Smart Actuation 2016: Industrial Applications

Stefan Mathuni: Lead Engineer - Piezo Systems, Physik Instrumente

Stefan Mathuni studied mechanical engineering at the University of Stuttgart where he focused on precision engineering and technical dynamics. He has been with Physik Instrumente (PI) for six years and works on the design and optimisation of piezo systems. His experience makes him a specialist in this field. During his long career, he has worked with piezo systems such as tip/tilt mirrors, serial and parallel kinematics, piezo benders and stepping drives. His current work is focused on dynamic applications with piezo systems. He also has extensive knowledge in the field of FEM simulation which he teaches at university level to the younger generation.

Professor Markys Cain: Director, Electrosciences Ltd

Professor Markys Cain FIMMM, CPhys. graduated with his PhD in Physics from Warwick University in 1990 and spent the next few years in the Materials Department of UC, Santa Barbara, studying thin film epitaxial science. On his return he joined the UK’s NPL (1997) to lead the Functional Materials Research Group. Research activity included the development of measurement methods for ferroelectric and piezoelectric ceramics and thin film materials, and more recently with multiferroic materials, energy harvesting and storage technologies.

He has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific papers, has written a book, and chairs the IOM3 Smart Materials and Systems Committee, was recipient of the IOM3 Verulam Medal (2009), is CPhys and member of the IOP, and visiting Professor at QMUL, UK. Since 2008, he has been the company owner and Director of Electrosciences Ltd, a UK-based scientific consultancy business based in Farnham.

Dr. Jürgen Brünahl: Principal Engineer R&D Bulk – Technology, Xaar

Dr. Jürgen Brünahl is currently Principal Engineer at the Technology department at Xaar in Cambridge, UK. He earned his PhD in Physics at KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden from 1999 to 2003 on design and applications of piezoelectric devices and their characterisation.

At the same time, he started at Xaar where he engaged himself for 17 years in R&D of piezoelectric inkjet printheads. He holds several patents, has published eight papers, and contributed to a book chapter on industrial inkjet printing.

Dr. Glenn Martyna: Research Staff Member, IBM

Dr. Glenn J. Martyna received his PhD from Columbia University, where he won a Hammett Award, and subsequently became a NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a tenured faculty member at Indiana University, Bloomington before joining IBM Research and was later named an Honorary Professor of Physics at The University of Edinburgh, UK.

Dr. Martyna’s research is focused on the atomistic modelling of soft condensed matter and materials systems as well as novel device physics, in addition to his interest in physics based computational methodology development. He is currently working to combine physical measurements with theory to study anti-microbial peptides and developing a new post- complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology based on strain transductions that promises low power and high speed. 

Thorsten Schmitz-Kempen: Chief Technical Systems, aixACCT

Thorsten Schmitz-Kempen is CTO and Co-Founder of aixACCT Systems GmbH and received his diploma in electrical engineering from RWTH Aachen Technical University in 1998. 

He is responsible for the development of new test equipment at aixACCT and has designed the first wafer level double beam laser interferometer. 

Thorsten has been active in the field of oxide thin film testing for over 20 years and design of test equipment for piezoelectrics for 15 years. 

Aurélien Riquer: Sales Engineer, Cedrat Technologies

Aurelien Riquer graduated in 2004 from the Institut d’Optique Graduate School. He worked for SAGEM (SAFRAN group) as Optronics Methods Engineer, before he took charge of the industrial activities of repair, maintenance and overhaul (MRO) for navy optronics equipments. He joined Cedrat Technologies in 2013 as sales engineer and is in charge of developing the business of actuators, transducers, motors and sensors for mechatronics in North Europe.

Martin Jones: Motorsport Market Manager – Europe, Moog Controls

Martin Jones is the Market Manager for Moog Controls Ltd Tewkesbury, responsible for supporting and developing Moog’s motorsport business around the world. In a career of over 35 years at Moog, he has worked in a range of sales and applications engineering functions for industries including mobile equipment, marine and offshore, blow moulding and rolling mills. He studied Physics and Economics at the University of East Anglia.

Professor Chris Bowen: ERC Advanced Investigator in Novel Energy Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath

Professor Chris Bowen has a BSc degree in Materials Science from the University of Bath (1986-1990) and a DPhil in Ceramics from the University of Oxford (1990-1993). Post-doctoral work has been undertaken at Tecnische Universität Harburg, Hamburg and University of Leeds (1994-1996). He was Senior Scientist at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency from 1996-1998. Chris joined the University of Bath as a lecturer in 1998 and is now Professor of Materials and ERC Advanced Investigator, ERC Grant Agreement no. 320963 on Novel Energy Materials, Engineering Science and Integrated Systems (NEMESIS). Research areas include energy harvesting, piezoelectric materials and functional ceramics.

Dr. Jem Rongong: Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield

Dr. Jem Rongong is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research activities principally involve the use of unusual materials in the control of structural vibrations. This includes evaluation, characterisation and modelling of polymeric, composite, thermomechanical and electromechanical materials for use in practical machines and structures. He graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from UMIST in 1990 and subsequently worked on various industrially-funded university research projects, picking up an MSc and PhD on the way. Between 2000-2007, he helped run the Rolls-Royce Materials Damping UTC and obtained a full-time academic position in 2008.

Professor Tony Anson: The Experimental Techniques Centre, Brunel University, London

Professor Tony Anson trained as a mechanical engineer and had the benefit of experiencing diverse opportunities broadly in the engineering disciplines. The breadth of these opportunities necessitated a long and willing relationship with materials science, biology and physics. The need for this multi-discipline behaviour is evidenced in the successful application of science and engineering for cardiovascular and orthopaedic medical implants, plasma deposited thin film coatings, manufacturing engineering, aerospace flight hardware, and other advanced materials-based products. All of these endeavours have made the transition from the academic environment to commercial activity, facilitated by the formation of several successful spin-out companies.

Professor Paul Weaver: Professor in Lightweight Structures, Bristol University and the University of Limerick

Professor Paul Weaver has a personal chair in Lightweight Structures at Bristol University where he directs the Advanced Composite Centre Innovation and Science's (ACCIS) Centre for Doctoral Training. In 2016 he also became the Bernal Chair in Composite Structures at the University of Limerick. He has published in excess of 200 refereed papers, had five patents and graduated 29 PhD students.

Paul has been a regular visitor and consultant to NASA Langley on buckling and post-buckling design methods of plate and shell structures. His work on morphing composites is being considered for use in wind turbine designs, F1 and high performance boats.

Ivan Rungger: Senior Research Scientist & Strategic Research Fellow, National Physical Laboratory

Ivan Rungger obtained his PhD in computational physics from Trinity College Dublin in 2009, where he developed computational methods for electronic structure and electron transport modelling, and applied them to nanodevices. He continued as a research fellow in the computational spintronics group of Prof Stefano Sanvito, and is one of the main developers of the Smeagol quantum transport code. He joined NPL as a Strategic Research Fellow for atomic scale modelling in May 2015. Ivan's computational nanometrology research at NPL involves the development, application and validation of computational tools for the atomic scale study of nanodevices and of their transport properties, in particular in the areas of low-dimensional materials, layered heterostructures, molecular-, spin-, and organic electronics and photovoltaics. The used tools are mainly based on density functional theory (DFT) and the non-equilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) formalism.