University of Nottingham

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People

Investigators

Researchers and PhD students

Industrial partners

Advisory board

Investigators

	Chris Rudd Chris is the University of Nottingham's Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor for Knowledge Transfer, and the principal investigator. He began his career in Marine Engineering as a seagoing engineer, and later worked in the automotive industry before completing his PhD at Nottingham. His area of specialist interest is lightweight structures, especially fibre composites and he has developed several innovative processes for turning these unique materials into useful devices. His team works with the transport and medical devices industries to introduce new processes and products. Click the link for more information on Chris Rudd.
	Davide De Focatiis Davide is Assistant Professor in Polymer Engineering and a co-investigator. His expertise is in the mechanical properties of polymers and nanocomposites and in the development of constitutive models for processed polymer products. Click the link for more information on Davide De Focatiis.
	David Grant David is Professor of Materials Science and Head of the Advanced Materials Research Group at the Faculty of Engineering and a co-investigator. Click the link for more information on David Grant.
	Derek Irvine Derek is Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and a co-investigator. Click the link for more information on Derek Irvine.
	Ed Lester Ed is Professor of Chemical Technologies and Head of the Process and Environmental Research Division, at the Faculty of Engineering and a co-investigator. Click the link for more information on Ed Lester.
	Andrew Parsons Andy is a Senior Research Fellow within the Composites research group in the Faculty of Engineering and a co-investigator/researcher. His undergraduate degree was in Chemistry and Physics and his doctorate was in the modification of polymers using Supercritical Fluids. He has spent the last 10 years developing resorbable composite materials. Click the link for more information on Andrew Parsons.

Researchers and PhD students

	Gabriel Choong Gabriel graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 from The University of Nottingham. He undertook a PhD that examined the effects of matrix molar mass and of compounding temperature on the thermal, rheology, mechanical and electrical properties of CNT-filled nanocomposites and was awarded his doctorate in 2013. He is now a Research Fellow on the BENcH project, focused on the processing of degradable polymers and nanocomposites for medical implant applications.
	Miquel Gimeno-Fabra Miquel started his degree near Barcelona and graduated from an integrated masters in Chemistry in 2009 from Nottingham Trent University. He then moved into Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at The University of Nottingham, undertaking a PhD on the tailored continuous synthesis of targeted nanomaterials for applications ranging from gas storage and sensing to body armour and bioceramics for medical implants. He is currently a Research Fellow in Advanced Materials. In the BENcH project, his role focuses on the synthesis and characterisation of the nanoparticles.
	Frederic Hild Fred graduated in Chemistry in 2009 at the University of Strasbourg (France). He undertook a doctorate on the synthesis of organometallic complexes based on group 13 metals supported by multidentate chelating ligands and their application in catalysis (Ring-Opening Polymerization, Hydroamination…). He was awarded his doctorate in 2012. He is now a Research Fellow on the BENcH project, focused on the synthesis of degradable polymers and nanocomposites for medical implant applications.
	Magdalena Tomczynska Magda graduated from Poznan University of Technology in Poland in 2006 as a Chemical Engineer and finished her masters degree in Polymer Technology. Recently she worked in Hewlett-Packard Labs in Bristol as a research engineer in the Next Generation Displays Group where she was involved in materials formulation and thin films deposition. Her PhD research is concerned with the optimisation of the process conditions for compounding and injection moulding of biodegradable resorbable polylactic acid nanocomposites, characterisation of their macroscopic properties, and dispersion analysis.
	Kirsty Walton Kirsty graduated from The University of Nottingham with an MSc in Chemistry; specialising in polymers and nanoparticles in her final year. Her PhD is focused on the synthesis and characterisation of dispersants designed to stabilise hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in a polylactic acid matrix. She is also involved in using a continuous hydrothermal process to synthesise and cap the hydroxyapatite nanoparticles.
	Michael Ward Mike graduated from Loughborough University as a Materials Engineer specialising in polymers. He received an award for his final year project which was on the study of the crystallisation and melting behaviour of nylon-12 nanocomposites. He also undertook a one year industry placement at BMW where he worked within the Technical Laboratory as a metallurgist. His PhD is concerned on the physical and mechanical changes poly (Lactic Acid) experiences while submersed in an aqueous solution at a range of temperatures. An understanding of the polymer matrix will provide foundations for a detailed analysis of the nanocomposites.

Industrial partners

	Larry Thatcher - TESco Associates Inc. TESco’s founder and President has more than 35 years of experience in the medical device industry, focusing on bioabsorbable polymer processing and the development of toughened bioabsorbable systems and bioabsorbable composites. He has been active in the material selection and development of absorbable medical devices from concept to clinical use since 1986. He was recognized by MDDI as one of a hundred notables in the medical device industry in June 2008. He taught eight years at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and currently serves on the advisory board to the Plastics Engineering Department.
	George William Smith - Evonik Industries AG George Smith is currently Senior Account Manager for UK and Ireland at Evonik Healthcare Business Line. In his current role he is responsible for managing existing and new business accounts for activities relating to API'S, drug Delivery and pharmaceutical raw materials. Previously he has held commercial and technical roles at GSK, Colorcon, RP Scherer & Manesty and joined Evonik as Technical Sales Manager in the Pharma Polymers Business Line in 2007. He received his degree in Chemistry from the University of Glasgow and his MPhil in Pharmaceutical Science from Manchester University.
	Harald Liedtke - Evonik Industries AG Harald Liedtke is currently Technical Marketing Director Biomaterials for Evonik. He joined Boehringer Ingelheim as technical advisor for resorbable polymers in 1991. In this position, he worked closely with customers for the development of resorbable implants and delivery systems. In March 2011 Evonik Röhm GmbH aquired the RESOMER business from Boehringer Ingelheim. In his current position at Evonik Industries AG he is responsible for the Technical Marketing of Biomaterials. He received his degree in Biology and his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the University of Cologne, Germany.
	Rod Bottom - Thermofisher Scientific Rod has been involved in scientific instrumentation for more than 20 years and has extensive knowledge of materials characterisation across a wide range of industries and in academia.
	Sandy Reid - Promethean Particles Ltd. Dr Sandy Reid gained her PhD in chemistry at The University of Nottingham in 2003 then moved into industrial research with Kidde PLC where she worked on fire and explosion suppression. Moving out of the lab and into technology transfer was possible due to a Gatsby Business Science Fellowship where she learnt the basics of commercialising academic research. This was followed by a HIRF Fellowship studying the commercial potential of the research of Prof Ed Lester. This led Sandy to raise VC investment and form Promethean Particles in 2008, where she is now CEO.

Advisory board

	Professor Brigitte Scammell - Orthopaedics Brigitte Scammell is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in adult foot and ankle surgery at The City Hospital, Nottingham and Professor of Orthopaedic Sciences at The University of Nottingham. She heads the Academic Orthopaedic Unit and is the Admissions Sub-Dean for the Faculty of Medicine. Her clinical interests are in adult orthopaedics, especially of the foot and ankle, with a particular emphasis on the reconstruction of severe deformity and treatment of infection in patients with diabetic foot disorders. Click the link for more information on Brigitte Scammell.
	Professor Steve Howdle - Supercritical fluid processing Steve Howdle is a Professor in the Faculty of Chemistry at Nottingham. His interests lie in the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a new solvent for polymer synthesis and materials processing. A major part of his group's research is directed towards multidisciplinary collaborations on clean synthesis of new polymers and new polymeric structures using supercritical fluids. Click the link for more information on Steve Howdle.
	Dr Colin Scotchford - Cell/material interfaces Colin Scotchford is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham. His research interests are in biomaterials, with particular experience in materials for the repair or replacement of bone and cartilage. This includes investigation of cell-material surface interactions down to the molecular level, application of developing methodologies for the assessment of biocompatibility and the development of novel biomaterials for application. Click the link for more information on Colin Scotchford.
	Professor Cameron Alexander - Drug delivery Cameron Alexander is Professor of Polymer Therapeutics and Head of the Division of Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering in the Faculty of Science at Nottingham. His research interests focus on the synthesis of polymers for biomedical applications, especially drug and gene delivery. This includes the controlled release of therapeutics from synthetic-biopolymer complexes and conjugates, targeted degradable polymers for gene therapy, and smart materials for protein and cell recognition in solution and at surfaces. Click the link for more information on Cameron Alexander.
	Professor Sam Kingman - Microwave processing Sam Kingman is Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Process Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham. His research interests lies in the field of microwave processing of minerals. This includes the design of microwave applicators for materials processing applications, including dissolution, oxidation and chemical reaction. This technology is currently being applied across a diverse range of materials from food to mineral concentrates. Click the link for more information on Sam Kingman.

BENcH

Email: andrew.parsons@nottingham.ac.uk