Claudia Hernandez, a Process Engineer at C-Capture, has been recognised as one of the country’s top 100 female engineers as part of the Women in Engineering Awards.
Organised by the Women’s Engineering Society, this year’s awards celebrated female inventors and innovators working in engineering to support sustainability and/or combat climate change. As an engineer at C-Capture, developers of world-leading chemical processes for the removal of carbon dioxide, Claudia helps develop next-generation carbon capture technology to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Her work at the clean tech company, in addition to her advocacy for women in engineering, led to her award as one of the 100 Highly Commended Finalists.
Claudia said: “I’m thrilled to be recognised as a top 100 female engineer. I’m so aware of the gender disparity in engineering and think it’s important to recognise the achievements of female engineers at a time when women are still hugely underrepresented in the profession. Promoting the visibility of women in engineering helps to improve diversity in the sector. We need a future of gender equality, not bias.”
Finalists in the awards were also measured on the strengths of their achievements beyond those that would normally be expected for their career stage. Claudia has long held an ambition to work in sustainability. Growing up in Barcelona and living through the 2008 water crisis, she has first-hand experience of the devasting impacts of change and has already gained a broad range of experience across the voluntary, public and private sectors.
Claudia completed her Chemical Engineering master’s thesis in carbon capture at Imperial College London and is proficient in four languages. During university, Claudia won a scholarship to participate in UN sustainability conference. She has worked as part of NGO Engineers Without Borders to improve access to drinking water and sanitation in rural Mexico, and also helped improve the sustainability of the water cycle as part of the research organisation, Cetaqua Water Technology Centre.
Claudia now improves processes for C-Capture’s innovative carbon capture technology. She joined the company as a Graduate Process Engineer in September last year and has already been promoted as a Process Engineer.
Claudia is also C-Capture’s Project Lead on their XLR8 CCS project: a pioneering £2.7m initiative, that will deploy the company’s innovative carbon capture technology on numerous sites across the country, within industries that are particularly difficult to decarbonise. Demonstrating that a low-cost, carbon capture technology is a credible solution in the fight against climate change.
Tom White, C-Capture’s CEO, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Claudia has been recognised as one of the country’s top female engineers. Our talented and diverse team are dedicated to creating a brighter future through developing world-leading chemical processes for carbon dioxide removal. Our unique, next generation technology is a true innovation and we are proud of the potential it has to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”