Speakers

Huma Ashraf received the MA degree in Engineering from Cambridge University, the MSc. degree in Semiconductor Science &Technology and the Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Imperial College of Science and Technology, London.

In 1993, she joined Surface Technology Systems as a Process Engineer and led early pioneering development of silicon DRIE process and dry etch equipment, contributing to a number of technical papers and patents, over many years.  She is currently Director R&D/Consortia, Industry & Customer Collaborations, KLA.

Mr. Barkan founded The Graphene Council in 2013 which recently expanded to become the Advanced Carbons Council (ACC). This global trade association connects producers, end-users, and commercial professionals that have an interest in the research, development and application of all advanced carbon materials.

For more than 30 years, Terrance Barkan CAE has been building trade and professional associations on a global basis.

The Advanced Carbons Council currently reached more than 40,000 materials professionals and experts from around the world making it the largest community for people with an interest in materials that includes graphene, carbon nano tubes (CNTs), carbon fiber and other novel forms of carbon. The ACC produces weekly intelligence briefing newsletters, contributes to global standards bodies and administers Verified Producer™ programs.

Under the leadership of Mr. Barkan, the Advanced Carbons Council has become the leading global organization promoting the adoption and integration of enhanced and advanced carbon materials solutions.

Richard has 30+ years of industry experience, working in myriad engineering, business development, and marketing roles in F1 (Tyrrell), Aerospace (Rolls-Royce), and Consultancy (Talisman). He progressed from engineer to executive at RR, latterly as SVP leading all Civil Aerospace marketing activities. In 2020, he founded Talisman, offering specialist expertise to companies developing complex technologies. He joined Lucideon in 2022 as CMO, leading all marketing & strategy activities across the Group. He has a Master’s in Engineering from Cambridge University and an MBA, is a Chartered Engineer, and is a member of The Royal Aeronautical Society and Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Dr Stephen Hodge was appointed Versarien’s CEO in July 2023. He initially joined the board as Chief Technology Officer in 2021. Prior to this, he was Head of Research overseeing the company’s graphene and related materials R&D activities in the UK, Spain and South Korea, including participation in the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester.

Stephen has held post-doctoral research associate positions at the University of Cambridge and at Imperial College London, where he also completed a PhD in Nanomaterial Chemistry. Dr. Hodge is involved in various advisory panels and graphene regulatory committees and was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2022 Rising Star in Industry Award.

Company Overview

Versarien (AIM:VRS) is an IP-led advanced engineering materials group that utilises proprietary technology to create innovative engineering solutions. Versarien manufactures advanced materials such as graphene and utilises these materials across a number of sectors.

In construction, Versarien has developed a water-based graphene admixture (Cementene™) that has been demonstrated to enhance the properties of a number of concrete mix designs, making concrete stronger, more durable and, overall, more sustainable. Trials with pre-cast concrete have demonstrated that 20% of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) can be removed from a typical mix using Cementene™, maintaining the mechanical performance whilst enhancing durability. Versarien is also supporting CementeneTM trials in Brazil through South American partner Montana Química which holds a manufacturing and know-how license agreement for the manufacture of Versarien’s graphene inks and dispersions.

Versarien is also pioneering 3D construction printing (3DCP) in the UK using a robotic arm type printer. 3DCP has advantages over traditional building methods such as the ability to easily produce complex geometries, thereby increasing design freedom, and the ability to produce slimmer structures

containing less material. Overall 3DCP reduces waste, improves resource efficiency and speeds up the construction process. Versarien has previously supplied National Highways with the UK’s first 3D printed headwall alongside partners Costain and University of Cambridge, and has recently embarked on a commercially funded project by Balfour Beatty to develop 3d printable mortars using local materials that will facilitate the 3DCP industry taking off in the UK.

Robert Kay is the CEO of Hydra Manufacturing and Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Leeds. With over 20 years of experience in manufacturing research, specialises in hybrid additive manufacturing approaches and the translation of academic research into real-world applications. His work has led to multiple patent applications, spinouts, and licensing activities. Robert’s collaborative, multidisciplinary approach crosses both academia and industry, covering a broad range of sectors. At Hydra Manufacturing, he now leads the commercialisation of advanced hybrid 3D printing technologies for high-performance materials including ceramics, continuing his commitment to bridging research and industry to drive technological progress.

David is the Advanced Materials Lead at the National Composites Centre and currently chairs the UK-Ceramic Matrix Composite working group.

Prior to joining the NCC, David has worked in composite R&D at Solvay, Warwick Manufacturing Group, The University of Birmingham, and Rolls-Royce. His research has focused on both Ceramic and polymer matrix composites.

Tony Kinsella joined Lucideon in July 2004, bringing over 30 years’ experience in general management to his role. Tony is a qualified marketeer, strategist and leader and has a background in chemistry.  Tony has led Lucideon to its market-leading position as a development and commercialisation organisation (DCO), specialising in materials technology, processes, and testing.

His day-to-day role encompasses leading the Group and the Management Team and horizon scanning with a view to future proofing Lucideon alongside the CSO; and directing decisions on investments and spends.

Tony has lived and worked in the USA, Germany, South Africa, alongside the UK and brings his varied experience to his position as CEO and to his position as Director of Lucideon Group Ltd and all Lucideon companies.

Professor David Knowles joined the Henry Royce Institute as its CEO in early 2019, bringing with him a wealth of experience from senior roles in both academia and industry in the areas of materials and structural integrity. David is particularly experienced in leading the collaboration between higher education and industry, to accelerate energy sector-related research, knowledge transfer and implementation.

David is a Fellow of the Royal Academy, a Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Bristol University and was Co-Director of the South-West Nuclear Hub and Atkins Fellow. Through his career he has lead materials research at Shell Global Solutions, served as CTO at Quest Integrity (operating throughout Australasia and SE Asia) and lectured at Cambridge University; collaborating with Rolls-Royce as Assistant Director of their Ni-alloy UTC.

In recent years David has led industrial projects related to design and assessment of renewable energy offshore structures, oil and gas and nuclear plant. He holds and participates in several EPSRC/Innovate grants and is the PI on ‘SINDRI Prosperity Partnership’ which is developing cutting-edge digital technology for nuclear plant design and assessment.

Sofia Marchesini joined bp in January 2024 as Senior Material Chemist, Applied Physical Sciences, Advanced Bio & Physical Sciences for Low Carbon Energy, Innovation & Engineering, bp. Following her PhD in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, Sofia spent the next five years of her career firstly as Higher Scientist then as Senior Scientist at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Here Sofia led the area of surface metrology for sustainable materials within Surface Technology.

Bio coming soon…

Dr Ehsan Sabet is an associate professor of Ceramics AM at Loughborough University and the founder and CEO of Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, the biggest ceramic 3D printing facility in Europe with over two hundred ceramic printers and a full material development and a characterisation facility in Derby, UK.  Ehsan has twenty years of experience in research and manufacturing in material development and 3D printing. His track record of managing multi-million pounds industrial and research projects has made impacts in the supply chain of Rolls Royce (RR), SIEMENS, Jaguar & Land Rover (JLR), JCB Compact Systems, and General Motors (GM), as well as many small and medium-sized manufacturers in the UK and Europe.

Bio coming soon…

Mandar Thakare is the Associate Director of ICAM. He joined bp in Sep 2019, as the Materials Science Programme Manager in Group Research, and is responsible for the operational aspects of the ICAM partnership. He has over ten years’ experience in materials engineering, innovation strategy and new product development. Prior to joining bp, he worked as an Innovation Programme Lead at Element Six Ltd., where he supported a multi-site global team of scientists in developing and commercialising novel polycrystalline diamond products for oil and gas applications. As part of this role, he was closely involved in developing cutters for a range of O&G drilling applications across the globe, working closely with field users and drill-bit manufacturers.

He holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering (Mumbai, India), MSc in Surface Engineering (University of Nottingham), a PhD in Tribology (University of Southampton, Schlumberger plc funded) and an MBA (Alliance Manchester Business School). Prior to Element Six Ltd., he held a post-doctoral research position at the Osney Thermofluids Lab, University of Oxford, working closely with Rolls-Royce plc on gas turbine seals. During this period, he also tutored undergraduates in Engineering Science at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. After his PhD, he worked for Schlumberger plc, developing wear-corrosion resistant solutions for downhole directional drilling systems. During this period, he was responsible for identifying and qualifying coatings and materials solutions for Schlumberger tools deployed globally, through new suppliers and technologies. He has published journal papers, book chapters and conference papers on the subject of tribocorrosion and is a member of the IMechE Tribology Committee as well as a reviewer for journals such as Wear, Tribology International, ASME Journal of Tribology.

Rachel is a Policy Manager at Ceramics UK and manages a range of areas including skills and employment. After studying Politics at Lancaster University, she went on to work in the political field for a number of years in London before moving back to Cheshire; she has been at Ceramics UK for 6 years.

Dr Tom Whitehead leads the Science Team at Intellegens. Tom has a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge and extensive experience of practical applications of machine learning in industry. His team works closely with R&D teams in the materials, chemicals, and manufacturing sectors to understand their product and process development problems and to apply the Intellegens technology to accelerate innovation. Tom is also active in the development of new machine learning methodologies to address high-value data analysis bottlenecks.

Dr. Georgia Wood is a materials scientist focused on sustainable technologies. She earned her PhD at the University of Warwick, researching boron-doped diamond materials for electrochemical use. She later joined the University of British Columbia as a Postdoctoral Fellow, working on electrifying and decarbonising chemical production. Now Materials Science Manager at ICAM, Georgia leads project and portfolio management, driving the translation of academic research into business value.