Klaudia Rudzionek and Charlotte Hodgson have been named joint winners of the 2025 Ken Dale Travel Bursary.
Both presented such strong, well-developed proposals with clear value to the building services industry that the judges decided to award two bursaries this year. Importantly, each recipient will receive up to £4,000 to support their research.
Klaudia Rudzionek, Public Health Engineer at Arup, has been selected for her proposal From scarcity to sustainability: a global comparative study of building water reuse strategies.
Rudzionek’s research will explore how building water reuse can help mitigate global water scarcity. For her research she plans to travel to Italy, South Africa, Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, to investigate technical and socio-political influences on water-saving strategies in water-stressed regions, aiming to identify scalable solutions for sustainable and resilient building design.
Susan Hone-Brookes, lead judge stated that Klaudia’s submission stood out for in its depth of passion for the proposed subject area. The proposal was well thought through and displayed a systematic approach to the required investigations.
Charlotte Hodgson, Senior Sustainability Consultant at Hilson Moran, also receives the award for the submission - From Design to Operation: Exploring the Collaboration Between Design and Operation Teams in NABERS-Accredited Buildings in Australia and New Zealand.
Hodgson’s research will examine how effective collaboration between design and operational teams supports long-term performance outcomes in NABERS-rated buildings across Australia and New Zealand. The project aims to highlight best practices in performance management, feedback loops and optimisation strategies that could inform and enhance building performance standards in the UK.
It is unusual for two candidates to be awarded the Ken Dale Bursary in one year, Susan stated, but an exception has been made to include Charlotte’s project. Charlotte showed an infectious passion for exploring the detail and nuances of the structure of NABERS during the interview process. All of the judges are looking forward to the results of both their investigations.
The Ken Dale Travel Bursary makes awards of up to £4,000 (or local equivalent) to early-career CIBSE members who wish to spend up to four weeks outside their own country researching global engineering innovations connected to their work.
Candidates are shortlisted based on their proposals, and final selections are made after presentations by shortlisted candidates during the interview stage.
CIBSE would like to thank the judging panel, Susan Hone-Brookes, FCIBSE, Neil Panton, FCIBSE, and Sara Kassam for their time, insight and consideration during the process and for supporting the next generation of engineers.
For more information, visit www.cibse.org/kendale