Sensor CDT set for next chapter

Prof Clemens Kaminski has handed over the Directorship of the EPSRC CDT in Sensor Technologies and Applications in an Uncertain World to Prof Lorenzo Di Michele, having led the programme since its launch in 2014.

Under his leadership, the CDT, now in its third phase of funding, has produced nearly 150 fully funded PhD studentships across 20 departments at the University. Students begin as a cohort, completing a one-year MRes within the department before moving into PhDs across the University.

Clemens said: “Sensors are present in nearly every aspect of our lives, and are vital for almost any application in engineering, in scientific research, and in industry. When we started the CDT, it was with a recognition of the fact that sensing did not exist as an academic discipline in its own right.

“What we did with the CDT is to create a virtual super department of sensor technologies, spanning expertise across the university, from the basic science of sensing, to the engineering of full sensor systems, and to bringing sensor technology to application with various end users.”

The EPSRC-funded programme is currently made-up of a team of co-directors – Prof Shery Huang (Department of Engineering), Prof Tijmen Euser (Physics) and Prof Lorenzo Di Michele (CEB) – and helped by the operations team of programme manager Dr Samuel McDermott and course coordinator Yuqi Zang.

“I have been directing the CDT for twelve years now, and it is time for a change – Lorenzo will be brilliant to bring in fresh ideas, and a new energy into this programme and it will be exciting to see where he will take the programme,” Clemens continued.

“The CDT is in better shape than it has ever been before. The team of co-directors and our amazing administrative team (Sam and Yuqi) have made such a difference to the running of the programme. It's a privilege and fun to work with them.“

The CDT’s current focus – sensor technologies and applications in an uncertain world – reflects how the programme, and especially the world it operates in, has evolved.  

Clemens added: “With the previous 2 incarnations of the programme, we have established sensor technologies as an academic discipline and built an educational programme that delivers experts to industry and academia. In this phase, it was opportune to use this ecosystem to deliver leaders who are fit to tackle the enormous challenges societies are facing in this rapidly changing world.

“UK industry tells us that uncertainty is the biggest challenge they are facing in their day-to-day operations. Uncertainties associated with supply chains, uncertainties with data, and uncertainties brought about by global events such as conflicts, environmental change, and the advent of new technologies such as AI and ever more powerful technologies that can do as much harm as they may be beneficial.”

That willingness to adapt the programme builds on the CDT’s original aim. When it launched in 2014, the intention was to define sensing as a discipline and bring together expertise that was otherwise spread across the University. With the idea of an education pathway of teaching sensing as a discipline from the ‘molecule up’.

The model – working closely with industry and with a cross-discipline mentality – has remained central. The CDT draws on multiple departments and has collaborated with over 40 industry partners to shape projects, fund studentships and provide routes into employment.

“It really is a two-way street,” Clemens explained. “By speaking to a company and asking them what problem we could help them solve, we offer real-world problems for our students and research development opportunities for industry.”

Training more than 150 PhD students across more than a decade, many have moved into roles across industry, government and the third sector, while others have founded their own companies, providing an active and engaged network of alumni.

Clemens added that the cohort structure of one year together as a class before moving into independent PhDs, encourages a collaborative spirit.

“It’s about the students and the quality and community of the students,” he said. “We are lucky to attract some of the brightest students from across the world and who bring a wealth of ideas and cultures into the programme.

“One of the major features of the programme is that they work together in a project called the ‘team challenge’ where they are tasked with solving a challenging problem that makes a real-world difference. This has led to company spinouts by students and co-creation of technologies across borders – it’s very exciting.”

The programme has also extended beyond the UK, with projects in Kenya and Ghana, and an air pollution pilot in Argentina through a team project called ‘Openseneca’. The project was an international success, winning the students numerous prizes, and an invitation by the Argentinian government to map out air pollution in Buenos Aires.

For Clemens, stepping back is also about making space for what comes next.

“I look at the engaged and enthusiastic team in place and worry that I could now end up holding it back, rather than driving it forward,” he added. “Lorenzo has the energy and ideas to match and I think he really is the best person to now take it forward for another 12 years of success.”

He further added that the operations team of Samuel and Yuqi are ‘fantastic’ and a further reason the CDT is in the best place for a transition in leadership.

Prof Lorenzo Di Michele said: “Clemens has built something genuinely distinctive with the CDT – not just in terms of the science, but the community and the way it brings people together across disciplines and sectors. I’m incredibly grateful for everything he has done and the foundations he has put in place.

“It’s a privilege to step into this role, and I’m very aware of the size of the shoes I’m filling. The CDT is in a strong position, and I’m looking forward to building on that and taking it into its next phase.”