My PhD research aims at understanding the mechanical behaviour of direct-spun carbon nanotube mats, an exciting class of new materials with potentially wide ranging applications. Carbon nanotubes, only millionths of a millimetre in diameter, are some of the stiffest and strongest materials known to man, and possess exceptional thermal conductivity, however the weak bonds between tubes limits their strength and practical application as materials on larger scales. My PhD has researched how these bonds determine limit mechanical properties, and also how mats can be processed to improve their mechanical, electrical, and thermal behaviour. The work has developed my skill in the collection and analysis of data in literature, experimental techniques for materials, the application of numerical modelling techniques, and also my presentation and writing skills through giving multiple talks to the industrial project partners, at conferences, and through publishing scientific papers.

I continued to develop my skills in structural analysis, this time working on the design of seatbelt anchorage points. Working closely with design engineers and other analysts, I modelled design iterations of the relevant structure surrounding the mounts, and worked to understand the strength of the mounts through experimental results and simulation. I used my work to recommend changes to the design of the mounts, reporting regularly on structural performance and potential improvements. My analysis work was carried out in LS-DYNA software.

Durham University Electric Motorsport designed a new solar car which took part in the World Solar Challenge in 2015. I took knowledge of structural analysis and design from my role at Aston Martin and formed a design team of 6, which bid to take on the design challenge. After obtaining software sponsorship from Altair, I led the team to a successful completion. The role allowed me to develop skills in technical leadership - exposure to a wide range of different design and analysis problems through the leadership role gave me greater technical skills, and the challenges in planning and coordination of the project were also important in developing my skills in deadline management and team coordination.

During my first 3-month internship at Aston Martin, I validated a new mechanical model for adhesive joint strength for use in vehicle impact simulations, which was subsequently used in the design of new material models. The role developed my skill in numerical simulation, critical thinking, teamwork, and presentation. I interviewed technical specialists to understand the model requirements, and those involved in manufacturing the joints to verify the joint geometry and variables in practice. The model was informed from experimental characterisation of the structural adhesive used in the vehicles. I compared its performance across a variety of different loading scenarios, validating against experiments, before adapting it to work more efficiently in full-vehicle simulations.