Cameron Rout
Background:
I graduated with an iChemE accredited First Class Honours degree at the University of Teesside in Chemical Engineering in 2017. This course included an additional industrial placement year at Drax Power Station in 2015 which helped improve my practical skills, aid my learning for my final year at university, and progress me further into the engineering field after graduation. Upon completion of that course, I then began my studies at the University of Leeds in September of 2017 where I obtained a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, with a clear ambition to become chartered in the future. I am now currently studying towards a four-year integrated MSc and PhD in Bioenergy at the University of Leeds which is funded by the EPSRC and which focuses on the main project of Hydrogen Use in Transport.
Research Interests:
During my Masters project I focused on the use of biofuels as a more sustainable form of transport, and investigated the level of emissions (such as NOx, PM, and CO2) released from a series of different diesel fuel blends, including ethanol and butanol across a 5-25% volume range respectively. This was a very interesting and enjoyable project and my research now is continuing on from this, focusing further on renewable transport.
I am eager to develop my understanding on these topics and transition from diesel biofuels into hydrogen use in transport. This is a very exciting topic to be a part of and is gaining in momentum each year due to the effects of climate change and the shortage of fossil fuels. I would love to be at the forefront of these cutting-edge ideas and help develop new cleaner forms of transport for the future.
Why I chose the CDT in Bioenergy:
I chose the Bioenergy CDT course because after studying five years of Chemical Engineering I felt it was time to expand my knowledge base and reach a broader understanding of the key issues facing us in the world today. I was always interested in geography after taking it as an A-Level, and found it a very exciting subject, and as so many issues surrounding the world today come from an environmental point-of-view, the course’s focus on climate change appealed to me very much. I believed it would be a very refreshing change to study something new and so cutting edge in terms of new technologies and ideas.
Also, during this course I am given a number of exciting opportunities which many people do not get. I therefore would like to take full advantage of all the training opportunities I have available in order to develop my understanding of new things and build up my CV along the way. I aim to meet many new people in the field and build rapports with them through various networking events and conferences, for example.
Furthermore, I see no downside to educating myself as much as possible whilst I’m young and gaining as many qualifications as I can. I aim to build up an impressive portfolio that will give me the most promising career start. Also, being able to structure my own working day and complete this to my own schedule is very appealing compared to previous studies.