For the past three decades, YES has supported participants to come up with innovative ways to tackle real world issues such as the ageing population, sustainable food production, and global warming. YES thrives on the dedication and expertise of our diverse community of mentors, advocates, and speakers, whose passion and knowledge are integral to its success.
One such speaker and mentor is Dr Leigh Cassidy, Environmental Scientist and founder of Nibeenabe. Leigh has supported YES since 2009, and in that time has had a profound impact on participants through her guidance, enthusiasm, and dedication. The involvement of mentors like Leigh is instrumental in inspiring our cohorts of innovators to achieve their full potential.
Leigh has dedicated much of her career to inspiring STEM entrepreneurs to follow their passions with schemes such as YES.
I firmly believe in taking chances, even without having everything figured out.
In fact, Leigh’s own path to innovation was far from straightforward. Reflecting on her early career, she describes her entry into her field as occurring "totally by accident.”
"I was originally doing a PhD looking at remediation of chlorinated solvents using bacterial biosensors," Leigh recalled. However, an unexpected turn of events led her to switch her research focus dramatically. When she could no longer obtain the samples she needed, Leigh had to think on her feet. "I grew up in Speyside, in the heart of the Scottish whisky industry," she explained. “This inspired me to explore the potential of whisky waste as a remediation material.”
This idea not only worked, but won a proof of concept from Scottish Enterprise, setting the stage for what today has become Nibeenabe. "The proof of concept allowed us to scale up from millilitres in the lab to cubic meters in the field," Leigh explained.
This enabled her to secure further funding and support, which allowed Leigh and her team to spend several years experimenting and developing their research. This work eventually led to the creation of DRAM (Device for the Remediation and Attenuation of Multiple pollutants). The original DRAM technology was developed using barley husks leftover from whiskey production, repurposed into compact filtration units. This technology, initially spun out into a company called Epona, was later sold to SEM Energy Ltd., where Leigh continued to lead its development.
Leigh’s pioneering work with the DRAM technology led her to victory at the Amazon Connect competition, funded by US AID, for its potential to clean up waste from artisanal gold mining in the Amazon. Following this win, Leigh decided to move on from SEM Energy and once again incorporate the DRAM technology into her own company, leading to the founding of Nibeenabe.
One of the most impactful aspects of Leigh’s work is her commitment to empowering local women in the regions where Nibeenabe operates.
There’s lots of research showing that in artisanal mining, there’s almost 50/50 parity between male and female workers. But from my experience, men own everything and take the best stuff, leaving the women with very little.
Nibeenabe's business model seeks to change this by employing local women to lead regional recovery hubs. "The thinking is that women are much more rooted in the community, as the men often travel for work" Leigh explained. This approach has allowed Nibeenabe to establish a firm base of operations in locations such as Peru, Bangladesh, and the Amazon, and empower the local women.
When first embarking on their work in Peru and the Amazon, Leigh and her team arrived at a hurdle. How could they continue using the DRAM technology when they could not obtain the whisky husks required for the filtration process? The answer, however, was very close at hand: cassava husks.
"In Peru and the Amazon, there aren’t any distilleries, so we changed the recipe and used local agricultural waste instead," Leigh explained. They were delighted to discover that the process was largely the same and produced similar results. In fact, during a trip to Bangladesh when both whisky husks and cassava husks were out of reach, Leigh once again found herself experimenting with local waste and discovered that the process also worked using rice husks.
Leigh’s involvement with YES stems from her belief in its mission to help aspiring scientists and entrepreneurs unlock the potential of their ideas. "There’s so much good technology in universities that’s lost over time because nobody knows how to take it forward," she explained.
I believe that initiatives such as YES are vital to help budding STEM entrepreneurs grow their network, and develop their social skills. My advice is: become an expert networker, have a story that makes you memorable, and don’t be afraid to put yourself forward.
One of her memorable experiences includes seeing ideas from YES participants come to fruition in the real world. "One team I saw had an idea for biokinetic pavements and walkways that generate energy as people walk over them. I saw this concept being used in Coldplay’s zero-carbon tour," she shared.
Leigh’s dedication to environmental sustainability and innovation has not gone unnoticed. She was nominated for the prestigious Earthshot Prize, an accolade that recognises individuals and organisations making significant contributions to solving the world’s greatest environmental challenges.
Conservation X nominated me for the Earthshot Prize. I haven't had any news yet, but it's lovely to be nominated.
Although the focus of this year's prize is on plastic pollution, Leigh’s nomination is a testament to her passion, and the importance of her work in sustainable resource recovery and environmental protection.
Leigh’s final message to other professionals considering becoming advocates, speakers, judges and mentors for YES is clear and passionate:
Do it! It’s important for people to feel seen. You have the power to really help someone come out of their shell and realise it’s okay to try.
Her story, filled with ingenuity, innovation, and a commitment to empowering others, exemplifies the profound impact that mentorship and advocacy can have on the future of STEM. By sharing her journey, we hope to inspire more professionals to join YES in inspiring the next generation of STEM entrepreneurs.
Looking ahead, the future of YES and similar schemes is bright. As the challenges facing our world become increasingly complex, the need for innovative solutions grows. The work of individuals such as Leigh, seeking to inspire others, is essential for harnessing the potential of future generations of scientists and researchers.
T : 0115 7485141 E : yes@nottingham.ac.uk
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