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Ian Kinloch funded by Royal Academy of Engineering to tackle industry challenges

23 Oct 2018

Academy funds leading engineers to tackle industry challenges

Seven Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships have been awarded to exceptional engineering researchers by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The fund will enable these researchers, including Professor Ian Kinloch from the School of Materials at the University, to address some of the biggest challenges faced by the engineering industry.

Covering a wide range of engineering disciplines and focusing on industry-relevant research, the projects include new tools for drug discovery; machine learning techniques to assist neurosurgeons; and systems to help autonomous vehicles “see” better. 

The scheme aims to enhance the links between academia and businesses with each of the prestigious five-year positions co-sponsored by an industrial partner. The awardees are also expected to establish world-leading research groups in their field of engineering.

Professor Ian Kinloch will act as Morgan Advanced Materials/ Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Carbon Materials. Professor Kinloch’s collaboration with Morgan Advanced Materials will bring together fundamental research on carbon materials with traditional industrial knowledge to create a deep understanding of carbon-carbon composites. Using experimentation, state-of-the-art analysis and analytical models, the project will pave the way to new carbon pantographs and thermal insulators that use energy more efficiently. Carbon-carbon composites will also be combined with metals and ceramics for other applications in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Two of the positions have been awarded through the UK government’s Investment in Research Talent initiative. The initiative recognises the crucial role of engineering research in the UK, with the government providing the Academy with a significant increase in funding over the next four years to help attract and retain the best engineering research talent.