Ethan St. Catherine

Ethan St. Catherine joined FairHeat as a Graduate Engineer in 2023, after an outstanding academic journey at the University of Cambridge. Graduating in 2023 with a ‘starred’ first-class MEng in Chemical Engineering via Natural Sciences, Ethan’s university years were marked by exceptional achievements. During his Master’s year, Ethan undertook a pioneering research project on the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for ultrafast X-ray imaging applications. His work involved the selection and synthesis of a novel set of MOFs, followed by an assessment of their optical performance to evaluate their potential as next-generation X-ray detector materials.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Ethan gained practical experience in the summer of 2022 as an intern at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). There, he conducted conceptual design studies on the inner fuel cycle for the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project, which aims to be the UK’s first commercial-scale nuclear fusion power plant. His research focused on exhaust plasma processing and the exploration of technologies to treat radioactive plasma, contributing valuable insights to this groundbreaking energy project.

Since joining FairHeat and completing the Graduate Scheme, Ethan has been promoted to Consulting Engineer, and has been a valuable asset to the Operations and Industry Standards teams. He has contributed to an extensive range of projects and played an active role in the development of HNTAS, focussing on technical standards for metering and monitoring systems, and existing networks. Ethan is committed to building a strong foundation in the heat network sector as he works towards chartership, using his expertise to help drive the decarbonisation of heating across the UK.