Huddersfield researcher wins prestigious 2022 euspen Talent Programme

RECEIVING an invite to spend time with the researchers at CERN in Geneva is certain to be on the wish list of any student studying precision engineering and nanotechnology.  Earlier this year this is exactly what happened to a University of Huddersfield PhD student when his team won a prestigious talent competition organised by the European Society of Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen). 

Postgraduate researcher Kevin John is from the EPSRC Future Metrology Hub, part of the University’s Centre for Precision Technologies (CPT), within the School of Computing and Engineering.  His team, which included teammates from Italy and Belgium, was announced the winner of the 2022 euspen Talent Programme, formally known as the euspen Challenge, at the 2022 International Conference and Exhibition for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology. 

What is Euspen? 

Euspen is an influential community linking industrialists, researchers, respected authorities, new, and established players worldwide whose mission is to advance the arts, sciences and technology of precision engineering, micro engineering and nanotechnology; to promote its dissemination through education and training; and to facilitate its exploitation by science and industry. 

Each year the euspen Talent Programme identifies exceptional students with the potential to become future leaders in the field of precision engineering and nanotechnology.  The 2022 challenge was no exception.  Students were asked to develop sustainable and affordable alignment solutions for LEGO in its evaluation of polymer BPF process precision and accuracy. 

The winning end solution was going to be of interest to CERN for the alignment of its next generation accelerator.

Being invited to CERN 

The top three teams of the Stage One “Lego Challenge” were invited to attend CERN’s metrology labs in Geneva to turn their virtual challenge solution into reality. A bursary was awarded to contribute towards travel, accommodation and subsistence, and a coveted euspen scholarship provided the finalists with complimentary access to the 2022 International Conference and Exhibition. 

They also had the opportunity to participate in the HR talent forum which took place during the international conference. 

By the time the participants had been chosen to take part in the Talent Programme, they had already undergone a rigorous European-wide selection process, as Kevin explained, only nine teams comprising of three researchers each, were chosen from across Europe to take part in the competition.

“We were over the moon to have been invited to CERN and we thought Stage Three was going to be an extension of what we had thought up for Stages One and Two, but it wasn’t!  When we got there, they threw a completely new challenge at us, so the pressure was really on,” said Kevin who is originally from India.

“Participating in this challenge was a golden opportunity to meet researchers around the globe and has enriched my knowledge and understanding about the recent developments in the field of precision engineering and nanotechnology,” he added.

Euspen’s Vice President 

Earlier in 2022, the University’s Professor Liam Blunt was appointed as euspen’s Vice President as a direct result of the ground-breaking research he has conducted throughout his career.

“This is a prestigious appointment and enhances the University of Huddersfield’s profile in this field,” said Professor Blunt.

“It will also increase the opportunity for international impact of the University’s engineering and precision technology research,” he said.