PhD subject: Life Prediction of Composites based on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

I chose the UNDT group at the University of Bristol because it has a good reputation in both academia and industry. This is mainly due to having made well published advances in acoustic levitation and introduced the total focussing method to NDT. It’s great when I go to conferences and visit sites because people know so much about the group I am from! It is good to be working with academics whose papers are world-leading, especially when they are your supervisors. To know that your supervisor has really contributed to your subject with numerous high-quality papers gives you confidence to trust their advice and ask them for help when you need it most. Most of all you can trust them to critically assess your work so that you grow in ability as a researcher.

I am an EngD student through the CDT on Quantitaive Evaluation, led by Imperial College and RCNDE.  Being part of RCNDE and the University of Bristol has provided me with the opportunity to visit many companies in the UK and abroad. I have been to visit Porton Down, Aberthaw Power Station, Rolls Royce and Airbus in Bristol and Fokker in The Netherlands. A highlight for me was a visit to the Farnborough International Airshow with Airbus. During my EngD with RCNDE I also present my work every two years to industrial NDT members. This industrial exposure is important when coming to apply for jobs and has also helped me to see how NDT works in industry. I also submit 6-monthly reports to my sponsor company which helps to keep you industrially focussed.