Category: Alumni Interviews

Why did you choose the Bristol Composites Institute for your studies?
I first learned about the Bristol Composites Institute during my master’s research in my home country by exploring various papers that discussed composite materials from various angles. My interest at the time was understanding the fibre/resin interfaces, particularly from a mechanical standpoint. Subsequently, I secured a fully funded PhD scholarship, bringing me to BCI, and the rest is history!

What research area did you specialise in whilst you were here?
I focused on customizing the surfaces of polymeric fibres using diverse plasma techniques. The research initiative concentrated on micro/nano-scale modifications to the fibre surfaces, investigating their influence on adhesion at both micro and macro levels, as well as their wetting characteristics with thermosetting matrices. The fibres employed in the study had inert surfaces, causing issues such as delamination, inadequate adhesion properties, and suboptimal wetting characteristics with thermoset matrices in the composite materials. The aim was to enhance the adhesion and wetting properties of these fibres.

 

After leaving the BCI where did you go?
I moved to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire after graduating to take up the role of Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate. The role is a three-way collaboration between the University of Bristol, industrial partner and UK Research and Innovate (UKRI).

 

What are you currently working on and what do your future plans look like?
I am working on developing novel and bio-derived resin systems for various composite applications, specifically focusing on the e-mobility market. Sustainability is the key element in this development program encompassing the development of materials and methods with low environmental burden and the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry.

 

How did the BCI prepare you for work outside of academia?
The connections I made as a student at BCI were great. They taught me a lot about how research is done in collaboration with industry, especially since my PhD was co-funded by an industrial partner (DSM Dyneema®, now Avient). Working with a mix of scientists and engineers from different parts of the world helped me learn and improve my soft skills and technical abilities. It also gave me a chance to get better at communicating.

Why did you choose the Bristol Composites Institute for your studies?
It was a confluence of a few factors.  My now-wife, then-girlfriend, Ariel, chose to pursue a higher degree at the Courtould Institute of Art in London.  Meanwhile, I had been fortunate enough to write and receive a grant to study thermally-actuated morphing structures from the European Office of Air Force Research and Development.  I could take myself and this grant to any European university, but it was the world-renown expertise of Drs. Weaver and Pirrera, and their warm invitation, that focused my attention on Bristol.   

I recall my first visit to the UK, on summer scouting holiday.  I borrowed Ariel’s old commuter bike from her East end flat and set off for Paddington, and not long after found myself cranking with all my might up the steep hills that led to the Queen’s building.  After a quick breather, and a warm welcome from Jo Brooks and Dr. Weaver, it was off to see the laboratory facilities.  I was impressed.  Never before, and never since, have I experienced a lab in which the researcher was so well equipped to conduct their work unhindered.  There was most everything one needed to fabricate, test, inspect, measure, and generally get into the right kind of trouble that breeds discovery.  Best of all, the kit was all shared, and no political manoeuvring and horse-trading was required to use some instrument that technically might have been owned by someone else’s professor.  (You folks don’t know how good you have it!)

Finally, it was Bristol, the wonderful city, that cemented my decision.  There will always be a place in my heart for the city that I called home for six wonderful years of a young American’s adventure abroad. 

What research area did you specialise in whilst you were here?
My research aimed to create composite structures which changed shape in response to temperature change.  But unlike the simple bimetal strips that make your meat thermometer dial spin around, I wanted to have these structures be inert to temperature change for some prescribed temperature change, and then suddenly snap into their new shape at a specified triggering temperature.  t’s a bit like trying to combine the classic bitmetal strip with a bistable snap-bracelet.  That nonlinearity was needed to make them useful for gas turbine cooling control and other passive control applications.  

It was easy to make something bistable, but much harder to get the plate or whatnot to pop into it’s new shape due to temperature change alone.  We cracked the problem by laminating parallel UD plies against a high-expansion metal like aluminium, and then curing the laminate to a pre-curved shape.  I’ll never forget the feeling of “we’ve done it!” when we heard the plate go “poing!” all on it’s own, as it snapped into it’s new shape as we heated it in the oven.  An entertaining activity was to take the warm plate from the oven, slip it under a hapless researcher’s desk, ideally seeking out a jumpy fellow deeply engrossed in work.  The plate would cool off and go “poing” again, to the delight of anyone observing the little prank. 

After leaving the BCI where did you go?
I was lucky enough to get my CV to Blue Origin, just as they were starting on the design of what would become their New Glenn orbital launch vehicle.  I was hired as a structural design engineer, and had a small hand in many of the composite and metallic structures on the 2nd stage and payload fairing.  As I tell my nieces and nephews when they ask what it is that I really do, “I draw pictures of rockets and then we go build them!” 

What are you currently working on and what do your future plans look like?
I’m currently on a great team working out the best structure and propellant tank architecture of a follow-on upgrade to the New Glenn launch system.  I’m also a new dad, and my biggest future plan is to have as much fun as I can making my kid’s life awesome.    

How did the BCI prepare you for work outside of academia?
Like any good PhD program, BCI, or DTC as it was called then, gave me great resources and great independence.  It was clear that the onus was on me, and me alone, to define what I wanted to do, and drive my own work forward.  I think if I had missed out on this formative experience, I might have never discovered some of the career-forming tricks that brought me to where I am.  My favourite:  Focus your best efforts on what you’re most passionate about, and eventually you’ll find people who pay you for it. Also known as, “The harder you try, the luckier you get.” 

Why did you choose the Bristol Composites Institute for your studies?
I chose to study at BCI for a number of reasons. When I was reaching the end of my MSci degree I was really unsure of what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted to pursue a PhD, that led to me having a scattershot approach in applying to various CDTs including one within the School of Chemistry (where I did my undergrad degree) and one across the road, what was then called the ACCIS CDT. What decided it for me was the desire to work in a more applied area than the highly academic chemistry I was used to, and if I am being completely honest… the reverse psychology Paul Weaver (the then head of the CDT) used on me in my interview— “We’re going to make you an offer, but I don’t think you’re going to accept it”—master tactics from the former used car salesman. 

What research area did you specialise in whilst you were here?
I continued to work in the synthetic chemistry building through large parts of my PhD, trying to make new molecules to build vitrimers and covalent adaptable networks (CANs)—in short, functional (healable/recyclable) composite materials. 

 After leaving the BCI where did you go?
After finishing my PhD, I did a year and half post-doc-ing in the RR UTC with Ian Hamerton as my line manager. Then after 9.5 years of working at UoB I decided to move on… and work for a UoB subsidiary, the BCI finishing school that is the NCC. 

What are you currently working on and what do your future plans look like?
I now work within the Materials Science team at the NCC, working largely on sustainability projects e.g. wind blade recycling, hydrogen tank recycling, sustainable manufacturing consumables, biomaterials, and various other bits and pieces! 

How did the BCI prepare you for work outside of academia?
Unsurprisingly given my current place of work, the BCI was the perfect foundation for the composite materials research I am doing now. By working between the School of Chemistry and BCI, I got plenty of exposure to various ways of working. Plenty of practice in presenting, report writing, self management etc. Importantly, the exposure to various courses and people of various cultures in the BCI helped strengthen the soft skills that are more acutely important in industry. 

 

ACCIS CDT Alumni 2017

 

Ian is a Research Engineer specialising in composites process development at GKN Aerospace, a world leading multi-technology tier 1 aerospace supplier, and is based at the GKN Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Bristol. GKN Aerospace specialise in developing, building and supplying an extensive range of advanced aerospace systems, components and technologies–for use in Defence and Commercial aircraft. Ranging from large commercial airliners and the most advanced aerial military platforms, through to business jets and helicopters.
GKN Aerospace are heavily involved in the development of the next generation of sustainable aviation platforms, such as Urban Air Mobility (UAMs) and liquid hydrogen propulsion systems with a mission to be the most trusted and sustainable partner in the skies. Their technology is on board 100,000 flights a day and they are market leading in aerostructures, engine systems, transparencies and wiring systems.

Following his degree in chemistry, Ian joined the CDT (which was previously known as the ACCIS Doctoral Training centre) in 2011, completed his PhD under Richard Trask and Ian Hamerton, before leaving BCI after his postdoc in January 2020. He joined GKN Aerospace initially as a research specialist subcontractor in August 2021 before gaining a permanent role after 12 months in August 2022.
He is currently working on the ATI funded ASCEND project, where he is directly responsible for the process monitoring/digital twin that is being developed in that programme, and will be helping supervise CoSEM CDT student Will Mahoney’s PhD in composite recycling, an area that he is passionate in.

Ian is neurodivergent and is heavily involved in making GKN Aerospace a more welcoming place for neurodiverse employees as well as helping to lead the STEM outreach programme for the GKN GTC in Bristol.

Why did you choose the Bristol Composites Institute for your studies?
Having worked on Composites Research activity during my undergraduate Master’s degree at Bristol, I was made aware of the Dyson Foundation, and with the help of the BCI I was able to secure generous funding for a PhD. This gave me significant flexibility to choose an area of study I was passionate about.

What research area did you specialise in whilst you were here?
I investigated Composite Smart Structures, namely looking at embedding electroadhesion for variable stiffness structures. My work looked at actively modifying the stiffness of beams, and honeycomb structures, by controlling the connectivity of internal elements. A key part of this research was also the focus on the manufacturability of the concept. This was where I gained an early appreciation for the role of manufacturing in technology.

 

After leaving the BCI where did you go?
I’m still in Bristol, and still in the field of Composites Research! I started at the National Composites Centre in 2016 and have worked as part of the Manufacturing Team in several different roles here in the past 6 years.

What are you currently working on and what do your future plans look like?
I now head up the Manufacturing team at the NCC, leading a diverse team of 50+ engineers, operations personnel, and technicians. Our focus is on promoting and developing exciting composites technologies, operational efficiency, and lean digital factory environments. I continue to be involved in the definition and delivery of Manufacturing Research activity for the Aerospace, Construction and Infrastructure, and Energy sectors (amongst others). I’m passionate about change management, reforming processes and instilling positive culture to encourage teams to be their best; that’s where my forward attention is pointed.

How did the BCI prepare you for work outside of academia?
The network of contacts helped me to get an opportunity at the NCC which I’m extremely grateful for. Furthermore, the myriad opportunities for public speaking and networking helped to push me out of my comfort zone and to build the soft skills that are absolutely vital in interactions outside of academia.