MSc by Research
MSc by Research
Project Title:
Visualising and developing research innovation and impact by 3D printing/prototyping techniques
Supervisory Team
This is an interdisciplinary project jointly supervised by:
1. Professor Nicol Keith, School of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (Primary supervisor). Nicol.Keith@glasgow.ac.uk, LinkedIn Profile: uk.linkedin.com/in/nicolkeith. ResearchGate Profile: www.researchgate.net/profile/W_Nicol_Keith
2. Professor Nikolaj Gadegaard, School of Engineering, College of Science & Engineering. Nikolaj.Gadegaard@glasgow.ac.uk, www.gla.ac.uk/schools/engineering/staff/nikolajgadegaard/
3. Iain Aitchison, Programme Director, The Innovation School, The Glasgow School of Art. www.gsa.ac.uk/innovationschool
The student will be registered at the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences Graduate School, University of Glasgow
Project Summary
Impact is a benefit that academic research contributes to society and the economy. By actively participating in their wider societies, academics are addressing urgent and complex societal challenges ranging from industry and technology innovation to health inequality and environmental sustainability. Collaboration and co-creation of joint research programmes with stakeholders from a range of sectors ultimately raises the quality and relevance of the research. Thus finding innovative and creative approaches to identify, evidence, visualise and communicate research impact and pathways to impact are a high priority.
In this project, we will study how design visualisation techniques and contemporary manufacturing process (including 3D printing and other additive manufacturing techniques) can be used to visualise the complexity of knowledge generated as research findings through scientific investigation. By bringing physical form to the outcomes of research processes and activities contributing a significant contribution to communication and dissemination to specialist, peer and civic audiences is more easily attained. Innovative, digital manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, are ideally suited to this purpose as these facilitate rapid prototyping of ideas as artefacts, offering the opportunity to test, iterate and refine concepts collaboratively and discursively, and strengthen communication with project stakeholders, future collaborators and participants, and more general audiences.
In reframing research projects as artefacts, the impact and innovation potential can be more fully explored, realised and communicated. Additionally, the contribution the making artefactual of research findings by design input creates the potential for the objective form arrived at to surpass metaphorical representation and acquire genuinely novel form. This combination of scientific inquiry and design as a representational activity generates the possibility that innovative forms of communication may emerge, which would be otherwise unattainable, and so underpins an impact that extends beyond the traditional community to whom such knowledge would be normally be limited through its traditional form of representation and dissemination.
The proposed study will address a range of research projects spanning multiple academic disciplines at the University of Glasgow, including a number of key international Institutional partners with whom they collaborate on research activity. Amongst the advantages offered by contemporary digital manufacturing techniques and processes are the ease and speed of dissemination, the iterative and participatory opportunities facilitated and the opportunity for simultaneous engagement irrespective of the constraints of time and space. One aspect of this project will be to compare the effectiveness of using “conventional” methods against digital manufacturing techniques for exploring the impact of research outcomes.
The interdisciplinary ambitions of the project provide broad training in a range of highly transferable skills in knowledge exchange, innovation and impact. It will involve a range of techniques in stakeholder and project analysis together with the central research technique of 3D printing.
The recruited student will demonstrate contextual understanding and interest in the broad possibilities that additive manufacturing techniques afford for the creation of artefacts of a range of fidelities. In addition, they will have an existing research interest in the possibilities of inter -, multi -, and trans-disciplinary research creates for new forms of impact to emerge.
Duration. 1 year full time
Funding. The project funding covers the UK/EU postgraduate fees of £4260 and a stipend of £14777
Entry Requirements. A UK honours degree of 2:1 or above UK or an overseas qualification of equivalent standard. All relevant disciplines considered.
Eligibility. UK/EU
Starting date. The project is available to start from 17th September 2018.
Application. Please submit your application online here: bit.ly/2K236Tk Please note this is a MSc by research (not a PhD). Application deadline is Friday 20th July.