A student, who received a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at Swansea University’s Winter Degree and Award Congregations today (Thursday, January 26), found his path to success has been far from smooth.
Twenty-three-year-old Graham Nelson’s story started with disappointment, when he did not achieve the degree classification he had hoped for when he first graduated with a BEng in Bioprocess Engineering from Swansea University in 2009.
After taking time out to travel and teach in Canada, Graham decided to return to his studies and focussed his ambition on pursuing a Masters degree.
The quality of Graham’s work and his dedication to his thesis research have paid off and he has been awarded an MSc with Distinction from the College of Science.
Graham’s efforts have not gone unnoticed and now he is working at the Department of Bioscience’s ACCOMPLISH project, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of Wales’ largest carbon dioxide emitter with environmentally friendly technology.
Graham said: “I am currently working with the ACCOMPLISH team on designing and implementing a pilot scale algal carbon capture and biomass production facility with the aim to provide sustainable energy. Carbon dioxide is fed through algae photobioreactors where they are then converted into oxygen via photosynthesis.”
Dr Alla Silkina of the ACCOMPLISH project said: “Despite his earlier disappointments, Graham’s hard work and determination have resulted in his Master’s degree success which he absolutely deserves. I have high hopes that his current research with the ACCOMPLISH team, into using algae to capture and convert carbon in an environmentally friendly way, will be applied to carbon dioxide emitters across Wales in the future.”
