- ‘Wearable’ sensors for plants, blast proof construction and sustainable fuel for spacecraft, satellites and rockets are among the innovations to be developed in collaboration with industry.
Eight talented UK engineering researchers working in academia and industry have been awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowships. Their research projects will tackle a wide range of national and global challenges, from increasing food security and production and improving the resilience of buildings to explosions to improving the treatment and rehabilitation of stroke victims.
The awardees, partners and projects are:
Dr Ilan Adler, University College London / Ahimsa Dairy Foundation
Heat recovery and carbon capture in small-scale farm biogas generators
At present, a large portion of food consumed in the UK is imported. Increasing sustainable, local food production is critical to achieving net zero targets while increasing food security and fostering economic growth. Smallholder farmers in the UK often use off-grid biogas generators to produce on-site electricity from organic waste. This research aims to increase crop productivity as well as reduce carbon and other polluting emissions by using greenhouse plants to recover the exhaust gases and waste heat produced by the generators. The project will take place at Ahimsa Dairy Farm in Lincolnshire, a dairy and agriculture producer considered to be one of the most ethical and sustainable farms in the UK, with numerous activities planned to share the results with other agricultural communities.
Dr Liucheng Guo, Tangi0 Ltd / King's College London
Next-generation materials with in-material sensing and computing for resilient future
Traditional electronic systems, especially in the fitness, healthcare and automotive sectors, rely heavily on mechanical buttons and multiple sensors, processed using classical von-Neumann computing principles. This project aims to integrate sensing and computational functions directly into the material itself, to dramatically cut down costs, minimise e-waste and reduce energy consumption. The goal is a seamless transition from multifaceted electronic systems to flexible touch-sensitive smart materials that simplify structures, enhance efficiency, and are environmentally sustainable. This collaboration will allow Dr Guo to leverage cutting-edge advances in both software and hardware to bring this vision to fruition.
Dr Amber Hill, Research Grid Ltd / Queen Mary University of London
Advancement of instant processing of paper-based assessments in medical research
More than 80% of medical research data is still captured by pen and paper. This number is rising because of the increase in decentralised clinical operations post pandemic. Academic research institutions, in particular, struggle with the resources to address these types of manual operational challenges, including that it is mandatory that data is manually entered into a computer by a designated time. This leads to slow processing, data entry errors, long lead times, reduced efficiency, and timeline failures at a rate of 85% in clinical research. This project’s proprietary machine-learning algorithm will automatically extract unstructured paper-form medical assessments and surveys, to streamline them into easy-to-read digital electronic data forms and accelerate administrative research processes.
Dr Marina Konstantatou, Foster + Partners / University of Cambridge
Design methods for materially efficient and architecturally expressive tensile structures
The use of computational tools and theoretical frameworks in the design of three-dimensional tensile structures using graphic statics can result in materially efficient, structurally expressive and intrinsically sustainable forms that cover large spans. However, the interlink between stringent structural performance and the resulting architectural geometry requires the development of novel form-finding CAD methods in the early conceptual design stages. Dr Konstantatou will develop integrated structural design frameworks that can also incorporate continuous tensile elements while controlling both the form and its forces in a bi-directional way. This will help architects and engineers to unlock design freedoms for these structurally eloquent geometries and thus significantly enhance their application in sustainable architecture and large infrastructure.
Dr Amit Pujari, University of Hertfordshire / Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and MiNT Academy at Hobbs Rehabilitation Ltd
User-led design of neurotechnologies for sensorimotor improvements in stroke survivors
Stroke is a major cause of mortality and disability across the world, responsible for 6.5 million deaths worldwide. Around half of stroke survivors suffer from diminished touch sensation in their hand/arm and/or disabling muscle-stiffness (spasticity). This recently completed Leverhulme Trust/Academy Research Fellowship project has developed novel non-invasive devices to reduce spasticity and improve touch sensation in stroke survivors. Now, with industrial partners, systematic feedback will be gathered from patients, their carers and clinicians to help develop devices effective in real-world settings and ready for clinic/home use.
Dr Yagya Regmi, Manchester Metropolitan University / URA Thrusters Ltd
Hydrogen technologies for orbital propulsion
Green hydrogen, which electrolysers generate from water using renewable electricity, is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. It is also an energy carrier, storing renewable energy in chemical bonds. Using fuel cells, this stored energy can then be released when and where needed. This same technology has the potential to revolutionise energy usage in space technologies as well. Traditional fuel used to power spacecrafts, satellites and rockets uses toxic chemicals such as hydrazine. This project aims to develop an efficient and reliable water-vapour-based reversible electrolyser device that the industrial partner can deploy to propel their satellites using sustainable technologies.
Dr Samuel Rigby, University of Sheffield / Arup
Machine learning applications for blast protection engineering
Explosions are a pressing and pervasive threat in the modern world. Terrorist attacks, industrial accidents and wars have highlighted a pressing need for civilian infrastructure to be designed to resist extreme loading. However, current methods are either overly simplistic, or too computationally expensive to properly consider the high levels of uncertainty of real-life events. This project aims to develop the next generation of innovative tools for blast protection engineering in an industrial-relevant setting, using cutting-edge machine learning and data-driven techniques. This fellowship will achieve significant two-way knowledge transfer, developing tools and practical case studies that will make the UK world-leading in blast protection engineering research and teaching.
Dr Iasonas Triantis, City, University of London / Delta-T Devices Ltd
Plant diagnostics: multimodal biosensors for direct plant monitoring
Reliable monitoring of crop growth is essential to global efforts to increase productivity, sustainability and food security. However, conventional indirect sensing techniques have limited accuracy for monitoring parameters such as hydration, sap flow, fertigation, disease, chlorophyll, and others. Such limitations can be addressed through a cross-disciplinary application of biomedical sensor methodology towards direct-on-plant sensors providing real-time measurements. Dr Triantis will work with Delta-T Devices Ltd, a market leader in soil and plant sensors, on a new generation of plant sensors that use electrical impedance and optical sensing to accurately measure targeted parameters. This technology has the potential to significantly change our approach to sustainable agriculture and protect our environment.
Notes for editors
- The Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowships scheme enables mid-career academics and industrialists to undertake a collaborative research project in either an industrial or academic environment, where one party would host the other. The scheme aims to strengthen the strategic relationship between industry and academia by providing an opportunity to establish or enhance collaborative research between the two parties.
- The scheme is open to engineers from all disciplines
- Awards can be held from six months to two years, full-time or part-time.
- The Academy will contribute up to a maximum of £50,000 (per-annum) towards the basic salary costs (excluding overheads) of the applicant, paid pro-rata against the amount of time to be spent at the host organisation. The total award is capped at £100,000 for awards that exceed one year in duration.