Imperial researcher wins award for work on cryogenics

Imperial researcher Dr. Jingyuan Xu has received the George T. Mulholland Memorial Award for her work on cryogenics.

Dr. Jingyuan Xu, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory at Imperial College London, has received the George T. Mulholland Memorial Award for her recent contributions to the field of cryogenics.

"Dr. Xu is recognised for her outstanding contributions to the field of cryogenics. In particular, the field of sustainable cooling technology owes much to her significant developments and advances". George T. Mulholland Memorial Award Committee

The George T. Mulholland Memorial Award for Excellence in Cryogenic Engineering, named in memory of prestigious pioneer in cryogenics George T. Mulholland, is given for notable engineering development in a particular area leading to a major contribution in the cryogenic field and is only given to one person every two years. Dr. Xu received the award recently during the 23rd Cryogenic Engineering Conference and International Cryogenic Materials Conference (CEC/ICMC 2021).

According to the awards committee: “Dr. Xu is recognised for her outstanding contributions to the field of cryogenics. In particular, the field of sustainable cooling technology owes much to her significant developments and advances on thermoacoustic refrigerators, pulse tube cryocoolers, Stirling devices and other novel cooling devices, by making breakthroughs in cryocooler efficiency as well as developing novel original concepts.”

The committee added: “She is further recognised for her technical leadership in the design and optimisation of cryogenics systems, research expertise for studies of next-generation clean cooling technologies, and ongoing efforts in other areas of cryogenics including cryogenic storage and cryogenic gas liquefaction. She has also contributed to the broader cryogenic community by actively participating in international conferences, mentoring students and colleagues, and publishing research papers.”

Dr. Xu’s research interests focus on sustainable energy technology, including but not limited to the topics of renewable energies utilisation, clean energy production, heat and power provision, heat pump, refrigeration, low-grade heat recovery, and cryogenics.

She is now working at Clean Energy Process (CEP) laboratory, led by Professor Christos Markides. Before receiving the George T. Mulholland Memorial Award, Dr. Xu has been awarded Rising Stars in Chemical Engineering (2021) by MIT, Carl von Linde Award Young Researcher Award (2019) by International Institute of Refrigeration, and Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award (2018) by International Cryogenic Engineering Committee.