The Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Composites Manufacture is a four-year doctorate programme for researchers who aspire to key leadership positions in industry. The programme provides a challenging, multi-disciplinary and academically rigorous education and training experience, leading to a recognised postgraduate qualification. The EngD research student, or ‘Research Engineer’, conducts PhD-equivalent research and completes taught technical and business courses whilst working closely with an industrial sponsor.
The EngD is undertaken as a partnership between industry and academia, while each EngD research project is designed around the sponsoring company’s research priorities. Research Engineers spend 75% of their time at their sponsoring company carrying out the industrially focused research project, while the remaining 25% of their time is allocated to completing bespoke taught units, which are specifically tailored to the needs of the composites manufacturing engineer.
The taught component is made up of 10 Masters‐level units, each lasting one week. The units are delivered by leading academics and industrial speakers, and are run at the University of Bristol, with the Business Skills units taking place at the University of Bath.
Research Engineers are supervised by an academic and an industrial supervisor and are registered to the University of the academic supervisor. Further information about the EngD award is available via the Association of Engineering Doctorates.
Harry Barnard, Composite to metal joining methodologies for high tensile load applications sponsored by National Oilwell Varco and is now working as a senior project engineer in their Wireline and Flowline division.
Pete Calvert, Pursuit of dimensionally compliant complex mouldings via adaptive, data-driven processing, sponsored by Rolls Royce and is now based in Toulouse, France working for Airbus.
Harry Clegg, Exploring the possibilities and pushing the boundaries of TTR sponsored by NCC is now based in the USA and self employed.
Dimitris Karanatis, Advanced CFRP simulation for the development of fabric architectures and process improvement sponsored by Hexel at the University of Nottingham, and has returned to Greece working in his family’s business.