Raffaella Ocone

Raffaella Ocone
Born
Morcone, Italy
NationalityItalian and British
OccupationProfessor of Chemical Engineering
Academic background
EducationPrinceton University University of Naples Federico II
Academic work
InstitutionsHeriot-Watt University
Notable worksSpecial Topics in Transport Phenomena, Elsevier (2001)

Raffaella Ocone OBE FRSE FREng is Professor of Chemical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2006 she was awarded the title Cavaliere of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and in the 2019 New Year Honours she was appointed OBE.[1]

Early life and education

Ocone was born in Morcone, Italy. She graduated from the University of Naples Federico II with Laurea (degree) in Chemical Engineering. In 1989 she achieved her MA, and in 1992 her PhD, both from Princeton University.[2]

Career

Ocone's first role after her PhD was as a lecturer at the University of Naples Federico II, from 1991 to 1995. Following this she was a reader at the University of Nottingham, and a visiting professor at Louisiana State University in the US and the Claude Bérnard University, Lyon in France. She was the first “Caroline Herschel Visiting Professor” at RHUR Universität, Bochum, Germany (July–November 2017) and the recipient of a Visiting Research Fellowship from the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Bologna, Italy (March–April 2018).

She has been professor of chemical engineering at Heriot-Watt University since 1999,[2] and she was the first female professor of chemical engineering in Scotland.[3] In 2003 she became a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council. She is also a Chartered Scientist with the Science Council.[2]

Her research is in the field of modelling of complex reactive systems,[4] for which she has been internationally recognised, including election as Fellow to a number of Royal Societies.[5] Her work has application to the design and operation of industrial systems involving material flow. In 2013 Ocone was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which she described as "the greatest accolade for an engineer".[5] She is an authority on complex reactive systems, and her research has been applied to the development of carbon capture and storage technologies.[6] She co-authored at Royal Academy of Engineering report, funded by the UK government, on the biofuels industry.[7]

She has an interest in ethics and engineering, and chaired the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Teaching Ethics group.[6]

Awards[2][8]

Public engagement

Ocone wrote on the 2040 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and on the sustainability of BECCS for The Conversation, an independent news source from the academic and research community.[10] In 2016 she hosted an event in conversation with author Roberto Constantini at the Italian Institute in Edinburgh, discussing the success of the detective story.[11][12] The previous year, she took part in a similar event with author Maurizio de Giovanni.[13] 2018 she delivered a lecture at the plenary session on Investigating Wet Particle Systems.as part of the discussion on 21st century energy mix.[14] She has challenged some of the proposed solutions to the carbon crisis such as the conversion of power stations to use wood chips.[15]

Selected publications

  • Makkawi, Y; Ocone, R (2011). "Mass transfer in fluidized bed drying of moist particulate". Mass Transfer. INTECH. ISBN 978-953-307-215-9.
  • Adam, M; Calemma, V; Galimberti, F; Gambaro, C; Heiszwolf, J; Ocone, R (2012). "Continuum Lumping Kinetics of Complex Reactive Systems". Chemical Engineering Science. 76: 154–164. doi:10.1016/j.ces.2012.03.037.
  • Ocone, R (2012). "Transport Phenomena in Packed Bed Reactor Technology for Chemical Looping Combustion". Chemical Engineering Research and Design. 90 (10): 1625–1631. doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2012.02.012.
  • Adam, M; Arrighi, V; Ocone, R (2012). "Continuum Lumping for Step Growth Polymerisation". Chemical Engineering Research and Design. 90: 2287–2292. doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2012.05.005.
  • Adam, M; Ocone, R (2013). "Kinetics Investigations of Kraft Lignin Pyrolysis". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 52 (26): 8645–8654. doi:10.1021/ie400979x.
  • Ocone, R (2013). "Ethics and the Accreditation". Education for Chemical Engineers. 8: 113–118. doi:10.1016/j.ece.2013.07.002.
  • Astarita, G; Ocone, R (2001). Special Topics in Transport Phenomena. Elsevier Science. ISBN 9780080541549.

References

  1. ^ a b "Raffaella OCONE: Order of the British Empire". London Gazette. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ocone, Prof. Raffaella, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, since 1999", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2014, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u279311, ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4, retrieved 10 October 2018
  3. ^ "Celebrating leading women in engineering : Professor Raffaella Ocone". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Prof. Raffaella Ocone". Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b University, Heriot-Watt. "Interview with Professor Raffaella Ocone". www.hw.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b "IChemE | News | Prominent chemical engineers elected to Royal Academy". www.icheme.org. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  7. ^ "2040 ban on new petrol and diesel cars could be an opportunity for biofuels". EnergyPost.eu. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Women in Engineering". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Raffaella Ocone - EPSRC website". epsrc.ukri.org. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Raffaella Ocone". The Conversation. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Roberto Costantini in conversation with Raffaella Ocone". The List. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  12. ^ "What's On This Week – 77 Things To Do in Edinburgh". The Edinburgh Reporter. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Maurizio de Giovanni in conversation with Raffaella Ocone". iicedimburgo.esteri.it. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Video: Raffaella Ocone, "Investigating Wet Particles Systems (Plenary talk)"". www.birs.ca. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Raffaella Ocone – Carbon capture on power stations burning woodchips is not the green gamechanger many think it is – Brave New Europe". 14 February 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.