Research groups and Research leaders

Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering

We undertake leading edge work in additive layer manufacturing, engineering simulation, diffusion bonding and manufacturing engineering, resulting in major research partnerships with BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and many other local companies. This Unit includes five professors with international publication portfolios in leading journals:

Prof Ndy Ekere researches in Electronics Manufacturing and Assembly Materials Characterisation and Modelling, Process Modelling and Simulation of Manufacturing Systems and Requirements capture and supply chain management. He has successfully completed 22 Research Grants/Contracts worth over £1,500,000 between 1992 and 2012,

Has consultancy links with 40+ manufacturing companies and has authored/co-authored 130+ papers in international journals/conferences, 2 book chapters, and 50+ consultancy project reports

Prof Kevin Kibble’s research is into optimising the mechanical properties of metals made by selective laser melting (SLM).  Manufacture of metal  matrix composites (MMCs) by SLM,  Fracture analysis of Engineering Ceramics., Strain-rate sensitivity of thermoplastics, recycling of selective laser sintered (SLS) polyamide and  Continuous Improvement. He has published over 50 peer reviewed Journal and international conference. He has managed European Commission (EC CRAFT), TCS/KTP and EPSRC projects to a successful conclusion
International research collaborations include: Shenzhen Polytechnic, China, involving polymer engineering research; Kyungpook National University, Korea involving high temperature mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V made by direct metal laser melting and measuring mechano-luminescence when stressing advanced engineering ceramics; and the Materials Ireland Research Centre at the University of Limerick and Waterford Institute of Technology involving Analytical Development of Cast Iron Enamelling
Prof Chike Oduoza specialises in Process and Management Engineering. He teaches in the areas of Sustainability and Life Cycle Engineering, Strategic Quality Management and Life Long Learning and Employability.

Over the past five years Prof. Oduoza has led two separate European Consortia. He has won over £700,000 in research grants over the last five years.He has chaired the United Kingdom Electrochemical Technology Group (ECTG) of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) for the past four years.

Prof Andrew Pollard has 16 years industrial experience at GKN Technology, the central R&D centre for GKN plc, where he worked on new product and process development for springs, driveshafts and couplings produced from composite materials. He has developed an international reputation in high power driveshafts produced from composite materials, with publications in that field and also responsibility for the development and commercial introduction of a new composite driveshaft coupling for wind turbines

He is responsible for the Caparo Innovation Centre in the Department of Engineering - a collaborative venture between Caparo plc and the University.

 

Prof Mark Stanford is a leading expert in advanced manufacturing techniques, particularly additive layer manufacturing. His work includes pioneering studies of the use of these techniques for such applications as medical implants, jewelry and novel bonded joints. He undertakes consultancy work in this field for blue-chip clients in the racing car and aerospace industries.

Architecture and the Built Environment

We undertake internationally recognized research in sustainable building, land and real estate management, decision support, BIM, dispute resolution, transport and infrastructure, management, diffusion bonding and manufacturing engineering, resulting in major research partnerships with Carillon, Arup and many other local companies. The unit includes five professors with international publication records:

  
Prof Mike Fullen’s research activities are mainly concerned with soil erosion, soil conservation, desertification and desert reclamation and his fieldwork is mainly based in Europe and Asia. Field-based research projects have been completed or are in progress in Belgium, Brazil, China, The Gambia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Isle of Man, Lithuania, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, the UK, the USA and Vietnam. Professor Fullen has published widely in soil science. He  is also Honorary Professor at Yunnan Agricultural University (China) and an Academician of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He has received research grants from over 30 institutions, principally the European Union. He is also Vice-President, Councillor and Representative for the United Kingdom of the World Association for Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC), Vice-President and UK Representative on the Council of the European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC), Member of the ESSC Executive Council and Editor-in-Chief of the ESSC Newsletter. Professor Fullen has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and as a Fellow of the Biological Society
Prof Issaka Ndekugri researches Forensic Analysis of Delays and Disruption of Construction Projects, Construction Contract Documents, Administration of Construction Contracts, Health and Safety, Supply Chain Integration in Construction. He is author of Building Contract: Law and Administration, winner of the Gold Award of the CIOB’s Construction Industry’s Literary Award Scheme. He is author of over 60 papers in major research jounals.
 Prof Chris Nwagbwoso is Professor of Integrated Transport and Automotive Systems. He has more than 30 years experience of  working in Industry and Public sector. He is an author of several books and more than 200 international research papers/reports. He founded the Accelerating Excellence Award for Public and Private sector in Africa, was the Director of Midland Institute of Transport, UK and  founding Chief Executive of the UK’s West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence, United Kingdom.  He  has acted as adviser to the UK Government Department (BERR). He was the Chairman of Society of Automotive Engineers-UK. He acted as one of the Commissioners/Panel member of the United Kingdom’s RAC Royal Commission on Motoring.
Prof Jamal Khatib researches Sustainable Construction/Structural Materials. His expertise includes the utilisation of waste/recycled and novel materials in cement based systems to produce construction materials. He has published 20 journal papers and received over £500,000 in research grants since 2008
Prof Sabah Mushatat is the author of six books on architecture,concentrating mainly on the fields of architecture, environmental and sustainable design, construction and architectural education, as well 2 textbooks, and more than 50 research papers in refereed journals and conferences. He has served several national and international scientific bodies, such as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) , and UNESCO and has worked as International Consultant for the governments of both Holland and Germany. Prof. Mushatat is the organiser of the Ajman International Urban Planning Conference (AIUPC

Computer Science and Informatics
The fields of research covered include Pervasive Computing, m-learning, RFID, Games and media, IT Security and digital forensics. The research has included major EU programmes such as food traceability from 'Farm to Fork', and work with strategic global partners such a GS1. 

  
Prof Robert Newman’s research focus is on pervasive computing, specialising in the system design of distributed intelligent systems and their application within very large wireless intelligent sensor networks. He was the proposal co-ordinator and the principal investigator for the ICT-PSP project ‘RFID from Farm to Fork (RFID-F2F). The outcome of this project is an international initiative, in collaboration with GS1, to prepare global standards for use of electronic product codes in food traceability and the inclusion of sensor data in the EPC. He has successfully secured and delivered research contracts worth in excess of £1M, funded by the European Union and by EPSRC. His work in the field of design systems, to develop IT systems to promote information flows and track required transformations between disparate communities within development processes in the engineering sector, attracted collaboration with such major industry players as Ford, Rolls Royce, Volkswagen, BMW, BAE Systems and EADS.
Prof Qasim Mehdi’s research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Computer Simulation and Modelling, Microprocessors and Microsystems, Graphics and Visualisation, and Interactive Digital Applications. He is Chief Editor of the first International Journal on Intelligent Games and Simulation (IJIGS). Professor Mehdi is a co-founder and member of a steering committee which links together digital media developers, education, and the entertainments industry under FP6 European framework which includes twelve European countries with 220 expert partners.He is also a partner of the Canadian research project SAGE project and has initiated a Network of Excellence (NoE) under FP6 framework in computer games.
Prof John Traxler, is the Director of the International Association for Mobile Learning, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning and of Interactive Learning Environments, and is on the Editorial Board of ALT-J and ITID. He is co-editor of the definitive book on mobile learning “Mobile Learning: A Handbook for Educators and Trainers”, with Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme.  He has written 14 book chapters on mobile learning
Prof Carl Dudley holds the post of Oracle Professor in Database Technology. He has been active within the Oracle environment for the last 25 years, being a director of the UK Oracle User Group and speaking regularly at international conferences since 1991. He has also participated in the SQL Standards ISO group. In November 2002, Carl was selected as ‘DBA of the Year’ by Oracle Corporation. This worldwide award was given to him in recognition of his contribution to the Oracle user community and his work on innovative Oracle Server projects. Carl achieved Oracle ACE Director status in 2009.

Mathematics and Statistics

This group is recognized as internationally leading for its work in web data mining and information elicitation using statistical techniques. This work represents the research output of our Mathematic and Statistics team, and includes involvement in strategic EU programmes and partnerships with major companies. All bachelor's and masters degrees in this area are accredited by IMA. The unit includes 1 professor with a international publication record:

Prof Michael Thelwall’s current research field includes identifying and analysing web phenomena using quantitative-led research methods, primarily link analysis and sentiment analysis, and has pioneered an information science approach to link analysis. He is also Docent at the Department of Information Studies at Åbo Akademi University, a research associate at the Oxford Internet Institute and a visiting professor at the Complutense University of Madrid. He has authored over 100 papers in top international journals.

 

Allied Health Professions and Studies.

Strengths include:

  • Cancer Research – addressing a range of areas concerning cancer, particularly with relation to brain tumours.
  • Diabetes, Physiology and Molecular Medicine – encompassing how diabetes develops and affects the body at a molecular and cellular level, including diagnosing the disease through studies of the boy’s biochemistry.
  • Food Biology, Medical Microbiology and Disinfection – looking at the cross-contamination of surfaces and ways of controlling infection in foods and the body.
  • Molecular Immunology – focusing on immunity and disease, and the development of a range techniques to promote immunity.
  • Molecular Pharmacology - works with two principle themes: the creation of bioactive peptides and analysis of how they affect the body; and, investigation into the process of new blood vessel formation in the body.
  • Pharmacy – concerned with the design, development and delivery of drugs for treating infections, cancers, inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as current issues in Pharmacy profession and its teaching.

The unit includes four professors with international publication records:

Prof John Darling’s  interests lie in the molecular cell biology of human malignant brain tumours, with special reference to trying to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that cause these tumours to develop in the first place and why they are so resistant to therapy. His interests include the development and testing of novel therapeutics, modulating chemosensitivity using gene therapy approaches and identifying and applying genetic and cell biological markers to predict therapeutic response and prognosis in patients with malignant brain tumours. He is a member of several influential steering committees and advisory boards, including Brain Tumour NorthWest,  Brain Tumour UK,Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, European Neuro-oncology Association Steering Committee, Medical Research Council Brain Tumour Working Party, Medical Research Council College of Experts, British Neuro-oncology Society (President 2007 – 2009), Cancerbackup Scientific and Medical Advisor, Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Research Trust Scientific and Medical Advisory Board,  Society for Neuro-Oncology Honours and Awards Committee
Prof John Howl’s research interests include the chemistry and biology of peptides, synthesis and characterization of novel peptide analogues of hormones and neuropeptides, design of retro-inverso and chimeric peptides, development of anti-cancer peptide-drug bioconjugates, biological mass spectrometry, proteomics and snake venomics. His group supplies peptides to many external customers via PanTechnia (see http://www.pantechnia.co.uk/).
Prof Craig Williams. In 1993 PROF WILLIAMS established the meso and microporous research group to study the problems involved in zeolite synthesis and isomorphous substitution.  He is an internationally leading figure in the synthesis of metal substituted zeolite frameworks.  To date five patents and over 50 publications on various aspects of zeolite science in refereed journals have been produced.  In 1999 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and has served as Secretary and Chair of the Analytical Division of the Midlands Region of the RSC and Secretary of the Industrial Inorganic Chemicals Sector of the RSC.
Professor Ray Fitzpatrick. In 2003 Ray was appointed Clinical Director of Pharmacy at Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University. Ray has a special interest in medicines optimisation and pharmacy practice research. He has over 100 publications, including full papers, conference presentations and book chapters, to his name. He has been external examiner to several universities and editor of the journal Hospital Pharmacy Europe.

He has been advisor to NHS and government bodies on medicines management and prescribing issues, and was on the working party which developed the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Standards for Hospital Pharmacy Services published in 2012. He currently chairs the national working party developing standards for Homecare services due to be published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in autumn 2013.The research income for this unit has averaged £264,667 per year in competitively obtained external income (according to HESA figures) over the period 2008-2011. The unit has produced 8 successful PhD completions in this period.