Plenary Speakers
Prof. Aron Walsh is Chair of Materials Theory in the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies at the University of Bath. He was awarded his BA.mod and Ph.D in computational chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, completed a postdoctoral position at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA), and held a Marie Curie fellowship at University College London. His research combines technique development and applications at the interface between solid-state chemistry and physics. He has published over 150 papers. In 2014 he was awarded the RSC Harrison-Meldola award for contributions to the theory and computation of novel functional materials.
Prof. Mary Ryan is Professor of Materials Science and Nanotechnology in the Department of Materials, Imperial College London. She joined Imperial after working at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US, first as a post-doctoral researcher and then as staff scientist in the Materials Division. Her doctoral work at the University of Manchester was on the use of in-situ ECSTM to study the formation of ultra-thin surface oxides on base metals, showing for the first time that these surfaces are crystalline phases. At Brookhaven she developed the use of in-situ techniques in electrochemical systems, this time with synchrotron radiation-based techniques. Her current research is in the area of applied electrochemistry and corrosion, with a focus on deposition of nanostructures and the study of self-forming nanocrystalline oxides; as well as fundamental work on degradation and stability of metal systems.
Panel Session Speakers
Simon Crook is Senior Manager (Physical Sciences) at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Simon covers a range of science and engineering research and policy portfolios, including materials science, skills and gender diversity. Simon will be discussing EPSRC funding, and how (to try) to get it.
Prof. Richard Dashwood (University of Warwick) is the Academic Director of Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the CTO for the WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Head of the Engineering Materials and Electrochemical Engineering Research Groups. His research focus is the application of mechanics, microstructure and electrochemistry of materials to solve the advanced manufacturing challenges involved in realising low carbon mobility. He is an investigator on a large number of TSB, EPSRC, FP7 and industrially funded projects with a value in excess of £20m. Richard will be discussing strategies for successfully applying to different types of funding bodies including industrial partnerships, research councils and European projects.
Dr Matt Gibson (University of Warwick) is an assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry. His work is highly interdisciplinary and aims to exploit organic, polymer and carbohydrate chemistry to address global healthcare issues, with particular relevance to regenerative medicine and infectious diseases. Matt is the recipient of the RSC MacroGroup and Carbohydrate Group medals and has recently been awarded an ERC Starting Grant.
Prof. Julie MacPherson (University of Warwick) is a Royal Society Industry Fellow and Professor of Chemistry in the University of Warwick. Julie’s research involves the development of new electrochemical based sensors (based on diamond, nanotubes, graphene, nanoparticles) for a variety of different applications in healthcare, pharmaceutical analysis, environmental and homeland security (often in collaboration with industry). Julie has received many prestigious awards (e.g. Marlow Medal, McBain medal). She was highlighted as a Young Alpha Female, in the Sunday Observer Magazine featuring young successful women (2002) and in 2005, won “Young Researcher of the Year” in the Times Higher Awards. Julie is on the editorial board of PCCP and is currently the MSc Director for the Inaugural CDT centre in Diamond Science and Technology.
