Donation supports Widening Participation scholarships in Chemical Engineering

Mr Ian Shott (Chemical Engineering 1978)

A generous donation from alumnus Mr Ian Shott (Chemical Engineering 1978) will support Widening Participation scholarships for chemical engineers.

The £150,000 donation will provide financial support to three Widening Participation undergraduates from the 2021 Chemical Engineering MEng cohort for the duration of their course, until 2025. A further three students from the 2022 cohort will be supported until the completion of their course in 2026. 

“We are immensely grateful to Ian for his generous donation. His support will provide financial support to six undergraduates, allowing them to fully focus on their studies and fulfil their potential."  Professor Nilay Shah Head of Department of Chemical Engineering

The Widening Participation scheme at Imperial College London aims to admit students from diverse economic, social and educational backgrounds. It ensures that talented individuals from all backgrounds are able to contribute to the learning community at Imperial. 

The donation from Mr Shott marks a significant contribution to the department’s aims to provide financial support for all Widening Participation students from a combination of donor and departmental funds.

Mr Shott graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London in 1978. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Academy of Engineering and served as President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers from 2009 until 2010.

After a prominent career running global businesses for multi-national, blue-chip businesses, Mr Shott turned his attention to entrepreneurship and started and ran several successful businesses predominantly in the healthcare industry.

"I have had a wonderful international career which has been very rewarding, and I believe that my degree course and broader experience whilst at Imperial equipped me well to launch that career, for which I am enormously grateful." Mr Ian Shott Chemical Engineering alumnus

He was most recently the founder and Executive Chairman of Arcinova, a company he co-founded in 2016 with business partner Paul Ryan, which he divested to Quotient Sciences in February 2021 and now operates as Senior Adviser to their Board.

He has served on the Advisory Board of the Department of Chemical Engineering since 2013, and in 2016 received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from Imperial College London in recognition of his contribution to the field of chemical engineering.

Head of Department Professor Nilay Shah said: “We are immensely grateful to Ian for his generous donation. His support will provide financial support to six undergraduates, allowing them to fully focus on their studies and fulfil their potential. 

“We would like to thank Ian for his continued support for the Department and we look forward to continuing our relationship with him over the coming years.”

Mr Ian Shott said: “I have had a wonderful international career which has been very rewarding, and I believe that my degree course and broader experience whilst at Imperial equipped me well to launch that career, for which I am enormously grateful. I am very motivated to help others benefit just as I have done from my time at Imperial.”

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If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a donor for the Faculty of Engineering, please contact Kathryn McNeill, Development Manager (k.mcneill@imperial.ac.uk).