After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with an MEng in Chemical Engineering with European Studies, Ronan became a Process Technology Manager for Unilever R&D, working with global brand teams to tackle formulation, scale-up and supply chain innovation challenges. His PhD from the School of Chemistry and the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN ), Trinity College Dublin led to a new-found passion for novel manufacturing techniques. In 2011 he joined the IfM’s Inkjet Research Centre to continue his work on biosensor platforms using digital fabrication techniques and inexpensive materials for commercially-targeted tests. His current role as head of FIAM is focused on fluids and soft matter research, combining research into novel materials and devices with exploration of their manufacturing challenges, to drive effective scale-up of emerging technologies. Details can be found in the third edition of the IfM Review.

Yoanna studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Liverpool and graduated with an MEng in July 2013. Her interest in additive manufacturing and laser technologies developed during her individual project, advanced research project and internship while working on automating alloy encapsulation methods for the Accelerated Metallurgy Project with Renishaw Plc. Yoanna joined the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Ultra Precision at Cambridge in October 2013 as an MRes Student under the supervision of Prof. Bill O’Neill. She started a PhD under the supervision of Dr. Ronan Daly in October 2014 within the Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing group and is researching a hybrid technology that combines additive techniques such as inkjet printing with subtractive manufacturing using ultrafast lasers to depoit, shape and functionalise advanced functional materials for sensors. This research is supported by the EPSRC CDT in Ultra Precision, industrial partner M-Solv Ltd., and the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy to ensure the laboratory research has a path to real applications.

Qingxin started a PhD working in the Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing group, supervised by Dr. Ronan Daly. Qingxin joined IfM after graduating with a BEng in Chemical Engineering from University of Nottingham. This degree coupled two years study in Ningbo, China and two years in Nottingham. Qingxin is studying microengineering by liquid manipulation, examining how to fabricate biomaterials and drug delivery systems through controlling liquid-liquid interfaces and self-organisation.

Tadas studied Experimental and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University and graduated with an MSci in June 2014. Throughout the undergraduate degree he has developed a passion for understanding biological systems and has tried to gain experience in research and building lab instrumentation at ETH Zurich and Carl Zeiss Microscopy Plc. Tadas joined the EPSRC CDT in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NanoDTC) at Cambridge in October 2014. He started a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Tuomas Knowles (Chemistry Dept.), Dr. Ronan Daly (IfM) and Dr. Adrian Stevenson (Chemical Engineering) in October 2015. The PhD project represents a collaboration between the corresponding research groups and brings the expertise of microfluidics, high speed imaging, inkjet printing and acoustic resonators in order to develop an extremely sensitive label-free protein detection method which could be applied in the early diagnosis of protein misfolding and aggregation related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. This research is supported by EPSRC.

Cassi is a joint student of the Analytical Biotechnology group in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and the Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing group at the IfM, under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Hall and Dr. Ronan Daly. Her doctoral research will look to investigate novel materials and printing techniques, which allow optimal structures and function to be fulfilled, by combining abiotic and biotic materials to produce elements for biosensors. The project will focus on the integration of functional materials, assay development and manufacturing design to enable diagnostics to be produced for affordable, rapid, and point-of-care detection of diseases. Prior to starting her PhD, Cassi received her BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a Masters in Bioscience Enterprise at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the commercialization of early stage medical technologies.

Niamh carried out her PhD research at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, under the supervision of Dr. Rachel Evans. Her research involved characterising the structural and optical properties of conjugated polymer materials for sensors and solid-state lighting. During this time Niamh obtained a Fulbright Student Award which he undertook in the lab of Professor Tim Swager at MIT, Boston. This project investigated the self-assembly of conjugated polymer-based host-guest systems and their consequent optical properties. Niamh is currently working as a Research Associate in the Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing research group where she is investigating mechano-chemical processes produced by inkjet printing. This is funded by the KACST-Cambridge Research Centre.

Dr Etienne Rognin graduated from the Ecole Centrale Paris with a Masters in Energy Sciences. He received his PhD degree in Fluid Mechanics from the University of Grenoble, France, under the supervision of Prof Laurent Davoust and Dr Stefan Landis. During his PhD at the Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies (LETI), Etienne worked on nanoscale polymer flows occurring in nanoimprint lithography techniques. He then joined the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) as a Research Associate to carry out research on induction melting of nuclear glass waste. Etienne has joined the FIAM group to investigate mechano-chemical processes produced by inkjet printing. His long term research interests include complex fluid flows, interfacial phenomena and multiphysics problems. This is funded by the KACST-Cambridge Research Centre.

Susannah graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2016 with a MEng after completing the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos. During her studies she developed an interest in precision medicine and its enabling technologies. Consequently, her research (which started in January 2017) will focus on the application of a range of droplet generation techniques within the pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals industries.