LRF PhD Students Present Latest Research at NSIRC Conference

Mon, 03 July, 2023

Cambridge, United Kingdom - At the NSIRC Research & Innovation Conference 2023, the spotlight was on PhD students sponsored by the Lloyd's Register Foundation (LRF).

A total of 21 funded students gave presentations on their industry relevant research across the 2-day conference, with 16 supported by LRF funding.

For the first time, NSIRC International Students also attended the conference and presented during the PhD Poster Session.

Launched in 2022 and backed by LRF and TWI, the NSIRC International Programme has expanded the reach of NSIRC beyond the UK to new locations in Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Greece.

Georgios Kampourakis (right) and Fivos Simopoulos (centre right) in conversation with fellow NSIRC students at the NSIRC Research and Innovation Conference 2023. Photo: TWI Ltd / Simon Condie Photographer

This initiative allows NSIRC International Students to study for their PhDs outside the UK via collaborations with leading universities in NSIRC International locations. Moreover, the technology focus for these PhD topics is concentrated on addressing local demand for innovation, while simultaneously being of benefit to the students through assistance provided by TWI's technology expertise on their projects.

Students Fivos Simopoulos and Georgios Kampourakis based in Greece were the first PhD Students to join the new International Programme, and work on research topics that receive both industrial support from TWI Hellas and academic support from the Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece.

3D printed multi-functional short fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites with nano additives towards hierarchical multi scale structures with controlled mechanical and electrical properties

The aims of Fivos’ studies are the development of lightweight, high strength, low cost, multi-functional, durable and recyclable structural composite materials which must also be cost-efficient, zero waste, free of shape, and be suitable for versatile manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing and 3D printing.

3D Printing of continuous carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites

Georgios' studies aim to assess the effect of polymer solution impregnation on carbon fibre tow for single feed 3D printing, and contribute to an automated and inexpensive polymer composite manufacturing method with advanced properties and characteristics.

LRF Director of Skills & Education, Tim Slingsby, during his keynote presentation at the NSIRC Research and Innovation Conference 2023. Photo: TWI Ltd / Simon Condie Photographer

Academia and industry working together to solve global engineering challenges

A founding partner of NSIRC, LRF is a charity that promotes engineering education and risk awareness. The organisation's objective is to uphold the utmost technical standards for design, manufacture, construction, maintenance, operation, and performance, all to improve safety for people and property in various industries and communities worldwide.

LRF is making a valuable contribution to building a safer world through their focus on education and skills training. This is evident in their support of PhD Studentships, which aim to innovate and develop solutions that can safeguard structures against failures that may result in environmental damage, endangerment, or even loss of life.

Between January 2012 and June 2023, LRF has supported 79 PhD students via NSIRC, with over 35% of them being female engineers - a significant increase from the industry average of 17%.

LRF funded projects at the NSIRC Research & Innovation Conference 2023

The research presented at the conference in 2023 covered technology sessions including additive manufacturing, advanced coatings, joining technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Abstracts for each presentation can be found in the conference brochure which is available to download. Alternatively, you can email enquiries@nsirc.co.uk to contact the students directly.

PhD Presentation Titles	Student
Real-time optical and electrochemical monitoring of extreme damage tolerant sacrificial coatings	Adriana Castro Vargas
Wire-fed directed energy deposition of low carbon steels – Influence of process control methods on properties and microstructure	Ahamed Ameen
Structural integrity assessment of cold spray repaired high-strength aluminium alloy 7075 specimens	Ali Alperen Bakir
Numerical analysis of welding residual stresses in a T-joint fillet weld	Anurag Niranjan
Thermal-mechanical analysis of mixing points in nuclear power plants	Funke Dacosta-Salu
Human-robot collaboration for braze pasting workflow	Haolin Fei
Weld quality assessment of friction stir welded joints by continuous acoustic emission monitoring	Kartikey Mathur
Introduction of solvent de-curing trigger to enable dissolution of epoxy thermoset	Magali Rego
Effect of process parameters on bead geometry of low carbon alloy steel manufactured by wire arc directed energy deposition	Siddharth Patil
Multi-response optimisation and web-based visualisation of Ti6Al4V support structures for laser powder bed fusion systems	Antonios Dimopolous
Learning by demonstration for learning complex manipulation strategies directly from pixels	Antonios Porichis
Electrochemical determination of hydrogen diffusion using Devanathan-Stachurski cell	Arunima Bhuvanendran Nair Jayakumari
Bridging the simulation-to-reality gap in robotics	Konstantinos Vasios
Sensitivity analysis of magnetic circuit components of magnetic flux leakage device for appropriate magnetisation	Selamawit Abate
Sensitivity of neutrons to hydrogen in steels	Soumyadeep Datta
Examination of environmental cracking in additively manufactured material	Yixiang Jin

Industry-focused PhD research, such as these topics, is becoming increasingly popular as more and more companies seek to bring innovation and advancement to their respective fields.

This type of research involves working closely with industry partners like LRF and TWI, to identify areas where new research can be conducted and applied to real-world problems. This approach allows for greater collaboration between academia and industry, leading to the development of cutting-edge technologies and solutions that can be implemented in various industries. Additionally, industry-focused PhD research often results in a more streamlined path to commercialisation, as the research is directly aligned with the needs and goals of the industry partner.

Overall, industry-focused PhD research offers a unique opportunity for students to gain valuable experience and make a significant impact in their chosen field.

To speak to a member of the NSIRC team about how you, or your organisation, can get involved with NSIRC research, email enquiries@nsirc.co.uk.

Visit the NSIRC News Feed to find out more about our students' research projects and conferences.