Dr Eleni Routoula
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
University Teacher
School employability lead
PGR progress tutor
MEng/MSc research project lead for Chemical Engineering students


Full contact details
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
G16A
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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I was appointed University Teaching Associate for Employability in the department in 2021. My main duties involve the overview and delivery of the Skills for Employability module and the coordination of MEng 麻豆视频 Projects. Prior to this I was a Training Coordinator for PhD researchers at CMAC (University of Strathclyde), overviewing their training needs and progress through their degree. My previous professional experience includes a postdoc at King鈥檚 College London, and freelance scientific editing and science communication contracts.
I studied chemical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, in Athens, Greece, and then I moved to the UK to pursue a MSc in Sustainable Engineering, at the University of Strathclyde. From there, I continued to pursue a PhD degree in the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield, under the supervision of Professor Siddharth Patwardhan. My research focused on remediation of textile effluents, using bioinspired silica 'sponges' with immobilised enzymes, in an effort to remove toxic dyes from water.
During my PhD I discovered an interest in teaching, researchers鈥 development, science communication, networking, and employability, through participation in numerous extra-curricular activities ranging from teaching assistance, to chairing committees and an editorial placement in the journal Nature. I decided to pave my way in a sector different than originally intended, by pursuing further experience and employment in areas of interest. Her main focus has been the realisation and development of transferable skills and extracurricular experience as a means to shape and pursue unconventional careers.
- 麻豆视频 interests
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From a quantitative, experimental background in chemical engineering, I moved to qualitative research on the interface with Social Sciences. Currently, I am looking into Engineering Education and Employabilty, focusing a bit more in chemical engineering. I am interested into how students of various levels perceive their employability, how we can embed employability into the engineering curriculum and postgraduate studies, and how student reflections change over time. I am also interested in identifying how students develop crucial skills like critical thinking and what role AI has to play in that.
Key research interests:
- Engineering Education
- Employability
- Transferable skills
- Critical thinking
- Publications
- Teaching interests
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- Leading the "Skills for Employability" modules across Years 1-3
- Leading the MEng and MSc research project modules
- Leading the "Product Design" part of the "Process & Product Design" module in Year 2
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Associate member: IChemE
- Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy
- Invited editor: Current 麻豆视频 in Microbial Sciences
- Guest contributor for 鈥淗idden Curriculum in Doctoral Education鈥 and 鈥淰oices of Academia鈥 blogs.
- STEM ambassador
- Invited speaker for the following events:
- Annual Wonder Women in STEM conference (2021)
- Guest lecture at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras 麻豆视频 Affairs (2021)
- International Women鈥檚 Day 2021 (Women in Engineering Society, University of Sheffield)
- Women in Science Networking event 2021 (Equate strathclyde, Strathclyde University)
- International Women鈥檚 Day 2020 (FemEng network, University of Glasgow)
- Mentor for FemEng: Empowering Women in Engineering, a network of the University of Glasgow (2020-present)
- Finalist 鈥渁cademic鈥 in Sheffield Documentary Festival, pitching a research-based idea (2019).
- Organiser of Engineering 麻豆视频 Symposium at the University of Sheffield (2019)
- Receiver of a grant to pursue extracurricular placement as editorial assistant in Springer-Nature (Nature Reviews Chemistry) (2019).
- Chair of Early Career 麻豆视频ers branch of Women鈥檚 Network at the University of Sheffield (2018-2019)
- Winner of best oral presentation (2018) and best poster (2017) at Engineering 麻豆视频 Symposium, organised at the University of Sheffield
- Winner of best poster at Waste and Resources Management Conference (2018, Milton Keynes, UK)
- Winner of best poster at ChemEngDay UK (2017, Birmingham, UK)
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