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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ research student awarded Industrial Fellowship from Royal Commission

A º£½ÇÖ±²¥ PhD student has received a prestigious fellowship to enable vital research to recover valuable waste materials.

Daniel Pybus is one of 13 outstanding graduate pioneers from across the UK who have been awarded Industrial Fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to tackle prominent challenges in society by delivering ground-breaking industry solutions. The Fellows receive up to £100k in funding to cover salary contributions, course fees and costs for doctoral studies for up to three years of research to unite industry and academia, and develop problem-solving innovations.

Daniel, who works as a Continuous Improvement/Research & Development Engineer at Mersen UK º£½ÇÖ±²¥, was awarded the Industrial Fellowship to research utilising graphite powder, a common waste product in graphite manufacturing.

He is collaborating with º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and Mersen on the project which aims to recover the by-product and find alternative methods of using graphite powder in the production of graphite components to reduce waste.

Daniel’s research will have a significant impact on the environment as the manufacturing process will be more efficient through the utilisation of the waste product and lead to reduced emissions as well as substantial financial savings.

The research builds on work Daniel carried out an associate on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Mersen in which the University facilitated a digitised manufacturing process which enabled the company to deliver a 24-hour turnaround time for low volume, high precision engineering products.

Daniel said: ‘It’s an honour to be recognised among some of the brightest minds in industry with the Industrial Fellowship from the Royal Commission. I am delighted that this research will advance industry practices and contribute to delivering solutions to global issues.

‘This project will help reduce raw material requirements, through the use of recovered graphite, which in turn reduces any negative environmental impacts of our consumer products.

‘It is very exciting to work at the forefront of such cutting-edge research in collaboration with Mersen and the University and I am pleased that the North East will be recognised once again as a leader in industrial advancement.’

Daniel graduated from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ in 2018 after completing his BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering course.

Daniel said: ‘The Industrial Fellowship offers researchers the chance to bring innovative solutions to industry with unparalleled support. I am extremely grateful to be named as a Fellow this year.’

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, which was set up by Prince Albert, supports the advancement of research and development in the UK to level up industry with key investments.

The return of the Commission’s investment is estimated to be £2m a year in intellectual property, which contributes to crucial scientific and industrial advances.

Previous recipients of the Industrial Fellowship include Nobel laureates Professor Peter Higgs, Sir James Chadwick and Paul Dirac.

This year’s projects will focus on key areas including cancer treatment, coronavirus drugs, artificial intelligence and climate change.

Bernard Taylor, Chairman of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, said: ‘The Industrial Fellowship programme is a crucial link between British research institutions and businesses, with a specific focus on producing tangible, commercial benefits for all.

‘This year is one of the largest ever cohorts of Industrial Fellows, representing some of the best and brightest researchers in British industry.

‘Their work will bring together the new ideas of academia and the agility of industry, to make a significant impact in a wide range of fields, including biotechnology, artificial intelligence and telecommunications.’