International Women's Day is the perfect moment to shine a light on Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, whose work has reshaped chemical engineering. A Fellow of The Royal Society, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Lynn is internationally recognised for her contributions to the field.

Today, working with Professor Mick Mantle and Professor Andy Sederman, she is at the forefront of research critical to sustainability and global energy solutions.

Professor Dame Lynn Gladden is at the forefront of sustainability work at the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre (MRRC) within the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) in carbon storage and green fuels – areas crucial to the UK’s net-zero sustainability drive. Her research could reshape energy storage solutions and contribute to global efforts to reduce emissions. "The science is important, but making a difference is what drives me," she said.

Lynn plays a key role in national and international discussions on sustainability, particularly in her advisory role with the UK government, shaping policies to achieve net-zero.

Lynn’s academic journey began in physics and chemistry at Cambridge, where she quickly became known for her work in the semiconductor space. This led to the Royal Society Pickering Research Fellowship, which gave her the freedom to pursue her own research. "I got a prestigious research fellowship from the Royal Society that gave me the freedom to look into what I wanted, and I was always motivated by pushing the frontiers of basic science but with an end application in mind," she says. "I think that helped a lot," she adds, recognising that this foundation helped her gain respect, especially as the first female in a male-dominated department.

Though chemical engineering wasn’t initially on her radar, Lynn realised it was the perfect combination of academia and industry.

"I realised that many of the theories and accepted concepts in chemical engineering relied on parameters such as molecular diffusion and adsorption processes that had not been measured directly, particularly under industrially relevant conditions – because this was extremely difficult to do”, she said. “It definitely helped me gain respect and recognition as a scientist for the group to be able to develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that could validate some of the theoretical results of Professor Davidson’s work on fluidisation. ” John Davidson was a former Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department and one of the founding fathers of the theory and industrial use of fluidisation.

Her work using MRI to validate chemical engineering theories and gain insight into diffusion, flow and reaction processes occurring in optically opaque processes – particularly in reactors – set her apart with her work spanning across theoretical analysis and industrial applications. The major advance she has made is to use MRI to study chemical and pharma processes while they are occurring at industrially-relevant conditions. This is known as operando MRI and the group has truly been pioneers of this field in application to non-medical systems.

In 1987, Lynn joined the Department of Chemical Engineering, as it was then, as the department’s first female lecturer. "I didn’t really think of myself as a 'female' scientist, just a scientist," she said. "I didn’t even realise I was the only woman until I started. But that was a bit of a shock, I will admit." Lynn’s entry into the department wasn’t without challenges. "It was a culture shock, for us all, and it wasn’t for many years until they appointed another woman," she added.

But her path to CEB was also marked by an amusing tale that, in many ways, showcases the academic respect she already held. When she interviewed for the role, she hadn’t yet submitted her PhD thesis. The Head of Chemistry, who was also her boss, was on the panel. "I had to apologise for not telling him earlier that I was applying for the role," she laughs at the memory of being a young academic with a lot to learn about the working world. The panel then playfully suggested she submit her thesis immediately, and after a brief negotiation – one that many a PhD candidate will recognise – they agreed on a six-week deadline. "But I had a sense after that they were going to offer me the job," she said. And offer it they did, setting her on a path that would lead her to shape the department’s future.

During her time as Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Lynn saw opportunities for transformation. Recognising the potential to combine the strength in teaching and research of the Department of Chemical Engineering with the Institute of Biotechnology’s research capacity and reputation, she worked with the then head of the Institute of Biotechnology, Chris Lowe. They worked to grow and refocus both institutions into one multi-disciplinary department driven by solving real-world problems across the chemical and biosectors.

Lynn’s leadership has extended far beyond the university. After serving as Head of the Department for six years, she was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Cambridge, where she had a hand in shaping the university’s research strategy. One of her standout achievements was the development of the Cambridge CARES research centre in Singapore, a global hub for addressing issues in decarbonisation technologies and now expanding into areas of medical research and the science of learning.

Lynn’s influence reaches even further as chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

"The vision for the Prize – to celebrate engineering achievements that have had global benefits to humanity and to get more young people into engineering – are both important to me," she said. "The latter is a throwback to my early career when I trained as a physics teacher. Shortly after I arrived in Chem Eng, I worked with the Institution of Chemical Engineers to promote chemical engineering in schools. The team I worked with delivered the 'WhyNotChemEng' campaign, which has evolved today into the DiscoverChemEng website."

In addition to her role with the Queen Elizabeth Prize, Lynn was chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) from 2018 to 2023, where she played a pivotal role in shaping research strategy and funding, particularly in sustainability, quantum technology, AI and healthcare technologies. She continues to influence the national research landscape through her advisory role with the UK government, helping to guide science and technology policy in alignment with the country’s net-zero energy goals. Lynn’s leadership is critical in ensuring that funding and research strategies align with the pressing challenges of sustainability and net-zero.

Lynn’s legacy isn’t just in the work she’s done – it’s in how she’s done it. Her focus on collaboration across disciplines and sectors has demonstrated that real progress happens when people come together to solve complex problems.

"Bringing leading scientists and practitioners together from different fields can change the world," she says. Her career is a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing the world’s most pressing issues.