School of Chemical and Process Engineering celebrates REF success

Research carried out in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering has been recognised in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

REF is the system for assessing the quality and impact of research in UK higher education institutions, broken down by disciplines called Units of Assessment (UoA).  

A £38 million refurbishment of the School in 2015 has helped the School of Chemical and Process Engineering contribute strongly to the Engineering Unit of Assessment (UoA12) which includes Chemical and Process Engineering. Here, 97% of the research activity submitted to the UoA were assessed as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.  

The recent investments in Chemical and Process Engineering at Leeds have enabled a unique state-of-the-art capability combining expertise in digital manufacturing and automated synthesis leading to new sustainable manufacturing routes.

Professor Richard Bourne, Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Research Fellow

The School’s work on the design and production of advanced materials, chemical formulations and products using energy efficient and sustainable processes formed a significant part of this submission. This included a key impact case study involving the development of automated self-optimising chemical reactor platforms for the production of pharmaceutical products, including anti-cancer drugs. These intelligent reactor platforms can significantly reduce development times, resulting in substantial cost savings and faster translation of materials to clinical trials. This technology has been taken up by a number of global companies.

The School of Chemical and Process Engineering congratulates all staff and students for their globally-leading research achievements and recognises the University’s significant investment in providing an improved research environment for sustainable chemical manufacturing.

Professor Sheng Dai, Head of School

View the University of Leeds REF 2021 results for all units of assessment.