Award for Swansea EngD researcher in worldwide Tata Group competition

(14 June 2017) - A Swansea University researcher, Alex Harold, has beaten over 5000 applicants to win an international award for her work using proteins derived from soil bacteria to develop a new anti-corrosion coating for steel.

Organised by Tata Group, the competition highlights and rewards innovation within research and development, right across Tata’s activity. This meant Alex's entry was up against projects from divisions such as Tata Steel Europe, Jaguar Landrover and Tata Global Beverages.

Of the 5000 entries, 51 teams were shortlisted and represented at the final in Mumbai. Alex's project was announced as the winner of the “Dare to Try” award, one of the twelve categories in the competition.

Alex is a TATA Steel UK engineering doctorate student at Swansea University. Her winning project was called 'Superhydrophobic Coatings from Bacterial Proteins'. A material that is "hydrophobic" is one that repels water – in effect, waterproof. The cells of a common soil bacteria have hydrophobic properties, and Alex used these to develop her new coating.

(Read the full Swansea University news article here)