Catherine Noakes

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Catherine Noakes
Alma mater University of Leeds
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Leeds
Thesis Slot Exit Flow Phenomena in Industrial Slide-Fed Coating Systems

Catherine Jane Noakes OBE FREng FIMechE FCIBSE is a British mechanical engineer who is Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds. Noakes specialises in airborne infections and the transport of airborne pathogens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noakes served on the Government of the United Kingdom Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Contents

Early life and education

Noakes' parents had careers in computer science and aerospace engineering. [1]

In 1996, Noakes received a BEng in mathematical engineering from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds. [2] [3] During this time she became interested in the mathematics of fluid dynamics. [1] In 2000, Noakes received a PhD from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, where she studied slow exit phenomena in slide-fed curtain coating systems, specifically for coating photographic paper, with a thesis entitled Slot Exit Flow Phenomena in Industrial Slide-Fed Coating Systems. [2]

Research and career

For a short time Noakes worked with the printing and coating company Delpro in Glossop, including on development of a drier used for coating Euro banknotes. However, in 2002 she moved to an academic post-doctoral position studying airflow and UV-C in disease prevention at the University of Leeds and subsequently gained a permanent position there. [1]

Noakes investigates environmental fluid flow, with a focus on the ventilation of buildings and how this impacts indoor air quality. She develops mathematical models to assess the risk of airborne transmission, expanding on the Wells-Riley equation to include stochastic effects. [4] As part of these efforts, Noakes has led collaborations with the National Health Service and Public Health England to prevent the spread of airborne viruses through hospitals. [5] Airborne transmission is known to be an issue in tuberculosis and influenza. [6] Noakes has developed computational tools to better monitor and control patient environments for infection control. In a presentation at the Bradford Festival of Science, Noakes revealed that one in fifty people acquire an infection during their time in hospital. The impact of these infections, and need for follow-up care, results in a major unnecessary expenditure. [7]

In 2010 Noakes was made Director of the Pathogen Control Research Institute. Noakes is a member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Aerosol Science. [8] Noakes was promoted to Professor in 2014. She serves on the editorial board of the Elsevier journal Building and Environment and the Wiley journal Indoor Air. [9] [10] From 2014 to 2017 Noakes led the University of Leeds Faculty of Engineering Athena SWAN scheme. [2]

In 2016 Noakes started the Low-Energy Ventilation Network (LEVN), a team of people who look to better understand building physics. [11] She has looked to understand whether indoor environments impact the cognitive performance of people inside. [12] She serves as Deputy Director of the Leeds Institute of Fluid Dynamics, and co-directs their Centre for Doctoral Training. [13] [14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noakes became interested in the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the related importance of ventilation to reduce the risk of inhaling small particles containing the virus. [1] In April 2020 Noakes was appointed to the Government of the United Kingdom COVID-19 scientific advisory board. [15] [16] As a result of this work Noakes was one of the recipients of the Royal Academy of Engineering President's Special Awards for Pandemic Service. [17]

Noakes was the guest on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific in January 2021. [1]

Honours

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universities in the United Kingdom. EPSRC research areas include mathematics, physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence and computer science, but exclude particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy. Since 2018 it has been part of UK Research and Innovation, which is funded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge</span> UK academic institution

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airborne transmission</span> Disease transmission by airborne particles

Airborne transmission or aerosol transmission is transmission of an infectious disease through small particles suspended in the air. Infectious diseases capable of airborne transmission include many of considerable importance both in human and veterinary medicine. The relevant infectious agent may be viruses, bacteria, or fungi, and they may be spread through breathing, talking, coughing, sneezing, raising of dust, spraying of liquids, flushing toilets, or any activities which generate aerosol particles or droplets.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Respiratory droplet</span> Type of particle formed by breathing

A respiratory droplet is a small aqueous droplet produced by exhalation, consisting of saliva or mucus and other matter derived from respiratory tract surfaces. Respiratory droplets are produced naturally as a result of breathing, speaking, sneezing, coughing, or vomiting, so they are always present in our breath, but speaking and coughing increase their number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Royce Institute</span> UK national institute for materials research

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Nora Henriette de Leeuw is the inaugural executive dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at University of Leeds. Her research field is computational chemistry and investigates biomaterials, sustainable energy, and carbon capture and storage.

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Lydia Bourouiba is an Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Professor, an Associate Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments, and in the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also a Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Faculty, and Affiliate Faculty of Harvard Medical School. She directs the Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory at MIT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmission of COVID-19</span> Mechanisms that spread coronavirus disease 2019

The transmission of COVID-19 is the passing of coronavirus disease 2019 from person to person. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets/aerosols and small airborne particles containing the virus. Infected people exhale those particles as they breathe, talk, cough, sneeze, or sing. Transmission is more likely the closer people are. However, infection can occur over longer distances, particularly indoors.

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The UK Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) was established in January 2011. The ITRC provides data and modelling to help governments, policymakers and other stakeholders in infrastructure make more sustainable and resilient infrastructure decisions. It is a collaboration between seven universities and more than 55 partners from infrastructure policy and practice.

The Wells-Riley model is a simple model of the airborne transmission of infectious diseases, developed by William F. Wells and Richard L. Riley for tuberculosis and measles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific,Catherine Noakes on making buildings Covid-safe". BBC.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Physical. "Professor Catherine Noakes | School of Civil Engineering | University of Leeds". eps.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 Dharmaputri, Jessica. "International Society Fellowship recognition for Engineering professor". www.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  4. Noakes, Catherine J.; Sleigh, P. Andrew (6 December 2009). "Mathematical models for assessing the role of airflow on the risk of airborne infection in hospital wards". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 6 (suppl_6): S791–S800. doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0305.focus. PMC   2843948 . PMID   19812072.
  5. "Cath Noakes - Healthcare Infection Society". www.his.org.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  6. "Dr Catherine Noakes, CEng & Dr Louise Fletcher, University of LEEDS – Hospital Acquired Infections". IAQRadio. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  7. Bradford, Dick Ahlstrom. "Patients in hospital wards more likely to pick up infections". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. "Academic team | Aerosol Science CDT". www.aerosol-cdt.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. "Catherine J. Noakes, PhD, CEng, FIMechE, FIHEEM". www.journals.elsevier.com. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. "Indoor Air". Wiley Online Library. doi:10.1111/(ISSN)1600-0668 . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  11. "LEVN - Who we are". sites.google.com. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  12. "The Refresh Team: Catherine J Noakes, University of Leeds". EPSRC Refresh Project. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  13. "Profiles : Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics". fluids.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  14. "People : EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fluid Dynamics". fluid-dynamics.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. "University of Leeds professor on Government's coronavirus advisory board". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  16. "Sage: Here is what we know so far about its membership". uk.news.yahoo.com. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  17. "RAEng announces winners of President's Special Awards for Pandemic Service". The Engineer. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  18. Nash, Louise (14 January 2020). "Engineering award for Professor Cath Noakes". www.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  19. Nash, Louise. "Women of Achievement - Nominate before 30 October". www.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  20. "Academy - International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate". www.isiaq.org. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  21. "No. 63142". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B67.
  22. "Academy celebrates first new Fellows elected under Fit for the Future diversity initiative". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  23. "Professor Catherine J Noakes awarded CIBSE Honorary Fellowship". Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  24. "Gabor Medal". Royal Society.