A small centre with a wide technical range.

How the team is organised

The centre is deliberately compact. Most projects involve a technical lead who is responsible for the scientific direction, one or more laboratory coordinators who keep experiments safe and reproducible, and researchers who carry out the modelling or experimental work. Information and documentation support keeps project records and reporting in order.

Because the facilities are shared, roles overlap in practice. A computational researcher may spend a week in the gas reactivity laboratory validating a model; a laboratory coordinator may help design a pilot run. This is one of the advantages of a centre of this size.

Technical functions

• Direction and scientific coordination. Setting the research programme, maintaining partner relationships and ensuring that projects meet their technical objectives.
• Technical leads. Responsibility for a laboratory, its equipment and the projects that use it.
• Laboratory coordination. Day to day scheduling, safety, sample handling and equipment readiness.
• Research associates and assistants. Experimental and modelling work within funded projects, often combined with doctoral or postdoctoral research.
• Information and documentation. Project reporting, publication records and the centre's technical archive.
• Food process engineering. Applied work on modified atmosphere packaging and food preservation.

Research culture

The centre's work depends on careful measurement. Results are expected to be reproducible, and models are expected to be testable. Researchers are encouraged to publish, present at conferences and work with partners outside the centre. The laboratory pages describe the facilities available to support that work.

We do not publish individual contact details on this site. Enquiries about a specific area of work should go through the general contact address, and will be directed to the relevant technical lead.