New Cambridge structural integrity educational establishment welcomes its first PhD student

The National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) based at TWI near Cambridge, opened its doors for business today (1 May 2013) by welcoming its first PhD student.

NSIRC is the world’s first educational establishment offering industry-driven postgraduate degree programmes in structural integrity. Set up to address the shortage of structural integrity engineers worldwide, the Centre is a unique collaboration between industry, research and technology organisation TWI, lead academic partner Brunel University, together with Manchester and Cambridge universities.

Joining a team of engineers working with specialist materials and joining processes, NSIRC student Anna Wojdyła begins a programme of research looking at new coatings and surface treatments to protect low energy surfaces. Anna’s focus will be on increasing the fuel efficiency and production capacity in large structures such as aircraft, wind turbines and ships. Her PhD will be awarded by Brunel University.

Anna commented, “I wanted to follow a postgraduate programme that would help me to stand out from others, to do something different, and studying in an industry environment doing real project work does exactly this.”

Degree programmes at NSIRC are designed specifically for graduates like Anna who wish to continue their studies or who are already working in the field of structural integrity. Within its first ten years of operation, the Centre will engage over 500 postgraduate students in PhD, MPhil and MSc courses, enabling the ground-breaking research needed by industry and equipping these newly qualified students with valuable engineering experience.

Chief Executive of TWI, Christoph Wiesner said, “We are delighted to welcome Anna to NSIRC at the start of a vital collaborative initiative to invest in the engineering experts of the future. Anna’s area of study is of direct relevance to current industry needs and she will take this important knowledge with her when she enters the workplace.”

For further information please visit the NSIRC website or contact us at enquiries@nsirc.co.uk

 

About NSIRC

The National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) offers a tailored route for industry to meet current challenges and achieve engineering excellence alongside a new generation of specialists who will be responsible for the safe design, build and operation of the structures of the future.

NSIRC is the world’s first educational establishment offering industrially led postgraduate degree programmes in structural integrity. Set up to address the shortage of structural integrity engineers worldwide, the Centre is a unique collaboration between industry, research and technology organisation TWI, lead academic partner Brunel University, together with Manchester and Cambridge universities.

Study programmes at NSIRC are being made possible through the university partnerships, along with significant funding from the UK Government’s Regional Growth Fund and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This is being backed with industrial funding from leading organisations on the Board of the Structural Integrity Research Foundation (SIRFä) , the foundation managing the NSIRC’s industry interests, plus capital and new facilities investment from SIRF founder TWI itself.

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NSIRC, Granta Park, Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL. Tel: 01223 899000.  Fax: 01223 892588.  E-mail: enquiries@nsirc.co.uk Web: www.nsirc.co.uk

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