David is a Senior Materials Engineer at ORE Catapult and works in the Electrical Networks Materials Laboratory. David is responsible for managing the materials lab to support the high voltage testing performed in the main laboratories. This involves non-electrical type testing, materials research projects and root-cause failure analyses. The main focus of the laboratory is dielectric materials and David runs analytical services that investigate material stress/strain response, material thermal history and characterisation of insulation ageing properties. David has experience in research, materials testing and project management.
Prior to joining ORE Catapult in 2020, David spent nine years working at Durham University as a research associate and lecturer. Predominantly working the Department of Chemistry and a member of the Durham Centre of Soft Matter, David developed a broad range of novel material expertise. David’s research featured both theoretical and experimental techniques and the majority of his work was directly working on industrially focussed research topics. Research themes varied across complex fluids and polymer rheology, multiphase systems, instabilities, and industrial processing with complex flows. David has research published in international journals and has won and managed various funding awards. David has a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Master of Mathematics degree (first class), both from the University of Leeds.