EPSRC awards fellowship grants to four academics

The academics, from the universities of Exeter, Sheffield, Bristol and Cambridge, will carry out research that will enable better water management, monitor the health of structures in the aerospace and wind energy sectors, develop tools for optimising the design of aircraft and wind turbines and provide computational models to calculate the effects of energy policies on global greenhouse gas emissions.

Prof David Butler, co-director of the Centre for Water Systems and professor of water engineering at Exeter University, has been awarded a five-year fellowship, worth around £1.5m, to advance a new approach to water management in the UK.

In a statement, Butler said: ‘The fellowship is about understanding the key characteristics of sustainable and resilient water systems and then applying that understanding to develop and test new and improved ways to tackle problems associated with water scarcity, urban flooding and river pollution. The work will be carried out in conjunction with industry partners such as Severn Trent Water and government bodies such as the Environment Agency.’