Latest Events

The EPSRC Engineering Team will visit Cambridge on 26 November 2025. You are warmly invited to the open session. This is an excellent opportunity for researchers at all career stages to hear from the EPSRC Engineering team and discuss topics of interest.  

More information about the engineering theme can be found here: 

https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/engineering-theme/ 

Agenda: 

11.30-12.10: Overview of Engineering theme, strategy and funding opportunities  

12.10 – 12.20: Peer review processes 

12.20-12.30: Opportunities to support EPSRC through mechanisms such as the Strategic Advisory Teams, Early Career Forum, and peer review membership 

12.30-12.50pm Q&A 

12.50 -1.30pm: Lunch and networking 

The EPSRC Engineering team visiting includes: 

Andy Lawrence- Head of Engineering 

Rob Felstead- Deputy Director Engineering and Healthcare themes, and EPSRC Representative to Uni of Cambridge  

Eira Hughes- Senior Portfolio Manager NSF In charge, Mechanical Engineering  

Tristian Fancourt- Senior Portfolio Manager- Strategic research infrastructure. 

Ajinkya Rao- Portfolio Manager Infrastructure Urban Systems, Structural engineering, Built Environment 

Maria Calderon Munoz- Portfolio Manager- Water Engineering, Ground Engineering  

Alexander Sewryn- Portfolio Manager, Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics  

Karen Davies- Portfolio Manager- Chemical Engineering, process engineering. 

Marija Zacharova- Portfolio Manager- Engineering Biology, Biomaterials. 

Lu Rauslova- Portfolio Manager- Materials Engineering and Early Career Forum 

Bob Hunter- Senior Portfolio Manager - Control Engineering 

Joshua Barritt – Portfolio Manager - Electromechanical Engineering and Microsystems 

How to register: Please complete the following form to register your interest in attending: 

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RQSlSfq9eUut41R7TzmG6Qr6uZ65jvVFjHW50zHb8a5UMDM0OEVKTkpHUURIQThWSEFZNEFXVDhFRC4u 

Deadline to register:  12 November 2025 

Speaker: Paula Mendoza-Moreno, Dept of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge

Abstract

The single greatest barrier to hydrogen (H₂) aviation is the immense challenge of storing and distributing liquid hydrogen (LH₂). This challenge is the primary obstacle to making flights that emit only water a practical reality. A significant part of this challenge stems from a fundamental property of H₂ itself: the interconversion of its isomers, ortho- and para-H₂, under liquid storage conditions. This exothermic isomerisation reaction is a major, direct contributor to the quick evaporation of LH₂, making fuel storage inherently inefficient. A solution is to promote the ortho-para conversion (OPC) with a catalyst in liquefaction. This enables the supply of stable LH₂ fuel that meets the standards required by H₂ aircraft designs.

This lecture will present findings from a recent study demonstrating that the industry-standard pursuit of >99% para-hydrogen purity is not only more expensive than we thought but also energetically sub-optimal for the aviation fuel cycle. The findings reveal that a strategically-tuned OPC process, accepting purities of 83-95%, reduces liquefaction energy demands by 8-13% while reducing evaporation losses during storage for the critical 1-7 day transport window. This optimisation, when coupled with green H₂ production, leads to a >92% reduction of CO₂ emissions from fuel production to flight on routes such as London-New York. Furthermore, this talk will outline the experimental continuation of this work, building on the kinetic understanding of the catalytic OPC. The new insights gained into this quantum phenomenon directly address the evaporation of H₂ in storage tanks, the economic viability of H₂ aviation, and the carbon footprint of the LH₂ supply.

Part of the Bigger Picture Talk Series 

Speaker Bio:

Paula Mendoza-Moreno is a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a final year PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on overcoming core engineering challenges in liquid hydrogen storage and distribution to enable its adoption as a sustainable aviation fuel.

By bridging theoretical chemistry, quantum mechanical principles, and practical process design, she aims to develop scalable and efficient LH₂ infrastructure solutions. Her current work centres on the ortho- to para-hydrogen conversion kinetics and the environmental sustainability of hydrogen aviation systems. Paula holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical and biological engineering from Colorado State University.

She has worked on techno-economic and life cycle assessment projects for advanced biofuels at Argonne National Laboratory, high-value commercialisation pathways of natural resins with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and sustainable bio-economies for arid regions at the Colorado State University Energy Institute.

Speaker: Arjun Kamdar, PhD Researcher, Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG), Department of Land Economy & El-Erian Institute of Behavioural Economics and Policy, University of Cambridge

There is no need to register if you plan to attend the seminar in person. However, if you would like to join the seminar online via Zoom, please register via the link. Upon registering your interest in this form, you will receive an e-mail with the Zoom meeting link ON THE DAY OF THE SEMINAR. Entering your name and organisational affiliation is optional. Your details will only be used to send you the Zoom meeting link and will not be shared with any external parties.

Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG) series

Speaker: Saheed Bello, University of Cambridge & EPRG

EPRG Energy & Environment Seminars Michaelmas Term 2025 Tuesdays fortnightly at 12.30-1.30pm (in-person) Please contact EPRG Administrator (eprgadm@jbs.cam.ac.uk) for further details

Seminar organizer: Zeynep Clulow(z.clulow@jbs.cam.ac.uk)

Speaker: Alice Merryweather, Illumion

AMET Seminars on the Energy Transition