A CHEMICAL engineering graduate from Wirral has been awarded the 2022 Ashok Kumar Fellowship and will be working alongside advisers in the UK Parliament to inform the work of MPs and Peers. 

Josh Fearns from Spital will be on a three-month placement at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology where he will produce a briefing note or contribute to an area of public policy related to science and engineering.

Josh, 23, recently completed his Master of Engineering in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Surrey and spent a year in industry at an energy technology company.

Josh, who will begin his fellowship in early 2023, said: “I am honoured to be awarded the prestigious Ashok Kumar Fellowship and look forward to working with parliamentarians to support decision-making.

“My motivation for applying to the fellowship was to be able to utilise the confluence of disciplines studied throughout my engineering degree to help bridge the gap between scientific research and decision-making.

“The Ashok Kumar Fellowship is a special and unique channel that allows the application of key chemical engineering skills, such as research and communication, to tackle societal challenges by contributing to scientific policy.”

The fellowship is open to engineers who have completed a degree at undergraduate Master’s level or above, or have equivalent industry experience.

It was established in memory of former Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Ashok Kumar, who was the only chemical engineer serving in Parliament at the time of his sudden death in 2010 aged 53.

After the placement, the successful candidate will also work with IChemE’s Learned Society Committee and the Materials Processing Institute to explain their policy knowledge and experience of the fellowship with each organisation’s engineering members.

Alexandra Meldrum, IChemE Vice President Learned Society, said:  “Josh is extremely enthusiastic, skilled and motivated in not only his specialist research, but in the Ashok Kumar Fellowship and the opportunity to work at POST.

“He is an excellent communicator and passionate about using his chemical engineering knowledge and skills to make a real impact by providing decision-makers with crucial, evidence-based information for developing policies that will affect UK communities.

 

“Chemical engineers bring vital skills for many contemporary policy issues. It’s important to equip our future generations of chemical engineers with the skills and thought leadership to influence policy.”