Projects
Projects: Custom Search |
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| Reference Number | EP/Y035437/1 | |
| Title | EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Use-Inspired Photonic Sensing and Metrology | |
| Status | Funded | |
| Energy Categories | Renewable Energy Sources (Wind Energy) 5%; Not Energy Related 90%; Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (Hydrogen) 5%; |
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| Research Types | Training 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 50%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 90%; Other (Energy technology information dissemination) 10%; |
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| Principal Investigator |
Professor D Reid No email address given School of Engineering and Physical Sciences Heriot-Watt University |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 October 2024 | |
| End Date | 31 March 2033 | |
| Duration | 102 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £6,445,420 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Communications | |
| Region | Scotland | |
| Programme | EPSRC Training Grants | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Professor D Reid , School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University (99.991%) |
| Other Investigator | Dr GMH Flockhart , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%) Dr PJW Hands , Sch of Engineering and Electronics, University of Edinburgh (0.001%) Dr P Jiang , Physics, University of Bristol (0.001%) Professor MPJ Lavery , Aerospace Engineering, University of Glasgow (0.001%) Ms A Low , School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University (0.001%) Professor J MacPherson , Chemistry, University of Warwick (0.001%) Dr D P O'Connor , Engineering Measurement Division, National Physical Laboratory (NPL) (0.001%) Dr GA Turnbull , Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews (0.001%) Dr KG Wilcox , Physics, University of Dundee (0.001%) |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | In a consortium led by Heriot-Watt with St Andrews, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Edinburgh, Dundee, Huddersfield and NPL, the "EPSRC CDT in Use-Inspired Photonic Sensing and Metrology" responds to the focus area of "Meeting a User-Need and/or Supporting Civic Priorities" and aligns to EPSRC's Frontiers in Engineering & Technology priority and its aim to produce "tools and technologies that form the foundation of future UK prosperity".Our theme recognises the key role that photonic sensing and metrology has in addressing 21st century challenges in transport (LiDAR), energy (wind-turbine monitoring), manufacturing (precision measurement), medicine (disease sensors), agri-food (spectroscopy), security (chemical sensing) and net-zero (hydrocarbon and H2 metrology).Building on the success of our earlier centres, the addition of NPL and Huddersfield to our team reflects their international leadership in optical metrology and creates a consortium whose REF standing, UKRI income and industrial connectivity makes us uniquely able to deliver this CDT.Photonics contributes £15.2bn annually to the UK economy and employs 80,000 people--equal to automotive production and 3x more than pharmaceutical manufacturing. By 2035, more than 60% of the UK economy will rely on photonics to stay competitive.UK companies addressing the photonic sensing and metrology market are therefore vital to our economy but are threatened by a lack of doctoral-level researchers with a breadth of knowledge and understanding of photonic sensing and metrology, coupled with high-level business, management and communication skills.By ensuring a supply of these individuals, our CDT will consolidate the UK industrial knowledge base, driving this high-growth, export-led sector whose products and services have far-reaching impacts on our society.The proposed CDT will train 55 students. These will comprise at least 40 EngD students, characterised by a research project originated by a company and hosted on their site. A complementary stream of up to 15 PhD students will pursue industrially relevant research in university labs, with more flexibility and technical risk than in an EngD project.In preparing this bid, we invited companies to indicate their support, resulting in £5.5M cash commitments for 102 new students, considerably exceeding our target of 55 students, and highlighting industry's appetite for a CDT in photonic sensing and metrology. Our request to EPSRC for £6.13M will support 35 students, with the remaining students funded by industrial (£2.43M) and university (£1.02M) cash contributions, translating to an exceptional 56% cash leverage of studentship costs.The university partners provide 166 named supervisors, giving the flexibility to identify the most appropriate expertise for industry-led EngD projects. These academics' links to >120 named companies also ensure that the networks exist to co-create university-led PhD projects with industry partners. Our team combines established researchers with considerable supervisory experience (>50 full professors) with many dynamic early-career researchers, including a number of prestigious research fellowship holders.A 9-month frontloaded residential phase in St Andrews and Edinburgh will ensure the cohort gels strongly, equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need before starting their research projects. These core taught courses, augmented with electives from the other universities, will total 120 credits and will be supplemented by accredited MBA courses and training in outreach, IP, communication skills, RRI, EDI, sustainability and trusted-research. Collectively, these training episodes will bring students back to Heriot-Watt a few times each year, consolidating their intra- and inter-cohort networks. Governance will follow our current model, with a mixed academic-industry Management Committee and an International Advisory Committee of world-leading experts | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 15/05/24 | |
