Most Distinguished Developing Career Achievement Prize

The Process Industries Division has awarded Nausheen Basha the 2022 Most Distinguished Developing Career Achievement Prize

The prize recognises developing engineers who have demonstrated innovative and responsible professional leadership, and the potential for future distinction and commitment to serving others.

The prize money is £1,500 and a certificate.

Dr Nausheen Basha, a Chartered Engineer (IMechE) at Imperial College London, is a highly accomplished researcher and advocate for diversity in engineering. Her work focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multiphase flows, machine learning (ML), and process industry (PI). Dr Basha has been named one of the Top 50 Women in Engineering (Inventors & Innovators) by the Women's Engineering Society (WES). She has multiple publications in the areas of CFD, ML, and PI, and her PhD research on computational fluid dynamics modelling of oil-injected compressors was recognised by the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR). In 2021, she received the prestigious Ted Perry Award for her research. Dr Basha's previous work on developing air compressors at City, University of London, was deployed to supply oxygen cylinders during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. She is currently researching data-driven optimisation of mixing reactors as part of the PREMIERE project, and sits on the Data Driven Modelling Special Interest Group. Passionate about improving equality and diversity in engineering, Dr Basha devotes much of her time to inspiring other young women and minority groups to take up STEM subjects. She has organised Nuffield Research Placements and work shadowing programs to give students first-hand experience of engineering careers. She has also contributed to newsletters for the Women's Engineering Society and has been a columnist for Process Industry Informer magazine, where she has written about topics such as cultural barriers for women in STEM, wage gaps, and gender inequality in engineering.

Some comments from judges

• Nausheen Basha has made great achievements during her education and received awards. Nausheen’s significant technical achievement is firmly rooted in the process industry with the modelling of screw compressor performance to improve efficiency. She has made significant contributions to The Engineer in Society.
• Nausheen Basha is the winner, based on her significant academic achievements, her research into screw compressors and her focus on mechanical engineering in the process industry in her present employment.

The Process Industries Division has awarded Abigail Pinkard, the 2021 Most Distinguished Developing Career Achievement Prize.

Some comments from judges include:

• Abigail excelled not only academically at Exeter University with two "Deans' Awards", but also with extracurricular activities which earned her "The Exeter Award" and "The Exeter Leaders Award". 
• As a graduate engineer she gained excellent experience as a "Process Engineer" with Kerry Taste and after 2 years was promoted to Project Manager status as a site co-ordinator in the Netherlands. A measure of her employer's confidence in her abilities came about during the pandemic when she took over the role of senior project manager for the site owing to pandemic restrictions.
• Abigail is an active member of the IMechE. She has been a young member of the Food and Drink Engineering Committee since 2019 and has been involved in presenting and chairing webinars. She is also very active in activities promoting the role of an Engineer in Society. Whilst at University in Exeter she was involved with the National Citizen Service and to the present day serves local churches, as a sound engineer. If successful with the award her plan to invest the money into CPD for herself demonstrates her commitment to her professional career.
• Though she is in her first job for two and half years only since graduation she has shown the quality of being capable of taking increasing responsibilities that involves making important decisions for the project under her charge.
• Abigail has the calibre of a future leader in the mechanical engineering profession.

Stephen is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the IMechE, who first joined the institution in 2009 as an undergraduate student at Ulster University. He is also a member of the North West Process Industries Division committee, currently working on a programme of talks on the subject of innovation.

Stephen is a System Engineer, responsible for safety in nuclear waste storage facilities at Sellafield Ltd, which he joined as a graduate in 2013.
In 2019 Stephen graduated from his part-time MSc in Mechanical Engineering at Lancaster University, which helped him gain Chartered status in 2020.

Stephen volunteers as an on-call team member of Ulverston Inshore Rescue, his local independent Search and Rescue team, and during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, with the help of a local network of engineers, produced over 2000 home-made 3D printed face shields for frontline workers.

In his spare time, Stephen has a range of hands-on engineering interests, and is currently rebuilding a 1970s Swedish 4x4 to his own designs.

Here's are some of the comments from the judges about about Stephen:

My judgement is that Stephen McEvoy should get the award. His academic achievements are solid, He has achieved with distinction as an undergraduate with Schrader and as a graduate with Sellafield where he is now a subject matter expert! Regarding his achievements as an engineer in society, I think they are exceptional.

My main observations in addition to above judges comments:

• a) he has secured a MSc in 2019
• b) his project work outcome as a graduate resulted in being a regular feature for Nuclear Operator Training
• c) his current role is accountable for the overall safety of the plant that he is working on, and he is also working towards gaining Design Authority for it.

Reuben is currently lead process engineer on a new medicines project to treat HIV. Functioning as a long acting injectable medicine, milling to nano particle sizes was required. This involved a redesign of paint milling machines to meet the needs of sterile products – a Clean in Place, Sterilise in Place system. One mill has now been installed and validated to produce clinical trial batches, with a view to supply registration batches by 2018.

The wider team working on the project has recently been cited “Highly Commended” by the President of Global Manufacturing Supply at GSK in 2016; Reuben cities this as one of his biggest career achievements to date along with being awarded the Young Achievers award in the Pharmaceutical division by the North East Process Industries Cluster.

Reuben’s process engineering career began with studies in mechanical engineering at Queen's University, Belfast via a scholarship due to exemplary A-level results. Understanding the need for practical skills and with a firm interest in pharmaceutical production, Reuben secured a project engineering position for his industrial placement year with GSK at Barnard Castle.

Joining GSK full time in 2012, Reuben started a second MSc degree course in process systems at Cranfield University and graduated within three years whilst working at GSK. His academic achievements allowed for an early chartership application, which saw Reuben receive IMechE chartered engineer status in March 2016.