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A leading academic who holds a pivotal role in the UK’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions, has been recognised with a national award.
On International Women in Engineering Day, Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer Associate Principal (Global Sustainability) and Director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions (RCCS) at Heriot-Watt University, has been named in the Top 50 Women in Engineering: Sustainability Awards hosted by the Women’s Engineering Society.
The 2020 WE50 celebrates women who have made a significant contribution within sustainability. Winning nominees were required to provide evidence of their successful support of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals or the Net Zero Carbon Programme.
Professor Maroto-Valer said of her award: “I am honoured to be selected as a winner alongside the other talented engineers in this list. It is humbling to receive recognition for the pioneering research that I, amongst many other like-minded and brilliant individuals, am dedicated to.”
Earlier this year, Professor Maroto-Valer was named as the UK Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Champion to drive the country’s delivery of Net Zero emissions.
This involves leading ambitious plans to develop a new £20m UK Research and Innovation Centre at Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh campus.
Elizabeth Donnelly, Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Engineering Society explained why WES had chosen the theme of sustainability for 2020.
“The 2019 Climate Emergency Declarations followed unprecedented weather conditions across the planet,” she said.
“Engineers were instrumental in repairing the Toddbrook Dam after it collapsed in August last year, and it will be engineers who will provide many of the solutions needed to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We felt that it was the right time to showcase the amazing women who are already working on these issues.”
All 2020 winners are published on the INWED website.