Centre
Imaging, Materials and Engineering Centre (IMEC)
Unit(s) of assessment: General Engineering
School: School of Science and Technology
IMEC consists of five research areas with 65 staff from four departments across the School of Science and Technology. All of IMEC's research falls within the B12 Unit of Assessment Area.
Research areas:
- Advanced Materials
- Imaging and Sensing
- Medical Technology
- SOFT (soft matter, organisation, fluids and transport)
- Industrial Innovation
Each research area consists of a number of smaller research groups. Much of IMEC's research is multi or interdisciplinary, ranging from more fundamental research in Advanced Materials to applications research in Medical Technologies and Industrial Innovation. IMEC staff collaborate with other research centres in the School of Science and Technology as well as other Schools within NTU and beyond.
Research Director
Haida Liang is the Research Director for the Imaging, Materials and Engineering Centre.
Advanced Materials
Lead: Professor Carole Perry
Advanced Materials describes our approach to the design of functional materials from the bottom up. Some of the representative groups are:
iSMART Lab
The Innovations in Surfaces, Materials and Related Technologies (iSMART) research group brings together expertise and facilities including thin film deposition, laser materials processing, surface engineering and material process technologies, thin film device fabrication and characterisation, plasmonic structures, and the use of phosphors for sensors.
Biomolecular Materials Interface Research Group
Works at the boundary between biomolecules and other materials, including applications in health, agriculture and materials design.
Smart Materials
The Smart Materials Research Group develops and characterises novel materials with unique properties to advance innovative engineering design solutions.
- Professor Carole Perry (lead)
- Professor Mary O'Neill
- Professor Phil Breedon
- Professor Carl Brown
- Professor John Hunt
- Dr Matt Addicoat
- Dr Andrey Antonchick
- Dr Sophie Benjamin
- Dr Mahdi Bodaghi
- Dr Anthony Fitzpatrick
- Dr Fengge Gao
- Dr Demosthenes Koutsogeorgis
- Dr Darren Lee
- Dr Cheuk-Wing Li
- Dr Lee Martin
- Dr Valeria Puddu
- Dr Yvonne Reinwald
- Dr David Robinson
- Dr Amirreza Rouhi
- Dr Ahmad Serjouei
- Dr Ian Shuttleworth
- Dr Emma Smith
- Dr Mykola Tasinkevych
- Dr Anna Vikulina
- Dr Dmitry Volodkin
- Dr Yang Wei
- Dr Muhammad Zaheer
- Dr Wenbin Zhang
Imaging and Sensing
Lead: Professor Paul Evans
Encompasses cutting-edge non-invasive imaging techniques, image processing methods and their applications.
Some of the representative groups are:
Imaging Science Lab
Pioneering x-ray technology capable of rapidly scanning for the presence of illicit materials, with impact in airport security via spinout HALO X-ray .
Advanced Optical Imaging and ISAAC Lab
Cutting-edge non-invasive optical 3D sub-surface imaging (Optical Coherence Tomography), spectral imaging and remote sensing instruments, image processing methods, with impact on the study and preservation of cultural heritage assets.
Advanced Optics and Photonics
Focuses on the of light-matter interaction with various engineered nanoparticles. The groups expertise lies in high-precision nano-fabrication,cutting-edge optical characterisations and advanced modelling techniques via Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
NMR/MRI Lab
Specialises in non-traditional applications of these techniques, such as the development of clogging sensors for constructed wetlands as well as applications in developing pressure sensitive contrast agents for use in porous media. Other areas of interest within the group include techniques for food authentication and validation.
Mathematics for Intelligent Systems
The Mathematics for Intelligent Systems research group focuses on the development of data-driven mathematical models for the intelligent processing of large amounts of data.
Medical Technologies
Lead: Professor John Hunt
Application of modern engineering and materials design to medical science including diagnosis, breakthrough therapies, devices and technology to repair, replace, augment and in the future regenerate diseased, infected and damaged tissues using material interventions.
We have a dedicated facility for medical technologies - MTIF
Optical fibre sensing for biomedical applications
Label-free biosensing using optical fibers, light-tissue interactions for the analysis of molecular mechanisms and functions of DNA, protein and other biomolecules; bio-nano-photonics, biosensors and point-of-care medical devices.
Smart wearables
Smart wearables which unobtrusively collect data for healthcare and competitive sport applications; arrays of vibration-sensors deployed in honeybee colonies to monitor swarm health and inform decision-making, and printed wearable devices for healthcare applications.
Medical Engineering and Design
3D / 4D printing, additive and subtractive manufacturing for medical applications, industrial and surgical robotics, Autonomous Mobile Robots, cardiovascular devices, AI, extended reality applications, the surgical pathway and investigative research related to the use of smart materials for medical applications.
- Professor John Hunt (Lead)
- Professor Carole Perry
- Professor Phil Breedon
- Dr Abdellatif Abdelgaied
- Dr Andrey Antonchick
- Dr Mahdi Bodaghi
- Dr Xianfeng Chen
- Dr Ali Dostan
- Dr Fengge Gao
- Dr Leiming Gao
- Dr Syed Khalid
- Dr Pasindu Lugoda
- Dr William Navaraj
- Dr Ahmet Omurtag
- Dr Fouzia Ouali
- Dr Yvonne Reinwald
- Dr Ahmad Serjouei
- Dr Emma Smith
- Dr Jason Smith
- Dr Frederique Vanheusden
- Dr Dmitry Volodkin
- Dr Yang Wei
- Dr Zohreh Zakeri
- Dr Qimei Zhang
SOFT (Soft matter, Organisation, Fluids and Transport)
Lead: Professor Carl Brown
This group researches materials which are easily deformable when stresses are applied. Our interests include:
SOFT (Soft matter, Organisation, Fluids and Transport)
- squidgy materials (colloids, surfactants and gels)
- liquid crystals (LCDs, flexoelectricity, nematic micro cargo transport)
- liquid drops and flows (droplet evaporation, wetting and spreading, de-wetting, flow through disordered porous media)
- complex fluids and solids (pattern formation, drying, fracturing)
Industrial Innovation
Lead: Professor Charalampos Tsimenidis
The Industrial Innovation theme focuses on bridging the gap between industry and the scientific research worlds. Our research is disruptive and diverse, cuts across several research themes and disciplines, informing and improving both our teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as relevant industries and standards worldwide on their manufacturing processes.
Our research is supported by state-of-the-art laboratories that enable integration of stochastic and statistical system modelling and optimization, big data-aided computer simulations, advanced sensing and measurements to forge ahead developments. We develop digital technologies that are cutting-edge and translational by linking interdisciplinary research in autonomous vehicles and drones, cyber physical systems, digital twins and manufacturing, Internet of things (IoT) technologies, renewable energy, robotics, smart logistics, and wireless communications. Key research areas include:
Digital Innovation Bio-mimetic electronic systems and Smart sensors
High-performance flexible electronics and bio-mimetic electronic systems are pursued for applications in smart sensors, intelligent systems and soft robotics. The interfaces like electronic skin are envisaged for applications in assistive, soft, safe and dexterous robots, wearables and rehab. Key demonstrators for projects are developed under funding from EPSRC, EU and CSIR.
Robotics
The use of collaborative robots (COBOTs) in the industrial setting has grown and continues to grow globally, especially in the context of the smart factory. This research study (Funded by EPSRC & PepsiCo) seeks to further understand the impact on the workers mental health in relation to the task variables.
Industry 4.0/5.0, Smart Factories and Digital Twins
Industry 4.0 based smart factories are characterised through networked, cooperating modules named cyber-physical production systems. Digital twin is the key technology area developed for design, simulation and optimization of manufacturing processes. Other applications are smart maintenance, reliability, metrology and safe and secure human robot collaboration.
Autonomous Electric Vehicles and Traffic Systems
Modelling and managing the next generation transport systems for Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared (ACES) vehicles. The introduction of ACES technologies is compelling us to reimagine how transport is delivered and promising a new era of safe, secure and enjoyable transport. To maximize the benefits of ACES, our research focuses on 1) simulation and evaluation of potential impacts of ACES vehicles, 2) analysis of transport data for planning and forecasting, and 3) real-time decision-making support for the next generation transportation systems.
Human Factors and Performance
Improving human performance and wellbeing in a variety of fields and contexts including sports, everyday life and medicine. We draw on our expertise across multiple engineering fields to design products and interventions for people with a range of abilities and needs.
Sustainable Digital Communication and Energy Systems
5G and beyond (NextG) cellular communication networks have potential to transform society, from healthcare and transportation to entertainment. Its widespread adoption is expected to generate significant economic and social benefits. This group focuses on developing sophisticated transceivers using bandwidth efficient communication methods for NextG cellular systems and IoT sensor networks bridging the gap between channel utilisation and fundamental, information theoretical limits, on channel capacity.
Sustainable Energy Systems
Sustainable energy is crucial for the future of the UK, as it will help reduce carbon emissions and preserve the environment for future generations. This research group focuses on developing sustainable energy solutions to support the UK Government's objectives of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
- Professor Charalampos Tsimenedis (lead)
- Professor Neil Mansfield
- Dr Abdellatif Abdelgaied
- Dr Shukri Afazov
- Dr Reza Barenji
- Dr Nuh Erdogan
- Dr Walia Kartikeya
- Dr Azfar Khalid
- Dr Zak Mansouri
- Dr William Navaraj
- Dr Ahmet Omurtag
- Dr Tom Rogers
- Dr Farooq Sher
- Dr Sharizal Sobri
- Dr Zohreh Zakeri
IMEC Steering Committee
The IMEC Steering Committee consists of the Director Professor Haida Liang and the research area leads: Professor Paul Evans, Professor Carole Perry, Professor Carl Brown, Professor John Hunt, Professor Charalampos Tsimenidis and the B12 UoA coordinator Dr Lucas Goehring.
Paul Evans
Royal Society Wolfson Fellow and Distinguished Professor
Computer Science
Carole Perry
Distinguished Professor
School of Science & Technology
Carl Brown
Professor and Head of Department
School of Science & Technology
John Hunt
Professor/Head of NTU Strategic Research Theme
School of Science & Technology
Charalampos Tsimenidis
Professor
School of Science and Technology Department of Engineering
Lucas Goehring
Professor
Physics and Maths
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Related Projects
Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
The Imaging, Materials and Engineering Research Centre submitted impact case studies to REF 2021. 98% of NTU's research submitted to the 'Engineering' Unit of Assessment was considered to be either world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of quality.
Discover the real-world impact of this research below.