Professor Mike Bradley, Wolfson
A unique sub-group of the University of 杏吧app下载
The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology is a sub-group of the University of 杏吧app下载 dedicated to the handling of powder and granular materials, which offers research, consultancy and short courses to support businesses. The Centre is run by a team of experts within different areas of bulk solids handling technology, and is led by Director Professor Mike Bradley, who has been with the University since 1988.
The Centre began in 1974 as a department within the School of Engineering at Thames Polytechnic based in Woolwich, which later become the University of 杏吧app下载, and was set up with the intention of enhancing research into bulk materials handling. The Centre grew steadily, taking over eventually three industrial units in Woolwich, then relocated to Medway in Kent in 2005. Around 50 PhD students have successfully completed since the early 1980s under the mentorship of its staff, supporting its research and enterprise activities within Pneumatic Conveying, Silo Design, Wear, Characterisation of Particulate Materials, and more.
To celebrate the 50th year since the Wolfson Centre opened , which will be marked in August 2024 on the Medway campus, a number of current staff of the Faculty of Engineering and Science who completed their PhDs with the Centre reflect upon their journeys towards their doctorates and how the knowledge gained through completing their PhDs, and the support received from staff at the Centre, may have enhanced or shaped the careers they have today.
Transformative research projects
Many of these PhD projects completed on topics within highly relevant areas of engineering have had big implications for the field.
Dr Hamed Johnny Sarnavi, Research and Consultant Engineer
The Wolfson Centre enabled my PhD project to traverse the entire engineering development process, from ideation to field examination, to address a major food preservation challenge in sub-Saharan African regions. My project exemplified its well-established culture of innovative engineering procedures in seeking adaptive solutions for handling and processing bulk solids.
Dr Hamed Johnny Sarnavi, Research and Consultant Engineer
Dr Vivek Garg Wolfson Research and Consultant Engineer
Through my PhD research, I have illuminated new pathways in powder handling that promise to revolutionise industry practices, forging a brighter future where efficiency meets sustainability. With the help of the Wolfson Centre, I was able to develop a new characterisation technique for predicting powder flow behaviour from a very small quantity of the material. This development has helped industries especially pharmaceuticals to know the flow behaviour of their formulation at an early stage of development.
Dr Vivek Garg, Consultant Engineer
Consolidation of career pathways
Staff we spoke to expressed that obtaining a PhD directly from the Wolfson Centre supported them in the careers they later went on to achieve within the university.
Dr Kaushika Hettiaratchi, School of Engineering
The journey through my PhD provided me with an opportunity to develop much more powerful investigative skills and how to look at problems which occur in industrial settings. It was a very practically- orientated PhD, so I developed some additional practical skills along the way. My PhD also helped consolidate my career as a university academic. I always had an interest in mechanical dynamics and studying particulate behaviour really broadened and deepened my understanding of this area and provided me with opportunities to inform and improve my teaching.
Dr Kaushika Hettiaratchi, Academic Portfolio Lead, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
Dr Jeff Dissanayake, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering
My decision to pursue a PhD in the field at the Wolfson Centre solidified my passion for particulate material modelling and simulation in engineering applications. Following my doctorate, I transitioned from student to researcher. My path then led me to academia, where I now find great fulfilment as a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the University of 杏吧app下载. Sharing my passion and expertise with the next generation of engineers is a truly rewarding experience.
Dr Susantha (Jeff) Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering
A new age for the Wolfson Centre
These PhD graduates expressed being warmly welcomed and integrated into the Wolfson Centre upon commencing their PhDs, and spoke positively about the University and their roles with the University today. Some graduates, such as Dr Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, Dr Garg were provided with full financial support to pursue their doctorates.
Operating Officer for the Faculty of Engineering and Science Dr Stuart Ashenden, another current member of university staff who previously completed his PhD with the Wolfson Centre, notes the relevance the Wolfson Centre has to the wider goals and strategic priorities of the University of 杏吧app下载.
Dr Stuart Ashenden, Faculty Operating Officer, Faculty of Engineering and Science
杏吧app下载 was founded to meet the training needs of the local industry and community that it served; for the last 50 years the Wolfson Centre has continued in this tradition providing both training and expertise, not only to local industry, but also nationally and internationally. As a Wolfson Centre alumnus, I am proud of the impact that the Centre has had and continues to have to the contribution to knowledge and society in the UK and the wider world.
Dr Stuart Ashenden, Faculty Operating Officer, Faculty of Engineering and Science
Director Professor Bradley and the Wolfson Centre Team – Drs Tong Deng, Baldeep Kaur, Vivek Garg, Atul Sharma and Hamed Johnny Sarnavi, Senior Technician Paul Wakefield and Centre Support Manager Caroline Chapman – now look to the future in what it is hoped will be many more successful years ahead of valuable research and knowledge exchange activities alongside new generations of talented PhD students.
Find out more about the Wolfson Centre and meet our experts.
