Professor Hadj Benkreira read Chemical Engineering at the University of Bradford in 1972-1977 (BEng then MSc). After graduation, he worked with Algeria's largest petrochemical corporation, SONATRACH. He then returned to the University of Bradford to work with W.L. Wilkinson (CBE, FRS, FREng) and M.F. Edwards (OBE, FREng) as a PhD Research Assistant, sponsored by the UK Science and Engineering Research Council. After finishing his PhD, he stayed on as a Research Fellow, sponsored by the UK Polymer Engineering Directorate. He became a "New Blood Lecturer" at the Dept of Chemical Engineering in 1985 and progressed in 1998 to a Personal Research Chair in Coating and Polymer Processing. In 2004, he was appointed in Associate Dean of Research & Knowledge Transfer of the newly formed School of Engineering, Design & Technology. He held this post for 5 years, until 2009 when he undertook with colleagues to re-establish Chemical Engineering at Bradford. Professor Benkreira is a longstanding member of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College. He held the post of Vice-President of the International Society of Coating Science and Technology (ISCST) and is a founder member of the European Coating Society (ECS).
