Congratulations to Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian for receiving an OBE for his incredible public service.
Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Managing Director of the Translational Energy Research Centre and the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre, has been recognised with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to net zero research and innovation.
Mohamed is Managing Director of TERC and SAF-IC – both of which are playing a key role in testing and developing new low-carbon fuels. His efforts to do so – through years of research and innovation, and supported by teams of fellow experts and colleagues, have been now been formally recognised.
Mohamed is also the Head of the Energy Institute, which is is leading efforts to find low-carbon solutions to the world’s biggest energy challenges, and he also leads the University’s Energy2050 initiative, one of the UK’s largest energy research institutes.
A Chartered Engineer, Mohamed chairs the International CCS Test Centre Network, which is dedicated to enabling carbon capture test facilities around the world to progress the technologies that will be a key component of our clean energy future. He is also involved in addressing the big societal challenges being faced by UK businesses today through his membership in UKRI’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, as well as supporting the industry in decarbonising in line with net zero via his membership in the Industrial Decarbonisation Advisory Group, with focus on hydrogen.
Mohamed is the General Secretary of International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF), whose mission is to facilitate access to and spread combustion research worldwide.
Mohamed has completed a wide range of major research projects on clean energy technology, receiving grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, European Union, and NATO. During his career at the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds, Mohamed has managed over 100 research contracts and grants in relation to clean energy.
Mohamed and his students have authored almost 500 publications in journals and conference proceedings and have co-authored several books on solid fuels and biomass combustion. As a dedicated educator, he has graduated over 87 PhD candidates and supervised over 40 postdoctoral scholars and research associates.
Speaking about the award, Prof Pourkashanian said:
“I am incredibly honoured to be a recipient in the New Year Honours. I wish to thank everyone who I have worked with over the years for their help and dedication in our projects. This award means a great deal to me as it recognises the importance of research and innovation in implementing the net zero strategy.
“After a career working to understand and drive forward the research and technology we need to achieve net-zero and a zero-carbon future, I am pleased that we, as a society, have started to make significant progress. However, we must continue to innovate and grow our potential for a cleaner, greener, and more secure energy future both nationally and globally, and I am committed to working with some of the best minds in the sector to make it happen.”
Prof Mohamed Pourkashanian
Professor of Energy Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
