Renishaw funded student awarded £80k Fellowship for groundbreaking material characterisation research

7 November 2013

Jethro Coulson, a researcher at Renishaw plc and EngD student at University of Nottingham has been awarded an Industrial Fellowship worth over £80,000 by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Only eight Industrial Fellowships are awarded each year, providing young scientists and engineers with the means to develop an innovative commercial technology with the potential to secure a patent.

First established by Prince Albert to stage the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the eponymous Crystal Palace, the Royal Commission now awards a number of fellowships and grants to support industrial education. The Industrial Fellowships form a crucial part of this work, with the specific aim of encouraging profitable innovation in British industry.

The 2013 Fellows were recognised at an award ceremony attended by the Rt Hon David Willetts, UK Minister for Universities and Science.

Jethro was awarded the Fellowship to further develop and commercialise a laser ultrasonic based, material characterisation technique called Spatially Resolved Acoustic Spectroscopy (SRAS). The project is aimed at fulfilling an increasing need in industry for determining the microstructure of high-performance components, such as gas turbine blades and high pressure power-plant parts, rapidly and quantitatively.

Jethro explains: “I was attracted to the Industrial Fellowship because it allows me to apply my physics background to a practical problem and gives me the funding and time to explore and develop ideas that I wouldn't otherwise have had.

“It is also a fantastic way of facilitating collaboration between academia and industry and my project is a perfect example of how tools that originated in a university can be made available and marketable within a commercial environment. This wouldn't have been possible without the Fellowship.”

Bernard Taylor, Chairman of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, said: “The Commission aims to encourage innovation across the whole breadth and depth of British industry in the 21st century. Jethro's work is a perfect example of this diversity, which also fulfils the Fellowship's aim to fund the development of profitable and patented technologies. We congratulate Jethro on his success so far and look forward to following his success in the future.”

The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science, said: "The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK is the best place in the world to do science. To achieve this we must support the development of scientific ideas into commercially viable and profitable technologies. These in turn drive the economy and keep the UK ahead in the global race.
“The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 has been supporting this aim for a number of years. I would like to congratulate all the talented young scientists and engineers who have taken part in the Fellowships Award Ceremony. Their achievements, and ambitious plans for the future, show the diversity of talent and innovation that exists across the UK.”

About the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 offers major awards to scientists and engineers for research, development and design. First established to stage the Great Exhibition in 1851, the Royal Commission's extraordinary history is founded on an inspired vision of the importance of education to economic success.

Awarded to eight science and engineering graduates annually, the Industrial Fellowships form a crucial part of the Commission's work, with the specific aim of encouraging profitable innovation in British industry.

Each three-year Fellowship is worth over £80,000 and those awarded must work to develop a patented and profitable technology, while completing a PhD or EngD.

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