School of Design, Engineering & Computing

BU appoints lecturer to give modern perspective on sustainable product design

19 March 2010

Thirty-year-old Dr Ben Thomas has been appointed as Lecturer in Sustainable Product Design following his recent completion of a BU funded PhD, awarded in 2009.

Having completed a BEng in Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University, Dr Thomas worked for a draftsman in a civil engineering company in Cobham, Surrey. His interest in product design prompted a desire for further knowledge, which led him to BU to undertake a Masters qualification in Sustainable Design.

During his MSc, Dr Thomas was approached to undertake a commercial research project for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). This opportunity was to form the basis of his PhD, entitled 'Friction and Wear Performance of Lifeboat Launch Slipways'. The project, funded by the RNLI and The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), identified ways of improving the performance and safety of the lifeboat launch process following innovative research on friction, lubrication and wear and tear.

He comments: “I enjoy the balance between delivering education and conducting research. I am able to integrate the information from my research into lectures, which is beneficial to students as there is always cutting edge, state of the art developments to discuss”.

As part of Bournemouth University's continued investment into their research profile, they are offering 25 fully-funded studentships commencing in October 2010 in a variety of Research Centres.