Dr. Andy Pearson of Star Refrigeration and Azane Inc. was named an ASHRAE Fellow during the society’s Winter Conference in Orlando on January  23. The title recognizes people who have made substantial contributions to the HVACR industry and achieved distinction in the field of engineering.

Pearson was named an ASHRAE Fellow for his work on natural refrigeration. He has made notable advances in the eco-cooling sector and has worked across Europe in a number of world firsts, including the first use of carbon dioxide in IT cooling in 2005 and the world’s largest zero carbon 90°C district heat pump in Norway. Pearson has won several industry awards for his technical papers and pioneering research in the use of ammonia and carbon dioxide as refrigerants and makes further contributions to the sector through seminars and conference presentations.

Pearson, group managing director of Star Refrigeration and president of Azane, said, “It’s a great honor to be named as an ASHRAE Fellow, and I’ll be hanging my plaque proudly in our UK’s head office in Glasgow. After such a long time working in this industry, it really is great to receive such distinction for my work and achievements — which I share with the Star Group and its talented team.”

To be considered as a Fellow of ASHRAE, individuals must have been a member of the organization for at least a decade and be nominated by another member with support from current Fellows and sponsors. Nominators also have to describe what projects an individual has been involved in which amount to distinction or a substantial contribution in the industry.