
Dr Sam Gunner
PhD, MEng
Expertise
Current positions
Senior Research Associate
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
Sam is an experienced electronics and systems engineer, currently working as a Senior Researcher at the University of Bristol. Before carrying out his PhD Sam spent many years in industry, working across both the transport and energy sectors, designing, implementing and evaluating complex sociotechnical systems. Now within accademica Sam’s real-world experience is crucial to his research, helping him to build long lasting relationships with partners across the public and private sector.
The focus of Sam’s research is on the use of data to support more effective decision making. Sometimes this requires Sam to build bespoke remote monitoring systems (such in the REPLICATE and LocalAir projects) and sometimes it requires Sam to examine an existing system to understand where data might already be being generated that could be put to better use (such as in the TwinERGY and Urban Ride Research Projects). In either case, a major focus of Sam’s approach is engagement with real-world stakeholders, co-designing the data outputs to ensure that they are meeting the needs of decision-makers.
Sam has collaborated closely with a large number of different organisations, on a range of projects. Examples include; partnering with Bristol City Council to evaluate the impact of home energy interventions for the TwinERGY project, partnering with Voi to produce an e-scooter mounted air quality monitoring system in the LocalAir project, partnering with the West of England Combined Authority to understand how existing micro-mobility data might support policy makers in the Urban Ride Research project, partnering with the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust to build a Digital Twin of Bristol’s most icon structure, and partnering with We The Curious to help them understand their facilities energy usage.
In each occasion Sam has been able to use his engineering and system understanding to deliver fresh understanding and ground breaking research to real world problems, and by engaging with those at the coal-face of decision making Sam hopes to add impact to his research and possibly even deliver some social good.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
CSB Stanchions Assessment: an empirical-numerical approach
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
This project aims at understanding the cause of the stanchion damage of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, using numerical analyses, pushover lab tests on removed stanchions and data from in-situ sensors.…Managing organisational unit
Department of Civil EngineeringDates
03/05/2021 to 02/11/2021
A Digital Twin Enabler for the Clifton Suspension Bridge: an open-interface structural model
Principal Investigator
Description
We will build a mathematical simulation of the Clifton Suspension Bridge that can be updated automatically to mimic the real thing. This will shed light on how best to maintain…Managing organisational unit
Department of Civil EngineeringDates
11/01/2021 to 10/03/2021
8031 SYNERGIA 53707
Principal Investigator
Role
Researcher
Description
Contemporary IoT platforms typically adopt a cloud-based approach, with some offering optional backend installation at customer premises. This approach implies a requirement to transmit, process and store all data points…Managing organisational unit
Department of Electrical & Electronic EngineeringDates
01/11/2020 to 31/10/2022
Bristol Pilot of the Array of Things
Principal Investigator
Role
Researcher
Description
This project supports the pilot deployment of the Array of Things city-sensing technology in the city of Bristol.Managing organisational unit
Department of Civil EngineeringDates
01/11/2016 to 31/07/2017
Publications
Recent publications
29/10/2024Intrusion Detection at the IoT Edge Using Federated Learning
Security and Privacy in Smart Environments
Sense (and) the City: From IoT sensors and Open Data Platforms to Urban Observatories
IET Smart Cities
Digital twins for civil infrastructure
Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems
Multi-scale structural integrity assessment of a series of identical components in cultural-heritage structures
Life-Cycle of Structures and Infrastructure Systems - Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Life-Cycle Civil Engineering, IALCCE 2023
Evaluating Concept Drift Detectors on Real-World Data
Thesis
A Systematic Methodology for Technology Interventions in the Urban Environment
Supervisors
Award date
02/12/2021