canalso reduce the aggregation of expandedpolyglutamine and polyalanine containingproteins associated with Huntington’sdisease and oculopharyngeal musculardystrophy, respectively; and the mechanismbehind such anti-aggregation property incells was inhibition of aggregate formationrather than their clearance by other cellularprocesses like autophagy or proteasomaldegradation2,3. Superficially such an activityresembles that of the well characterisedclass of proteins called chaperones that areconfirmation-dependent, however, incollaboration with Gabi Kaminski (fromClemens Kaminski’s group) we havedemonstrated that the IDPs we study justloosely associate with their client proteins,maybe by creating an electrostatic and/orsteric barrier, which is more consistent witha role that we have termed as ‘molecularshields’3.

Anhydrin, one of the IDPs that has amolecular shield function, deserves specialmention since it exhibits a second novelfunction as an endonulcease which candigest supercoiled, linear and chromatinlinker DNA. This finding is particularlyexciting since enzymes usually requireprecise three-dimensional positioning ofresidues at the active site, whereas ourresearch suggests that this need not be thecase and therefore extends the range of IDPfunctional categories to include catalysis3.1. LEA proteins prevent protein aggregation due to waterstress. Goyal K, Walton LJ, Tunnacliffe A. Biochem J. 2005May 15;388(Pt 1):151-7.2. Hydrophilic protein associated with desiccationtolerance exhibits broad protein stabilization function.Chakrabortee S, Boschetti C, Walton LJ, Sarkar S,Rubinsztein DC, Tunnacliffe A. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007:104(46):18073-8.3. Catalytic and chaperone-like functions in an intrinsicallydisordered protein associated with desiccation tolerance.Chakrabortee S, Meersman F, Kaminski Schierle GS,Bertoncini CW, McGee B, Kaminski CF, Tunnacliffe A. ProcNatl Acad Sci USA. 2010: 107 (37):16084-89.

Anti-viral nipple shield


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Exxon Mobil Greenhousedevelopment marks the next stepin algae biofuels programmeRichard ScraseExxon Mobil Corporation and Synthetic GenomicsInc. (SGI) are opening a greenhouse facility enablingthe next level of research and testing in their algaebiofuels programme. The new facility, at SGIheadquarters in La Jolla, California, will allowresearchers to move from lab to industrial scaleproduction by testing whether large-scalequantities of affordable fuel can be produced.

In the greenhouse facility, researchers will examinedifferent growth systems for algae, such as openponds and closed photo-bioreactors. They willevaluate various algae (natural and engineeredstrains) in these systems under a wide range ofconditions, including varying temperatures, lightlevels and nutrient concentrations. They will alsoconduct research into other aspects of the algaefuel production process, including harvesting andbio-oil recovery operations.

Since ExxonMobil and SGI first announced the algaebiofuels programme in the summer of 2009,researchers have made substantial progress atdifferent scales of the process. A large number of

candidate algal strains have been isolated and/orengineered, and growth conditions to increase theproductivity of these strains have been developed.Identification and testing of the preferred designcharacteristics of the different production systemswas also performed. Finally, lifecycle andsustainability studies were carried out. The nextmajor milestone in the programme, expected inmid-2011, is the opening of an outdoor test facility.

Besides contributing to reduction of thegreenhouse gas emissions by consumption of CO2during its production, biofuel manufactured fromalgae-based bio-oils has other advantages. Itcontains similar molecules to petrol and diesel, so itcould be distributed using the existing transportfuel infrastructure. Also, hydrocarbons from algaecan be produced using land and water unsuitablefor crops or food production and at much higherrates than from other plants. The algae potentialyield is more than 2,000 gallons of fuel per acre peryear, compared with 50 gallons for soy oil and 650for palm oil.

If research and development milestones aresuccessfully met, ExxonMobil expects to spendmore than $600 million on the algae biofuelsprogramme over the next decade, $300 million ofwhich will be allocated to SGI.

Industry Business


Industry Business

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | 1�

Ithaka Life Sciences Ltd supportingnew University spin out companies

Ithaka Life Sciences Ltd (www.ithaka.co.uk) is one ofthe UK’s leading advisory and interim managementservices providers, specialising in growing lifescience businesses. We have a track record ofstarting new companies based around researchfrom universities including University of Cambridge,and the Department of Chemical Engineering andBiotechnology in particular.

Dr Paul Rodgers, founder and MD of Ithaka, hasplayed a significant role in helping take PsynovaNeurotech (spin out company from Dr SabineBahn’s research) from a concept through to thelaunch of VeriPsych™, the first and only blood test toaid a psychiatrist in the diagnosis of recent-onsetschizophrenia. To quote Dr Sabine Bahn, thefounder of Psynova: “As Chairman of the Board Paulhas provided wise advice and support across allaspects of the business. He has been a delight to workwith and his efforts are greatly appreciated by all theteam at Psynova.’’ Previously, Paul played a similarrole in the formation and early years of SmartHolograms, one of Prof. Chris Lowe’s many spin out

companies. Paul is also currently a Non-ExecutiveDirector of Paramata, a remote sensing companyformed by Dr Adrian Stevenson and Prof. ChrisLowe.

Ithaka has also assisted Universities throughout therest of the UK in:

� Undertaking reviews of life science technologiesarising from basic research

� Commercial strategy: development andimplementation from start up to exit, includingexploitation of novel technologies andresources

� Business creation and business plan drafting� Sourcing investment finance� Interim management� Technical, commercial and market evaluation� Business development, strategic marketing and

licensing.

If you are looking for assistance withcommercialisation of technology in the life sciencessector please contact the Ithaka team on 01223703146 or [email protected]

Developments at PsynovaNeurotech Ltd

Psynova (www.psynova.com) wasfounded in 2005 by ProfessorChris Lowe and Dr Sabine Bahn.The company is developing novelprotein biomarkers forneuropsychiatric disorders suchas schizophrenia and bipolardisorder.

From the outset, Psynova has operated a leanbusiness model, establishing mainly academic andnon-profit partnerships as a crucial part of theoperation, including cooperation with the Stanley

Dr Paul Rodgers, Managing Director


Industry Business


Medical Research Institute (SMRI), a nonprofitorganisation supporting research on the causes ofand treatments for, schizophrenia and bipolardisorder. Biomarker discovery is performed in theNeuro-Psychiatric laboratory at the Department’sInstitute of Biotechnology, therefore Psynova canaccess commercially promising IP through aframework agreement with the University. Clinicalsamples for biomarker identification and validationare accessed from the Neuro-Psychiatricinternational group of clinical collaborators.

Psynova successfully led an application for grantfunding in 2008 from the EU Framework 7programme to build on this network ofcollaborators specifically for R&D on a biomarker-based diagnostic test for schizophrenia. As itbecame clear that a complex panel of biomarkerswould be required for the schizophrenia test, theattraction of forming a partnership with a companythat had proprietary multiplex assay technologywas recognised. In 2008, Psynova entered a co-development and investment deal withRules-Based Medicine Inc. that is providing thecompany with funding and complementarytechnology, and in 2010 the two companieslaunched VeriPsych™, the first and only blood test toaid a psychiatrist in the diagnosis of recent-onsetschizophrenia.

Psynova is also exploring with pharmaceuticalcompanies the use of its proprietary biomarkers indrug discovery and development through acollaborative project funded by the InnovativeMedicines Initiative public–private partnership. Theproject started in 2009 and additional one-to-onecollaborations with pharmaceutical companies arealready emerging. Psynova now has a collaborationwith Roche to develop a companion diagnostic fora novel drug in clinical development for thetreatment of schizophrenia.

Shell Gourami Business Challenge�-11 January �011

Whatever the future holds, we’llneed ambitious graduates tohelp us tackle the energychallenge.

If you’re ready to test yourpotential in the international

energy business, there’s no better place to startthan Gourami. This fictional country is the settingfor Shell’s Gourami Business Challenge - a five-dayresidential event that takes place in the UK.

Working with an international team of students,you’ll develop and present a viable business plan forShell in Gourami - facing realistic challenges anddemanding time scales in everything fromexploration and production to marketing. And ifyou show the qualities we’re looking for, we mayoffer you a full-time job to take up when yougraduate.

Application deadline: 1 November 2010Shell is an equal opportunity employer.

Johnson Matthey and CEB:a history of collaborationDr Andy YorkJohnson Matthey’s businesses and researchcommunity have a long history of collaborationwith chemical engineering at Cambridge. InAugust 2008 Johnson Matthey increased thatcommitment by providing a new level of input viaboth financial and in kind support to the newlyfounded Department of Chemical Engineering andBiotechnology. The company has an interest inseeing the new department succeed, and is keen tocollaborate in many areas of research within themulti-scale sustainable reaction engineeringenvelope, and aims to help the departmentreinforce its reputation in this core competency. Toaid the success, Johnson Matthey has installed a


Industry Business


research scientist in Cambridge for a 5 yearsecondment. In addition, as a result of directadditional funding this October we see the start of anumber of PhD studentships, either part or fullyfunded by Johnson Matthey, with morestudentships anticipated in forthcoming years. Thenew projects will concentrate on various novelareas of catalysis, of interest to Johnson Mattheyand also within the catalysis community.

The first of these is a CASE PhD which aims to applynuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopictechniques and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)to understanding new catalyst substrates used indiesel exhausts; the materials of particular interestare known as diesel particulate filters, in which theexhaust gas must pass through the wall structure ofthe material so removing harmful particulate matterfrom diesel exhausts. However, the processes andmechanisms involved in the operation andmanufacture of these filter materials are not wellunderstood, and this project aims to increase ourdetailed knowledge.

Both the other projects are directly funded byJohnson Matthey, with part of the funding suppliedby the department, and will use NMR and MRItechniques to help solve fundamental problemsthat are found in heterogeneous catalytic reactions.One project will involve the development andapplication of para-hydrogen polarisationenhanced NMR/MRI techniques to help solve someof the fundamental mechanistic questions ofcatalytic hydrogenation of simple olefinic materialsover supported precious metal catalysts. Para-hydrogen enhanced NMR provides a unique abilityto enhance NMR signals by many orders ofmagnitude thereby enabling the study of systemspreviously inaccessible by conventional NMR/MRImethods. The combined use of para-hydrogen andNMR/MRI is unique in that it can be used to identifyspecific modes and mechanisms of hydrogenationin heterogeneous catalysis. The second PhD willconcentrate on developing new capabilities forstudying heterogeneous catalysts by combining

NMR and vibrational spectroscopy, such as Ramanor infra-red, to provide extra information not easilyunderstood using each technique alone. The aim isto be able to gather complementary informationfrom the techniques, and shed further light onmany aspects of mechanisms in heterogeneouscatalytic reactions.

Johnson Matthey is a specialty chemicals companywith a history going back to 1817, when PercivalNorton Johnson established a business as a goldassayer. The group is organised into three globaldivisions: Environmental Technologies, PreciousMetal Products and Fine Chemicals. The companiesmain interests focus on the core business areas,principally the manufacture of advanced materialsand catalysts for a wide array of end-uses, includingvehicle exhaust after-treatment, fuel cellcomponents, and process industries as well as finechemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredientsand the marketing, refining, and fabrication ofprecious metals. With operations in over 30countries, and a wide range of businessopportunities, Johnson Matthey is always on thelook out for talented scientists and engineers towork with a wide range of advanced technologyindustries. For more information on JohnsonMatthey please visit www.matthey.com

Catalysts manufactured by Johnson Matthey


Achievements


Professor Alan Hayhurst awarded the Alfred C Egerton MedalProfessor Hayhurst was awarded this medal at the 33rd Beijing Symposium of TheCombustion Institute this August, attended by some 1200 people, "for distinguished,continuing and encouraging contributions to the field of combustion".

The biggest honour in the world of combustion is to receive one of the three GoldMedals. Professor Hayhurst added that, “The main thing about this medal is that it’s givenby an international community not every year, but every other year. Also, it's not a reflectionof an individual, but of quite a wide group of people, including research students and

postdocs, of course, but also of laboratory technicians, electronics and computing staff, secretaries,administrators, etc, etc. This means that it's a big tribute to the department over quite a period of time; in my case,I first started research in the department in 1964. My role has been to ask other people to do things I cannot domyself, which covers a huge area, so my thanks go to this army of my helpers.”

The citation on his medal reads, "For brilliant contributions in several diverse aspects of combustion science,particularly ionisation, pollutants, fluidised bed combustion and chemical looping.”

Emeritus Professor John Davidson on his recent Prince Philip Medal AwardIn June of this year, Professor Davidson was presented the Prince Philip Medal inrecognition of the miraculous contribution he has made to the Chemical Engineeringcommunity throughout his career. The following few words are from the speech he madeat the host commemoration dinner on 23 August at Jesus College, Cambridge.Many years ago, I was told that dons climb the academic ladder on the shoulders oftheir research students; how true that is. I started well with John Cullen, my firstresearch student. He was an excellent PhD candidate, but he had other qualities,exemplified by a story told by Margaret Sansom. After graduating from Cambridge,

John wanted to go on a Master’s Course in the USA and applied for an American scholarship. Theadjudicating committee was a small group of ladies, the wives of officers from a US Air Force base. Thequestion arose as to where to have the interview. John took them on the river, and got his scholarship. Soit didn’t surprise me when, many years later, John became Chairman of the Health & Safety Commissionand Sir John. Oddly enough, he was, for a time, the boss of my daughter Isabel when she was a lawyer atHSE. It is nice to see her here this evening and also Peter (Prof. Davidson’s son), who established thecontact with Tioxide, still active. But long ago I realised that Peter and I have different priorities. He wrote aconference paper for ICI: “Look at this, Father”. After reading the draft I said, “Couldn’t you give a bit moreinformation, eg put some numbers on the diagrams?” Answer: “That would be giving the game away”. But Ihave had many valuable discussions with Peter, though we get into trouble with the distaff side whenchemical engineering intrudes at meal times. Mentioning the distaff side brings me to Jane Austen writingabout Admiral Croft and his lady driving their gig: the Admiral, of course, held the reins until Mrs Croftexclaimed “‘My dear admiral, that post! – we shall certainly take that post.’ But by coolly giving the reins a betterdirection herself, they happily passed the danger.” Susanne, my wife, has taken us past a good many postsduring our 62 years together.

I would also like to acknowledge the happy collaboration with members of the staff before and after myretirement. Without them, I could hardly have kept going. Indeed, I feel that the Medal we are celebratingis an award for the Department which has been such a happy place to work in for fifty-eight years.


Achievements


Awards in BiotechnologyIn this year’s annual Analytical ResearchForum (ARF), the premier AnalyticalScience meeting of the Royal Society ofChemistry, Jakob Mauritz won the bestoral presentation prize and Jamie Walterswas awarded the poster presentationprize. Jakob is a member of the LaserAnalytics Group. He develops modernmicroscopy techniques for the study ofmalaria infected red blood cells. His workhas helped to resolve a puzzle in malariaresearch, namely why a red blood cellstays intact for the duration it is heldhostage by the deadly falciparum parasite,work that may aid in the design oftherapeutic treatments.

Jamie is a member of the AnalyticalBiotechnology group. His research focuseson the development of 'Ultradots'. Theseare capsules that provide a quantitativefluorescent signal in response to aparticular analyte while also acting as

intelligent delivery vehicles for ultrasoundmediated delivery of active (eg drug)compounds.

Soren Demin was the winner of RonaldBelcher Award 2010 for his research in thearea of bioelectrochemistry andspecifically for his use of the catalyticeffect of an enzyme to improve chargetransfer rates. Soren Demin is a PhDstudent at the Department of ChemicalEngineering and Biotechnology under thesupervision of Professor Lisa Hall in theAnalytical Biotechnology group. His PhDresearch on Breaking the barrier to fastelectrochemistry is a look at the deeplyburied redox site of Glucose Oxidase insitu via direct fast electrochemistry. Thisresearch is aimed at helpingunderstanding of how biology can beinterfaced with electronic componentsand is applicable in areas of biosensing,photovoltaics and organic computing.

Biotech PhD student seminar winners: 9-10 June 2010Left to right: Julian Jaros, Prof Chris Lowe, Jamie Walters, Viktoria Steelzhammer, Prof Lisa Hall


Alumni Corner


A letter from Dr TonyGillham MBE, Class of1��1

Dear Alumni,

One of my favourite gravestoneepigrams is that of a waiter whichread “God finally caught his eye”.Elena (Prof. Gladden’s former PA)firmly caught my eye and askedfor a letter to go in CEB Focus onmatters that might be of interestto readers.

Our American cousins alwaysseem streets ahead of us when itcomes to alumni support butcongratulations to Cambridge onmaking huge strides in recentyears. These include encouragingyou to give lectures covering,amongst other things, help forgraduates in making careerchoices. In February, I gave thesecond of these in theDepartment on the heels of PeterDavidson and spoke about howmy career took me from ICICheshire to MBO of a contractmanufacturing company.Questioned about the beststarting point for anentrepreneurially-inclinedgraduate, I plumped for a job in amajor (manufacturing) company– before deciding if a move to asmaller company appealed. Itwould be interesting to hear yourthoughts.

Before drafting my script, I talkedto members of the Departmentto find out where their interests

lay. I also spoke to industrialists,including the founder of Ineos, toget different slants on industrialcareers. In ICI, my first boss wasRobin Paul – a great supporter ofour Department – and wecelebrated his memory with adinner in St. Catz after my talk.Profs. Lynn Gladden, Nigel Slaterand John Davidson joined ustogether with Sir David Harrison;the last two were on the staffwhen I came in 1961. They saythat nostalgia is not what it usedto be but as I prepared my talk Ikept getting reminded of mygood friend Prof. Sharma and ofour supervisor, the redoubtable,but hugely supportive, Prof.Danckwerts, ‘PVD’. I still cannotwalk the corridors in theDepartment without seeingPVD’s secretary, MargaretSansom, disappearing like theWhite Rabbit round the nextcorner.

Early this year, I met Peter Varey,who is writing a biography ofPVD. Peter kindly showed me adraft chapter from the book formy comments. Peter seems to

have investigated and checkedevery conceivable source for thebiography and it is a considerablefeat of scholarship. I even learntfrom him that the marks on PVD’sface were not war wounds butthey certainly added to his auraof Olympian distinction. My ownsubmissions to Peter on PVDstruck me on reflection as ratheran inadequate tribute to,probably, the greatest chemicalengineer of his generation.

By the way, Peter told me aboutPVD’s part in the invasion of Italy:his accident on a beach in theGulf of Noto. Those of you whoknew him may recall he could besomewhat detached at times.Well, after three years of amazingbravery and cool-headed analysisas a bomb safety officer defusingunexploded devices, especiallyduring the Blitz, he woke up onthe day after the Sicilian landingsand absent-mindedly wanderedoff down a heavily-defendedbeach. He trod on an anti-personnel mine and nearly lost aleg: maggots in the woundssaved him. Repatriated in ahospital ship lit up like a

Our American cousinsalways seem streets aheadof us when it comes toalumni support butcongratulations toCambridge onmakinghuge strides in recent years.


Alumni Corner


Christmas tree, he was taken offbomb disposal and spent the restof the war in CombinedOperations HQ on Whitehall,helping with technicalpreparations for the D-Daylandings. (If you have any storiesabout PVD that might be ofinterest, please contact Peter [email protected]). Ihope the book is soon in thehands of the printers.

I went to Birmingham in July toattend a Cathedrals Conference.One of my life’s little ironies isthat, in running a chemicalcompany, I was constantlyfighting planners to get approvalto build a new plant. One casewas only resolved by an article byChristopher Booker in ‘The SundayTelegraph’ followed by a meetingcalled and attended by theSecretary of State for theEnvironment. However, I nowfind myself chairing the planning(and advisory) committee of YorkMinster. This has brought meclose to the teams of craftsmenand women working on stoneand stained glass. We arecurrently engaged in a £20m

project to restore the Great EastWindow, completed around1405, and incorporating anexpanse of stained glass that isone of the glories of Europeanmedieval art. At this Conference,I renewed acquaintance with SirHugh Beach (distinguishedsoldier, engineer, iconoclast andFellow of Peterhouse) who is myopposite number at WinchesterCathedral. He was myCommanding Officer when I wasin the Cambridge UniversityOfficers’Training Corps in GrangeRoad.

Running a chemical factorynowadays demands close andfriendly links with yourneighbours. This, in turn, leads toinvitations to sit on Boards ofSchool Governors and the like. Ihave found myself for the last 20years or so on Teesside helping torun a crime preventionpartnership. Working closely withthe Police, Probation, LocalAuthorities and others, weemploy about 60 people andhave enough funds to last untilMarch 2011. In the followingfinancial year, we peer into afinancial abyss and I hope andpray that our income survivesafter the nuclear storm that iscurrently blowing through ourfunders. One of our projectsinvolves conversion of large oldbuses into mobile youth clubscum media centres. Theseconversions cost about £60,000but we are then left with amobile centre that can be drivento estates in Teesside and used by

youngsters who might neverdarken the door of aconventional youth club. They arevery popular and we often find aqueue already formed when thebus arrives. One of our buses isshortly to be pensioned off and Ihear that a Motor Museum inBlackpool wants it.

One evening last week, my wifeand I went with our local GP towatch and hear nightjars a mileor so from where we live. Wewatched two of these mysteriousbirds fossicking above thebracken fronds in the twilight.Then, suddenly, one was twistingin the air above our heads,chasing a ghostly moth, before itdisappeared. The next evening,we were at the start of RyedaleFestival: a feast of music in finelocations like Ampleforth Abbeyand Castle Howard. All of this,including nightjars, within aneasy drive of industrial Teesside.

I hope that something I havewritten might have caught youreye – perhaps even as firmly asElena caught my eye in gettingme to write this letter!

Dr Tony [email protected]

My own submissions toPeter on PVD struckme onreflection as rather aninadequate tribute to,probably, the greatestchemical engineer of hisgeneration.

Running a chemicalfactory nowadaysdemands close andfriendly links with yourneighbours.


Alumni Corner

�0 | www.ceb.cam.ac.uk

University of Cambridge Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology(CUCEB) Alumni are now connected!

The following online platforms have been created to help our alumni connect with fellowalumni and department members on a professional and social level and to help us organiseevents and activities of relevance.

CUCEB Alumni on LinkedInDepartment alumni areencouraged to join this on-linecommunity to help them make

new valuable career contacts as well as be kept abreastof CEB’s latest developments. Many of our alumni areindustrialists or researchers, who are willing to share theirexpertise. Alumni can ask for advice on recruitmentmatters and browse relevant vacancies posted.

Elena Gonzalez, PA to Professor Nigel Slater (HoD), is theGroup Manager, see her profile onwww.linkedin.com/in/elenagonzalezcuadrado

CUCEB Alumni on FacebookThis newly-created group will also help you connect with fellow alumni. It is moregeared to those who are up for connecting on the social as well as professionallevel. This will also help us organise alumni reunions, speaker series, etc as well asdevelop an Alumni Relations Events Programme more suited to their needs.

Twitter @CUCEBAlumniWe would like to share important department developments on teaching andresearch, our people and their achievements as they happen. Alumni’s views on

our undertakings are extremely valuable to us. Therefore, CEB is using this tool to allow them to postcomments on the news we share, give feedback on our progress and make relevant questions. Elena willalso be monitoring comments/content and posting replies on behalf of the department.

‘Alumni Corner’ column on ‘CEB Focus’ Department NewsletterWe would very much appreciate suggestions for topics, letters, anecdotes from your time in theDepartment and/or College, career profiles and important announcements you might want us to make onyour behalf. Please contact the CEB Focus Editorial Team on [email protected] with yourcontributions.

Left: Elena Gonzalez with recent department alumni


Events Calendar

Alumni Speaker Series LaunchFriday �� October �010, �.00pmLocation: CEB, Pembroke StreetAlumnus Chris Hodrien will be launching the series this academic year with a talk on ‘A Lifetime in the GasIndustry Technology’. He will also be giving an account of his successful career in this field.If you would like to attend please register on www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/pages/alumni-speaker-series.htmlby Thursday 28 October or contact Elena Gonzalez on [email protected]

The �th annual EBI-Sanger Cambridge PhD Symposium1 November �010Location: Wellcome Trust Conference Centre, Hinxton, Cambridge. www.escamps.orgThis is a unique student-led conference aiming to encourage scientific communication within the localresearch community. The focus of this one-day event is to provide a platform for young scientists topresent their work. The meeting will also include keynote presentations by established scientific leaders. Allstudents from the University of Cambridge are invited to register for this free event. It is our hope thateSCAMPS 2010 will continue to achieve its aims of stimulating scientific discussions and fosteringnetworking within the Cambridge graduate community. We look forward to welcoming you here!

Professional Development Policy Seminar organised by Centre forScience and Policy (CSaP)1� November �010, 10.�0am - �.�0pmVenue: The Pitt Building, CambridgeThe research community is making increasing efforts to maximise the impact of its expertise in publicpolicy. All the global and national challenges we face rely - and arguably should rely more - on advice fromexperts in the sciences, social sciences and engineering. It is now widely acknowledged that policy makersshould be open to advice from researchers, and researchers should be well equipped to deliver thatadvice.

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | �1

Shell CareersWednesday 1� October �010Whether you're studying for a BA, MA or advanced degree, or even if you've alreadygraduated, Shell can offer you a wealth of challenging career opportunities. To findout more about our current opportunities, please visit our website(www.shell.co.uk/careers). You can also follow us on Facebook at ‘Careers at Shell’. Shell will be atCambridge during Michaelmas term so look out for our events and come along to meet ourpeople.

Shell Presentation @ University Arms Hotel, Parker’s Piece, Cambridge – check careers servicecalendar for full details.


Arrivals and Departures

�� | www.ceb.cam.ac.uk

Dr Binjie HuTeaching FellowII joined the department onSeptember 2007 to undertake awide range of undergraduateteaching for Part I and IIAexercises and the Part IIA designproject. I have also been involvedwith design lectures, transferableskills and laboratory-basedteaching. During my time atCambridge, I developed a verystrong teaching experience overmany chemical engineeringsubjects.

I am leaving Cambridge to workas a lecturer in the Division ofEngineering at the University ofNottingham Ningbo, China(UNNC). In the past, my researchwas on hydrogenation in catalyticthree-phase(hydrogen/organic/catalyst)reactions, the stability of bubblesin two-phase systems, andmembrane separations. In future,I will be studying green chemistryapplications using ionic liquids. Ilook forward to establishing aresearch group in China andforming future collaborationswith Cambridge.

David WhitePhD studentI joined the department onOctober 2005 to undertakeresearch in the area of foodmanufacture with funding fromCASE and EPSRC.

My research was based on theproduction of Marmite: afoodstuff that is marketedprimarily in the UK andmanufactured from spentbrewing yeast. Specifically, Istudied one of the intermediateunit operations and the rheologyof the final product. The findingswill be used to aid design andprocess decisions, and have alsospawned interest in a futureproject with the department.Aside from research, I spent twoyears as head coach of theUniversity Lightweight rowingsquad, winning two Boat Racesagainst Oxford. I am nowworking for Cadbury/Kraft Foodsin Bournville.

Summer DeparturesGone on to pastures new .…

Dr Tim Lord, Dr Yishai Levin andDr Yagnesh Umrania – ResearchAssociatesMiss Sarah Creber, Miss RiaKouprotzi, Mr Thomas Pintelon,Mr Joel Taylor, Mr Ed White –PhD studentsDr Juan Manuel Peralta and DrBarbara Meza – VisitingResearchersProf Catherine Niu – VisitingProfessorMiss Ghalia Feddah – VisitingResearch StudentMrs Cassilda Reis – LabTechnicianLucy Thompson – ReceptionistJessica Deacon –Accounts/Secretarial AssistantMiss Christin Oheim – JuniorResearch Lab TechnicianMiss Patricia Tynan – TempReceptionist

Summer ArrivalsA warm welcome to:

Prof Esther Lubzens and ProfGuang Li – Visiting ProfessorsDr Johann Steiner – VisitingResearcherDr Einer Fridjonsson, Dr TatsuyaYoshimi, Dr Matthew Watsonand Dr Natacha Vanattou-Saifoudine - Research AssociatesMiss Meral Yuce, Mr AndreasAlbrecht, Mr David Pereira andMr Adriano Zaffora -Visiting Research Students


Tea-Time Teaser

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | ��

How to Make the Dunk a Sure ThingAlastair Clarke, PhD StudentCambridge chemical engineers are machines thatturn tea into concepts. A prime example was thewell-oiled Professor Danckwerts, who came up withresidence time distributions whilst indolentlypondering over a good brew in the departmenttea-room. In fact, the tea-room lends itself todemonstrating all sorts of chemical engineeringprinciples. In this issue of CEB Focus, we look at theproblem of dunking biscuits into tea. We ask forhow long should you dunk before it is too late - thebiscuit becomes saturated with tea and breaks intwo?

A biscuit consists of a random structure ofirregularly-sized pores which cause the tea to besucked into the biscuit by capillary forces. Thebiscuit dunking time (t) will scale with the square ofthe distance travelled (L) divided by theconductivity (α) ie t = L2 / α. The exact relationship isgiven by the Washburn equation1. Conductivitydepends on a number of physical properties,including the mean pore-size (d), the surfacetension between air and tea (σ) and the viscosity oftea (μ).

The exact relationship2 is expressed as

α = σd / 4μ

Biscuit has similar properties to sandstone, whichhas a mean pore-size of roughly 1 μm. Tea is mainlywater. The surface tension between air and water is0.07 kg s-2 and the viscosity of water is 10-3 kg m-1 s-1.The biscuit has a thin disk shape and is dippedvertically into the tea. Surface and gravity effects areneglected.

If the thickness of the biscuit (2L) is taken to be1 cm, the Washburn equation advises to dunk forno longer than 1.5 seconds. Is this a sensible answerfor Ginger Nuts or Hob-Nobs? It seems right for theRich Tea, but it worryingly underestimates theShortbread Finger.

References1Dullien, F.A.L, 1979. Porous Media: Fluid Transport and Pore Structure.Chapter 6. pp. 291-300. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, USA.2Fisher, L., 2003. How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of EverydayLife. Arcade Publishing.

Letters to the editorWe welcome comments from our readership. Please email usyour views and suggestions for future articles [email protected]

Newsletter DisclaimerCEB Focus Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit content before publishing. This newsletter is published forinformation purposes only and while every effort has been made to ensure that info is accurate and up-to-date, the Committeeis not responsible for any omissions or liable for any damages in connection with the information published. The University ofCambridge does not accept liability for any content published herein.


New Museums SitePembroke StreetCambridge CB2 3RA

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334777Fax: +44 (0)1223 334796

Design/production:w

ww

.cambridgedesigners.co.uk

For further information please visit www.ceb.cam.ac.uk or contact us at [email protected]

Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Institute of BiotechnologyTennis Court RoadCambridge CB2 1QT

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334160Fax: +44 (0)1223 334162

Magnetic Resonance Research CentreJ J Thomson AvenueCambridge CB3 0HE

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334777Fax: +44 (0)1223 334796


Documents

CEB Focus 1, Oct 2010