One of our PGR students has won the prestigious Peter Watson Prize for young engineers

Our fourth-year PhD student, Edward John, has won the prestigious Engineering Integrity Society (EIS) Peter Watson Prize for young engineers.

Three people posing together left to right - Edward John (young man with brown hair and slight beard wearing a black suit), John Yates (elderly white male standing in the middle), and Beth Eames (young white female with light brown hair wearing a white top and a long black skirt)
From left to right: Edward John (University of 91直播, winner), John Yates (judge and EIS chairman), Beth Eames (University of Oxford, Highly Commended Presentation)

Edward has won best presentation for his topic on 鈥淧roactive pipe management: Multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron鈥 at this year鈥檚 Peter Watson Prize for young engineers hosted and organised by the . 

The award has definitely given me a confidence boost for future presentations and it is nice to have my research recognised in this way. Hopefully this kind of recognition will help when looking for roles after my PhD in academia or industry.

Edward John

PhD student at the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, 91直播

Ed is a top notch PhD student. The research work he has done so far is outstanding and is going to have a huge impact on the water sector. Thus, this prize is very well deserved. At the same time, I'm sure this is just the beginning...

Professor Luca Susmel

Professor of Structural Integrity, the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, 91直播

The award is named after the EIS founding president, Dr Peter Watson, and was created to support young engineers at the start of their career. Interested engineers submit an application form and a one page abstract summarising the presentation they would like to give, with topics including durability, fatigue, NVH, sound and vibration, simulation, test and measurement. Applications are then assessed by a panel and the shortlisted candidates are invited to present at the Final.

Here is a quick interview we did with Edward:

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a fourth-year PhD student researching the causes of leakage for cast iron water pipes. Specifically, I'm investigating how fatigue cracking can cause these pipes to start leaking. My PhD is part of the Water Infrastructure and Resilience (WIRe) CDT and is sponsored by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR). I studied Mechanical Engineering here at 91直播 for my undergraduate, and before starting my PhD I worked as an engineering consultant in the rail industry for two years. I'm originally from North Yorkshire.

Q: How did you hear about the competition?

My primary supervisor, Luca Susmel, forwarded me an email advertising the competition and suggested that I enter.

Q: Why did you choose to participate?

Presenting is an important skill so it's good to keep practicing and watch and learn from others. It was also an opportunity to share my research with a different audience.

Q: What was your presentation topic and how is it connected to your research?

My presentation was titled "Proactive pipe management: Multiaxial fatigue of water pipe grey cast iron" and drew on the results of some fundamental fatigue research we had recently published to explore the sensitivity of buried water pipes to different load combinations.

Q: Did you receive any support from the department? 

My supervisors (Luca Susmel, Joby Boxall, Richard Collins, and Lis Bowman) have been very supportive and have given me plenty of opportunities to practice my presentation skills, and have given helpful feedback. 

Q: What does the award mean for you and how do you hope to utilise it in your future career?

The award has definitely given me a confidence boost for future presentations and it is nice to have my research recognised in this way. Hopefully this kind of recognition will help when looking for roles after my PhD in academia or industry.

Q: Any final thoughts?

I was unaware, until one of the judges informed me afterwards, that Peter Watson whom the prize is named after featured heavily in my talk through my use of the Smith-Watson-Topper fatigue criterion. This was a nice coincidence!

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