Future Metrology Hub holds Early Career Researcher Symposium

The event was the first of its kind and was designed to offer a window into the metrology research of the researchers across the Hub and its support centres as well as to furnish them with a platform to promote their work.

DOZENS of up-and-coming UK researchers in a vital field of science and technology came to a University of Huddersfield conference that aimed to accelerate their careers.

Organised by the University’s Future Metrology Hub, part-funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the event was attended by 50 early career researchers, many of whom had recently completed their doctoral studies.

There were presentations and poster displays that described research in the field of metrology – the science of measurement – and its applications in advanced manufacturing, including machine tools and the use of optical sensors.

Titled the Early Career Researcher Symposium, the event was attended by scientists from a wide range of UK universities and institution, including Huddersfield itself and the universities that are the ‘spokes’ of the EPSRC Future Metrology Hub – Bath, Loughborough and Sheffield.

Also represented was the National Physical Laboratory, which has a lab facility in the University of Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.

The two-day symposium, included three sessions dealing with dimensions of metrology, mathematics and manufacturing.  Prizes were awarded to Saif Al-Bashir from the University of Huddersfield and Tobias Reichold from Loughborough University for best presentations while Runan Zhang, of the University of Bath, was awarded best poster.  There were also sessions that advised the early career researchers on topics that included drawing up successful bids for research funding

Metrology research at Huddersfield

The event was co-organised by Senior Research Fellow Dr Hussam Muhamedsalih and Hub Manager Christian Young.

He explained that a component of the funding from the EPSRC was earmarked to develop the skills within the Hub consortium and to strengthen the metrology research community across the UK as a whole, and it was decided that symposia would be an ideal way to do this.

“Because we are spread over such a wide area and it is such a diverse field, it is difficult for everyone to know what is happening.  So we thought the symposium would be a really good opportunity for them to network, find out what other people are doing and look for areas of collaboration,” said Mr Young.

He added that the symposium would be repeated in future years.  Launched in 2017, the Future Metrology Hub is funded to the tune of £40 million – including £10 million from the EPSRC – and is due to run for seven years, based within the University of Huddersfield’s globally-renowned Centre for Precision Technologies.