The work I do is mainly focused on conventional power generation, so you could say that's
about keeping the lights on as we move towards a sustainable power generation future. I personally
have supervised over 30 PhD students many of whom are working in industry in lots of
different areas today. The EPSRC and its predecessors have funded a lot of my research particularly
in the area of green chemistry. They gave me a so called clean technology fellowship
in 1994 which helped me get started in this area. The aim is to help patients who have
lost tissue either due to a disease or injury and we want to create a medicine that restores
that tissue back to being fully functional. The great thing about the EPSRC is that it
actually enables us to be able to do high risk blue sky research which will have a benefit
now, but also in the longer term. The EPSRC has been very helpful in helping us to see
where we can make the most impact with our science. Mathematics I would say is the foundation,
it's the root. Mathematics is the language of science. With help of advanced metamaterials
we can now even think of a three dimensional displays and paper-thin video cameras for
mobile phones. Photonics is all pervasive. It flies airliners, it's on the moon, it's
in the space station, it's even on Mars, as well as powering the entire internet.
Today the world's strongest economies are science economies. They are strong because they invest
in research. In the UK around 75 per cent of industrial GDP and 80 per cent of exports
rely on engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC is central to this dynamic investing
in emerging technologies for a better world. We've invested £12 billion in university
research and innovation and in doctoral training for 60,000 students, delivering the impact
needed to drive the growth, skills and efficiencies necessary for a strong economy. From advanced
manufacturing and materials to healthcare, transport, energy and communications, EPSRC
works through 2,800 universities, industrial and other partnerships worth £1.74 billion.
We help the UK compete with the best. EPSRC investing in research, discovery and innovation.