The University of Nottingham has appointed the UK’s first female professor of brewing science and, at the same time, launched a new postgraduate course in brewing science.

Professor Katherine Smart – who gained her first degree in biological sciences at Nottingham - has joined the university’s School of Biosciences campus at Sutton Bonnington.

Her brewing-related activities will not just focus on creating the perfect pint – she will also be examining how brewing techniques can create green fuels for cars and power stations.

Smart, who is one of the UK’s leading experts on the fermentation of yeast, hails from a family of publicans who ran the Greyhound and the Commercial pubs in Beeston, Nottingham. 

Her appointment has been sponsored with a £167,000 grant from international brewer SABMiller and coincides with the launch of a new MSc in brewing science claimed to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The course will be transmitted to brewers around the world using the latest e-learning technologies.

Topics on the syllabus include the effect of climate change on brewing, how best to design breweries, and how to harness the natural properties of yeast during fermentation.

“We are always looking at ways of enhancing techniques and technologies to enhance our product quality while, as part of our sustainable development approach, improving the environment in which we operate,” commented Graham Mackay, chief executive at SABMiller.

By Angela Frewin

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