J&E Hall International Gold Medal won by Judith Evans

At last weeks Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) annual awards in London, Professor Judith Evans received the prestigious J&E Hall International Gold Medal, awarded for the most noteworthy practical contribution to innovation in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump technology.

Judith and the team from the heating and cooling group at London South Bank University (LSBU) are one of the teams who have been engaged with ACES from the very start. They have been supporting the development of cold-chains in Africa and using their knowledge of food refrigeration to help develop many of the ACES initiatives.

The award recognised Judith for her exceptional contribution to energy and carbon reduction through optimising refrigeration performance across the entire food cold chain. The judges stated that her work consistently bridges academic excellence with real-world application, addressing some of the sector’s most pressing challenges: energy efficiency, carbon reduction, food safety, and food quality.

Throughout her career, Judith has focused on improving refrigeration systems across food processing, cold storage, transport, retail, and consumer handling, in both developed and developing countries. Her research is shaping industry practice and influencing global debate. Notably, her work with Professor Toby Peters on raising frozen food storage temperatures to –15°C gained international attention and was presented at COP28 in Dubai.

Beyond research, Judith has demonstrated sustained leadership within the refrigeration community, contributing to international and national standards, developing guidance and roadmaps, and leading impactful collaborative projects.