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MERL Technical Staff



Dr Bob Campion

BSc, PhD, CEng, FIMMM

Principal Specialist

Author of more than 50 scientific and technical publications on elastomers, thermoplastics, cured rubber/metal & rubber/rubber bonding, autoadhesive tack, rubber compounding, polymer durability in fluids, and high pressure gas permeation and diffusion. Previously senior member of the scientific staff at Dunlop Research Centre/Technology Division for 25 years, subsequently with a period at MRPRA. Served as Committee member of the Polymer Science Group of the Institute of Materials (IOM) and Chairman of IOM Polymers in Extreme Environments conferences. Special research interests, normally applied to the Offshore Oil Production or Automotive industries, include high pressure gas permeation & diffusion through elastomers and thermoplastics, fuel permeation, fluid/polymer compatibility & ageing issues, polymer structure/property relationships, novel compounding approaches, and adhesion bonding.



Peter Skinner

 

Principal Technologist

Rubber technology training and more than 40 years experience of rubber processing and test piece and prototype preparation for the rubber industry.



Tracy Elms

 

Senior Technologist

Experience with a wide range of standard tests of rubber. Particular expertise with fatigue testing of rubber materials.



Glyn Morgan

BSc (Hons) Chemistry

Senior Polymer Chemist

Senior project scientist with expertise in physical chemistry of polymers and related tests for fluid diffusion, high pressure gas permeation etc. Highly experienced in handling and applying hostile chemical fluids and assessing their effect on polymer characteristics and service life. Previous experience in materials testing at Thorn EMI



Peter Hansen

MSc Automotive Engineering Design, Manufacture and Management

Senior Engineer

Senior Engineer responsible for international business development in the automotive (including motorsport) and rail industries. Project Manager for industry and public-funded (UK and EU) consortium projects as well as single client bespoke research and development projects. Expertise in automotive and rail engineering, test development and implementation, mechanical testing of materials and components in single and multi-axis, testing of components using service-load data inputs (CRPC), failure analysis, life extension studies, fatigue and environmental testing and independent production inspections. On the finance committee of a local charity and a school governor.



Colin Harrison

BSc (Hons) Materials Engineering

Senior Project Engineer

Senior project engineer with materials testing and data analysis expertise. 15 years experience as development engineer for new projects at Rolls Royce Aero Engines. Special experience with instrumentation, vibration testing, data acquisition and analysis. Development of novel mechanical testing apparatus for bespoke projects. Currently involved in the standardisation of testing for adhesive systems. Deputy Quality Manager responsible for maintaining company registration to BS/EN/ISO 9001.



Dr Barry Thomson

BSc, PhD Polymer Chemistry

Principal Scientist

Senior polymer chemist with wide-ranging experience of polymeric materials and their use in demanding applications, particularly in the offshore oil & gas sector. Current interests include evaluation of polymer durability and compatibility in severe environments, gas decompression effects in thermoplastics, elastomer bonding and test development.



Keith Potterill

BTEC (HNC) Chemistry

Senior Technologist

Experience in a range of standard tests for rubber, composites and adhesives. Performed fatigue tests on rubber and composite materials using servohydraulic test equipment. Previously worked as chemical and physical test analyst at Hexcel Composites.



Dr Michael Lewan

BSc PhD Rubber Blends

Senior Polymer Chemist

Research polymer chemist with twelve years experience of rubber compounding, which includes analysis and formulation of new compounds to produce commercially viable products that adhere to specific requirements. Also work on high pressure gas permeation of polymers, explosive decompression of polymers and failure studies of gaskets. Current interests include the production of processable low temperature cure (PLTC) rubber compounds for industry.



Stephen Bowron

MEng (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering

Senior Engineer

Project engineer with experience working with both composite materials and elastomers. Awarded a 3-year industrial fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Areas of work at MERL include mechanical test development, finite element analysis and the development of test instrumentation and data acquisition systems. Experienced programmer using NI LabVIEW.



Richard Ward

HND Electronic Engineering

Principal Technologist

Test Engineer with 20 years experience of testing materials,prototype and full size components. Specialising in the use of servohydraulic test machines and design of associated test fixtures. Experience in the design and commissioning of specialised test rigs and the manufacture of specialised components. Has performed on site inspections/witnessing for 3rd parties.



Dr Salim Mirza

BE, MS, PhD (Mechanical Engineering)

Principal Scientist

Principal finite element analyst with wide ranging experience in the areas of high strain-rate and impact analysis of metals, thermomechanical processing of metals and polymers, and fracture modelling. Advanced user of finite element codes DYNA3D, ABAQUS and ANSYS. Experienced in mechanical testing of metals and polymers. Current interests include developing constitutive models for polymers, modelling of thermomechanical processes, crack growth and fatigue analysis of elastomers.



Dr Keyur Somani

BSc, PhD (Polymer Chemistry)

Scientist

Polymer chemist having experience in synthesis and characterization of resins including polyurethanes, epoxies and polyesters. Work has involved the analysis and formulation of new products. Other relevant experiences are in coatings & adhesives and thermal insulation for sub sea applications. Presently involved in HP/HT testing of materials for the oil and gas industry.



Dr Nickie Smith

BSc, PhD Chemical Engineering (Polymers)

Senior Scientist

Senior scientist with a chemical physics background and expertise in structure property relationships in polymer blends. Other relevant experience includes life prediction of polymers, diffusion studies and adhesives. Previously worked for the government owned research agency QinetiQ formerly DERA (Defence, Evaluation and Research Agency).



Dr Morris Roseman

BSc MSc DIC PhD CEng MIMMM

Senior Scientist

Senior Scientist with a background in the automotive, aerospace and rail industries. Morris specialises in composite materials, structural adhesive bonding and thermoplastics (used in the high volume automotive industry), and has a special interest in nanotechnology. He is active in the wider materials arena having taken part in a European DTI Global Watch Mission to investigate commercialisation of nanotechnology, and has presented papers at numerous conferences. Morris is an ex Board member of the Nanotechnology Industries Association, and currently sits on the organising committee of a lean weight vehicles conference.



Phil Clarke

BSc

Scientist and Quality Manager

Principal Technologist with 20 years of material/component testing experience including; test jig/fixture design, elevated temperature and environmental creep, rupture and fatigue testing of metals, mechanical and internal pressure testing of polymeric pipe and fittings. Quality Assurance role as Quality Manager. Graduated in 2004 with BSc (open) achieved through study with the Open University.



Dr Stefanos Giannis

Dipl. Ing., MSc, PhD (Mechanical Engineering), ProfGradIMMM

Scientist

Scientist with wide research experience on the mechanical and physical behaviour of aircraft fuel tank sealants. Carried out research work under a 3.5 years AIRBUS sponsorship that emphasized on the peel performance of fuel tank sealants towards optimization of industry testing specifications. Previous experience includes testing and modelling work on composites and polymers. Currently involved in project work on fracture mechanics of adhesives, composite materials and structures.



Jeanne Pouquet

MSc Advanced Materials, MEng Biomechanics / Biomaterials

Scientist

Scientist with a dual background in Materials and Biomedical Engineering. Specialised in surface science and in wear/friction problems. Other relevant experiences include adhesion testing for coatings, welding, and improving materials performance for industrial applications and medical devices. Experience working on international projects. Fluent in French.
 
 
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