Praise for the EFM sector’s ‘phenomenal response'

Speaking in an IHEEM Digital Week webinar on 6 October, Professor Cath Noakes FIMechE, FIHEEM, of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, took an in-depth look at how the COVID-19 virus is transmitted, the virus’s key characteristics, and at some of the key measures via which both individuals – through their own actions – and healthcare engineers working in healthcare facilities, can mitigate its spread.

Professor Noakes was introduced by session chair, Richard Harris, a director at Rolevale Services, and a member of the IHEEM Ventilation Technical Platform. Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings within the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, and a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Cath Noakes has a background in fluid dynamics, and significant expertise in ventilation and indoor air quality. Her research group conducts experimental and modelling-based studies with a strong focus on ventilation – including exploring the transport of airborne pathogens, and the effectiveness of engineering approaches to controlling infectious disease transmission. An investigator on multiple projects, having worked with researchers across numerous disciplines, she has written over 100 peer-reviewed papers, and co-authored design guidance for CIBSE and the Department of Health. Also Deputy Director of the Leeds Institute of Fluid Dynamics, since April this year she has been led a UK SAGE sub-group focusing on the science underpinning the transmission of COVID-19. 

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