Rebecca Lunn facts for kids

Rebecca Jane Lunn is a British geologist and a professor at the University of Strathclyde. She leads a special center that studies how the ground works for engineering and energy.

Professor Lunn studies how liquids and other materials move deep underground. This helps her understand how to safely store nuclear waste. She also created ways to watch tiny ground movements deep below the surface.

Her work includes looking into special materials that can fix themselves, called self-healing grouts. She also researches tiny living things like bacteria in prosthetic liners. Her goal is to help create prosthetic limbs that are affordable, safe, and comfortable for people.

Professor Lunn leads two big projects funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). These projects focus on using natural processes to seal up radionuclides (radioactive materials) and cracks in rocks. Another project, called SAFE, developed technology to check important things like how acidic something is (pH), temperature, pressure, and how much things swell.

She has also looked into two major challenges in civil engineering. One is how to deal with old buildings and structures that are wearing out. The other is finding ways to build things without harming the environment as much. She is working on a project to use less cement and concrete globally. This project uses a special method called Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP). This technique can turn soil into a solid material, which could be very useful in construction. Much of this research has happened at the University of Strathclyde.

Early Life and Education

Rebecca Lunn first studied advanced mathematics at the University of Cambridge. She wanted to help people and solve real-world problems. So, she decided to move to Newcastle University for her advanced studies.

There, she earned a master's degree in Science. In 1995, she completed her PhD in Engineering. Her PhD research focused on creating models for large drainage basins, which are areas of land where water collects and flows into a river or lake.

Career and Research Journey

After finishing her PhD, Professor Lunn stayed at Newcastle University. She worked as a postdoctoral research associate until 1997. During this time, she created models for how groundwater and minerals move underground.

In 1997, she became a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. She then moved to Heriot-Watt University in October 2000. In 2005, Professor Lunn joined the University of Strathclyde. She became a Professor of Civil Engineering in 2010. The next year, in 2011, she became the Head of her department.

In 2013, she joined a special board for the UK Government. This board gave advice on research and development related to nuclear energy. She is currently part of a group for the Scottish Government. This group is working on how to produce energy from the Earth's heat, known as geothermal energy.

Professor Lunn is also part of a group called DISTINCTIVE. This group works on solutions for dealing with nuclear waste. Throughout her career, she has worked with many different types of scientists. These include experts in earthquakes, tiny living things, materials, and electronics.

In 2011, she made history by becoming the first woman to lead an Engineering Department in Scotland. That same year, she was the first woman and engineer to win the Aberconway Medal. This award from the Geological Society recognized her important research in the nuclear industry.

In 2015, the Saltire Society named her one of 10 "Outstanding Women of Scotland." She was the only engineer or scientist on this list. This honor recognized her support for women in science and engineering, as well as her research.

Professor Lunn's work helps achieve 10 of the United Nations' 17 global Sustainable Development Goals. These goals aim to make the world a better place for everyone. Her work contributes to goals like Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Climate Action.

Helping Shape Policy

In 2009, Professor Lunn was chosen to join a UK Government committee. This committee advises on how to manage radioactive waste. She also gave a public talk about the challenges of safely getting rid of radioactive waste.

She was part of a study by the Royal Society of Edinburgh about Scotland's energy future. This study looked at how much energy Scotland needs and how to meet those needs. Professor Lunn also serves on a special advisory team for the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).

Professor Lunn is very active in helping to create a better balance for women in science. She strongly supports including women in science and engineering fields. In 2012, she was invited to join a group that wrote a report for Scottish Ministers. This report, called Tapping All Our Talents, suggested ways to help women in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The report recommended that universities work towards an Athena SWAN Silver Award. It also encouraged shared parental leave for parents. The report was updated in 2018 to encourage changes in behavior across the science and engineering sectors. In 2024, Professor Lunn continued her work for women in STEM. She helped write a research article about the challenges faced by women and LGBT+ academics and PhD students in STEM. This article looked at different types of unfairness and offered ways to understand them.

Professor Lunn is also a director for the EPSRC project STEM Equals. This project aims to create programs and support for LGBT scientists and engineers at the University of Strathclyde.

Awards and Recognitions

Professor Lunn has received many awards and honors for her important work:

• 2021 Best paper award at the Resilient Materials 4 Life Conference
• 2018 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)
• 2017 Appointed Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours
• 2015 Saltire Society Outstanding Women of Scotland
• 2014 Elected a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE)
• 2014 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)
• 2014 WISE Campaign Leadership Award (shortlisted)
• 2011 Awarded the Aberconway Medal by the Geological Society of London

Key Publications

Professor Lunn has written many important research papers. Here are a few examples:

• McKay, Lucy, Shipton, Zoe K, Lunn, Rebecca J, Andrews, Billy, Raub, Timothy D, & Boyce, Adrian J. (2019). Detailed internal structure and along-strike variability of the core of a plate boundary fault; the Highland Boundary Fault, Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society, 177(2), 283–296.
• Romano, Carla, Minto, James M, Shipton, Zoe K, & Lunn, Rebecca J. (2019). Automated high accuracy, rapid beam hardening correction in X-Ray Computed Tomography of multi-mineral, heterogeneous core samples. Computers & Geosciences, 131, 144–157.
• Bots, Pieter, Renshaw, Joanna C, Payne, Timothy E, Comarmond, M. Josick, Schellenger, Alexandra E. P, Pedrotti, Matteo, Calì, Eleonora, & Lunn, Rebecca J. (2020). Geochemical evidence for the application of nanoparticulate colloidal silica gel for in situ containment of legacy nuclear wastes. Environmental Science. Nano, 7(5), 1481–1495.
• Pedrotti, Matteo, Wong, Christopher, El Mountassir, Gráinne, Renshaw, Joanna C, & Lunn, Rebecca J. (2020). Desiccation behaviour of colloidal silica grouted sand: A new material for the creation of near surface hydraulic barriers. Engineering Geology, 270, 105579.
• Romano, Carla R, Zahasky, Christopher, Garing, Charlotte, Minto, James M, Benson, Sally M, Shipton, Zoe K, & Lunn, Rebecca J. (2020). Subcore Scale Fluid Flow Behavior in a Sandstone With Cataclastic Deformation Bands. Water Resources Research, 56(4).
• Stillings, M, Lunn, R. J, Pytharouli, S, Shipton, Z. K, Kinali, M, Lord, R, & Thompson, S. (2021). Microseismic Events Cause Significant pH Drops in Groundwater. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(2).
• Yfantis, G, Pytharouli, S, Lunn, R.J, & Carvajal, H.E.M. (2021). Microseismic monitoring illuminates phases of slope failure in soft soils. Engineering Geology, 280, 105940.