James, a Ph.D. student from the 2021 cohort of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Composites Science, Engineering, and Manufacturing (CoSEM CDT), has received the £150 prize for his publication:
J.C. Griffith, S. Wang, D.R. Palubiski, K.R. Ramakrishnan, S. Rochat, F. Giuliani, M. Walls-Bruck, I. Hamerton, Investigating the microcracking behaviour of a commercial epoxy matrix under cryogenic conditions, Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, Volume 199, December 2025, 109190 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2025.109190
The Syensqo Prize is awarded annually to a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the CoSEM CDT whose research is deemed to have produced the most impactful journal paper in composites, with applications across aerospace, oil & gas, renewable energy, and medical industries. The selection is based on both independent citations and the journal’s impact factor.
Dr. Jon Meegan, a Research Fellow in Syensqo's Composite Materials Business unit said: "We were very impressed by the standard of all the publications that we reviewed, and it was actually quite difficult to determine the eventual winner of the award. In the end though, we felt that James' paper clearly described the importance of building on the current understanding of how composite laminates perform at cryogenic temperatures, and highlighted some very important insights using a novel testing method. We were impressed by the approach that the authors took to outline these insights and their relevance to the Composites industry".
James shared his thoughts on winning the award: "I am honoured to receive the Best Journal Paper Prize sponsored by Syensqo. My sincere thanks go to my supervisors and co-authors for their support and contributions throughout the study, and to Syensqo and Dr. Jon Meegan for sponsoring and presenting the award. I’m glad to hear the judging panel found the decision a difficult one, which I believe reflects the quality of research within the CoSEM CDT".
We extend our thanks to Syensqo for sponsoring this prize, which recognises and celebrates the outstanding research contributions of our CDT students. Congratulations once again to James on this well-deserved recognition.