Hall Fellow and Oxford Chemical Engineers Win Top Prize at 2023 IChemE Global Awards

In the prestigious IChemE Global Awards 2023 held on 30 November 2023 in Birmingham, the collaborative project ‘Rapid test for Covid-19’ by the University of Oxford and Oxsed Limited clinched the top prize – ‘Outstanding Achievement in Chemical and Process Engineering Award.’ The team also secured two additional trophies in the categories of ‘Innovative Product Award’ and ‘Business Start-up Award.’

Led by Professors Zhanfeng Cui and Wei Huang, Hall Fellow by Special Election in Synthetic Biology, the Oxford team has developed a rapid Covid-19 test during the pandemic, successfully commercialized through the spinout, Oxsed Limited. This joint initiative involved the Department of Engineering Science at the University and the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR).

Expressing delight at receiving the awards, Professor Zhanfeng Cui, the Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering, stated, “It is an outstanding recognition for Oxford Chemical Engineering by our professional community.” Professor Wei Huang added, “This is a testament to the dedication of our DPhil students and postdocs at the University of Oxford and in OSCAR, who contributed to the project during the challenging time.” Danny Yeung, Founder and CEO of Prenetics, the company that acquired Oxsed, commented, “Oxsed set multiple records and is a compelling example of the powerful combination of top scientists and great entrepreneurs.