ETI announces first recipients of its David Clarke Fellowship awards

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has announced the first recipients of the David Clarke Fellowship, an awards scholarship launched last year in partnership with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in honour of their late CEO and Royal Academy of Engineering fellow, Dr David Clarke.

Dr Anna Kareer from the University of Oxford and Dr Christopher Williams from the University of Manchester have received funding through the fellowship to advance their research into novel low-carbon energy solutions.

Both recipients were successful in their applications to advance their research in the field of nuclear energy. Dr Kareer has been awarded £448k for her research project ‘Bridging the gap between small scale mechanical testing and bulk material property measurements of advanced, structural nuclear materials’ and Dr Williams has been awarded £302k for his research project ‘Computational design of graphene-based materials for challenging nuclear decommissioning applications.’

Dr Anna Kareer, said: “I am delighted to receive this award and I am very much looking forward to starting my research. The low carbon transition is a difficult challenge, but I am hopeful that my work can contribute in a positive way.”

Dr Christopher Williams, said: “Nuclear already plays a key part in the UK energy system. To ensure it plays a continued role in a decarbonised energy system it has to prove itself cost competitive with other low carbon generating options. My work hopes to show how it can and I am grateful for the support of this David Clarke Fellowship award to allow me to do so.”

David’s widow, Alison Clarke who is part of the fellowship advisory board, said: “David was a strong advocate for the role of research in informing policy and the fellowship programme will continue to honour his passion and dedication to advancing low carbon technology. It is fantastic to see David’s legacy in action, supporting the development of our future energy leaders.”

Before joining the ETI as chief executive in 2007 to establish the organisation, David spent 20 years at Rolls-Royce holding several senior positions including Head of the Corporate Strategic Research Centre and the Head of Technology Strategy and Research.

Paul Stein, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce, ETI board member and former colleague and friend of David’s added: “We extend our congratulations to Dr Anna Kareer and Dr Christopher Williams on becoming the first recipients of funding from the David Clarke Fellowships programme.

“Nuclear has a significant role to play in the decarbonisation of the wider energy system especially through its ability to provide baseload generation, but its traditional business model will have to adapt to prove itself economically against other low carbon options. Materials science, as presented in the two awarded projects is an important part of nuclear energy research and can help to enhance the safety and cost effectiveness of nuclear power, keeping it involved in the energy mix for a future low carbon UK energy system.”

Professor Lynn Gladden, Executive Chair, EPSRC added:

“On behalf of EPSRC I want to congratulate Anna and Christopher on their Fellowships. Their research will help the UK move towards a low-carbon future and faithfully honour the memory of David Clarke.”

The fellowships are awarded for three consecutive years, and applicants will be expected to hold a PhD or have equivalent research experience. Their research proposal should demonstrate a high degree of novelty in comparison to the broader research context of the area internationally. An advisory group will select the successful candidates.

For further information about the fellowship assessment criteria, please visit www.epsrc.ac.uk/files/skills/d…