Driven by curiosity. Driving changeBiography
Professor Dame Lynn Gladden is Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge and leads pioneering research into sustainable energy systems at the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre (MRRC) within the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. Working closely with Professor Mick Mantle and Professor Andy Sederman, she is developing magnetic resonance techniques to advance carbon storage, green fuels, and other technologies vital to achieving net-zero emissions.
After completing her studies in physics and chemistry at Cambridge, she was awarded a Royal Society Pickering Research Fellowship. She joined the Department of Chemical Engineering in 1987 as its first female lecturer and went on to become Head of Department, followed by Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the university. She is currently a member of the Council for Science and Technology, and has previously held a role as Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Her leadership and research have helped shape both the department and the national research agenda, from developing the Cambridge CARES centre in Singapore to advising the UK government on sustainability and energy policy.
Research interests
Professor Gladden’s research focuses on the development and application of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques to address key challenges in chemical engineering and biotechnology. Her group uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to study diffusion, flow, adsorption, and reaction processes in complex systems, with a particular emphasis on translating these methods to industrially relevant conditions.
Key areas of interest include:
- Next-generation MR techniques: Novel k-space sampling, compressed sensing, and Bayesian analysis to increase spatial and temporal resolution; development of portable, in-plant MR devices.
- Catalysis: MRI, solid-state NMR, and complementary methods to study catalyst deactivation, mass transfer limitations, and adsorption/desorption dynamics; integration with computational modelling for reactor and catalyst design.
- Terahertz spectroscopy (THz): Characterising pharmaceutical materials, developing process analytics, and exploring 3-D imaging protocols with quantum cascade lasers.
- Pharmaceutical delivery systems: MR micro-imaging and diffusion mapping to optimise drug delivery matrices and predict dissolution profiles.
- Sustainability and net-zero applications: Carbon storage, green fuels, and energy-efficient processes, demonstrating how MR techniques can contribute to sustainable industrial solutions.
The group is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative, bringing together expertise in physics, chemistry, engineering, and industrial applications.
Awards and achievements
She is a Chartered Chemist and Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and a fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
- 1995: Awarded Beilby Medal and Prize
- 2001: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to chemistry
- 2001: Awarded the Tilden Prize of the Royal Society of Chemistry
- 2003: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)
- 2004: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
- 2009: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to chemical engineering in the 2009 Birthday Honours
- 2014: Awarded the Royal Society Bakerian Medal
- 2015: Elected a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineering
- 2016: named Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering by the Women’s Engineering Society
- 2020: Gladden was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to academic and industrial research in chemical engineering
Teaching and supervision
Lynn is currently teaching and supervising within the department.
Professor Dame Lynn Gladden
Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
Magnetic Resonance research group leader Member of Council for Science and Technology (CST) UK Govt Former Head of Department Former Pro-Vice Chancellor for research Former Executive Chair of the EPSRC Founding director of Cambridge CARES