PhD Student

Catherine joined the group in 2017, with several years of industry experience in the energy and water sectors as well as BEng(Civ) and BEng(Env) degrees from the University of Newcastle, Australia. 

Iacopo joined the Use Less Group as a PhD student in October 2016. He works as part of the Novel Materials Processing Technologies team and his research focuses on the development of a tactile interface for the design of tool-paths in metal spinning and other metal forming techniques. He hopes to capture the skill and intuition of craftsmen in order to design failure-free tool-paths in flexible asymmetric metal spinning.  

Simon is working with Siemens Corporate Technology to develop a city-scale analysis of the energy, material and natural resource flows activated by cities, including their impact on greenhouse gases. The project aims to develop an evidence base for exploring alternative development paths for cities and will allow for strategic exploration of possible technology and business model innovations.

Simon completed an MEng at the University of Cambridge and spent several years in industry before returning to study for a PhD. 

Simone graduated with a BSc in Economics from the University of Birmingham in 2007 and an MPhil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge in 2008. Since then she has worked as an economist and policy advisor at DECC and BIS, a research associate at Climate Strategies and, more recently, for the International Council on Mining and Metals in its climate change program. Her work has focused primarily on the response of industry to climate change policies.

Katie's PhD addresses copper contamination in steel recycling. The volume of steel scrap is set to expand dramatically in the coming decades. Copper is pervasive in this scrap, but a process does not exist to extract it. Copper causes metallurgical problems, so end-of-life steel scrap is recycled to low-quality products. Katie has characterized copper contamination in the global steel system, showing new strategies to manage copper are increasingly necessary.

Iain started his PhD in October of 2014, developing a detailed material flow map of flat steel in Europe.  His goal is to identify the scope of supply-side material efficiency strategies that are not only environmentally beneficial but practical and economically viable for all stakeholders.

Ying is a PhD student investigating energy, water and land systems in China and implementing the results in the Foreseer tool. An initial analysis was carried at the national level and analysed China’s energy and water for energy. Current and future water withdrawals and consumption for all energy processes were calculated and the energy sector’s compliance with the “3 Red Lines” industrial water policy was assessed under different scenarios, considering potential technology and policy changes.