Eight new Royal Society Industry Fellowships connect academia and industry
12 April 2013The Royal Society announces eight new fellowships aimed at strengthening links between academia and industry. The fellowships are awarded to academic scientists who want to work on a collaborative project with industry and for scientists in industry who want to work on a collaborative project with an academic organisation.
The latest awardees’ project topics range from the pathology of neurodegenerative disease to mineral interface determination in shale hydration.
Dr Hywel Jones of Sheffield Hallam University will be using his fellowship to develop new light-weight ceramic armour material with XeraCarb Ltd. As well as being up to 30% lighter than current ceramic body armours, the manufacturing process requires much lower temperatures, therefore saving on energy.
“The Royal Society Industrial Fellowship recognises the important role new innovative companies like XeraCarb can play in the UK's economy,” said Dr Jones. “The Fellowship will allow me to support the company as it develops new innovative products and finds new applications for the technology. Continuous research and innovation are vital for the success of companies like XeraCarb and the fellowship will allow me to contribute to the company's growth and success.”
Dr Atsufumi Hirohata of the University of York will be working on developing next-generation memory chip technology. Commenting on the fellowship, Dr Hirohata said:
"This project will enable me to focus on demonstrating this new memory architecture with the access to the characterisation and on-chip implementation facilities in the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory. The project will provide a great opportunity for my research group to work with world-leading industry.”
The scheme provides each scientist’s basic salary for the duration of their secondment, which lasts for up to two years full-time or four years part-time.
The full list of the latest Royal Society Industry Fellowships recipients is as follows:
- Dr Hugh Greenwell from the University of Durham to work on Mineral Interface Determination During Shale Hydration with M-I SWACO.
- Dr Atsufumi Hirohata from the University of York to work on the Development of an on-chip racetrack memory using exchange-biased pinning with Hitachi Cambridge laboratory.
- Dr Hywel Jones from Sheffield Hallam University to work on Multi-Component Ceramic Composites for Engineering and Armour Applications with XeraCarb Ltd.
- Dr Andreas Kranis from Aviagen to work on Capturing and Securing the Sequence Diversity of Broiler Chickens with the University of Edinburgh.
- Professor Sankara Naryanan Ekkanath Madathil from the University of Sheffield to work on Systems Impact of Next Generation Power Semiconductors and Converter Technologies with Rolls-Royce.
- Professor Yvan Petillot from Herriot-Watt University to work on Advanced autonomy in the subsea domain with SeeByte Ltd.
- Professor Andrew Randall from the University of Exeter to work on In vivo, cell-level imaging of network dynamics and pathology in murine models of neurodegenerative disease with Lilly company UK.
- Dr Michael Ries from the University of Leeds to work on Challenges in Green Solvent Cellulose Processing with Innovia Film Ltd.
This year is the Royal Society’s ‘Year of Science and Industry,’ which is supported by a number of events that showcase UK achievement in industrial science.