Dr Andrew Feeney
- Senior Lecturer (Systems Power & Energy)
email:
Andrew.Feeney@glasgow.ac.uk
James Watt North Building, Glasgow, Glasgow City, Scotland, United Kingdom, G12 8LU
Biography
I was awarded my PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2014, on Nitinol cymbal transducers for tuneable ultrasonic devices. I then undertook postdoctoral research into sub-sea ultrasonic exploration technology, investigating the influence of ultrasonics on different sub-sea geological materials. In 2016, I joined the Department of Physics, University of Warwick, where I was Research Fellow in the Centre for Industrial Ultrasonics (CIU) until 2020. My research during this period focused on high frequency flexural ultrasonic transducers for operation in a range of liquid and gas measurement environments at elevated pressure and temperature levels (HiFFUT). I am a Chartered Engineer and member of both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the IEEE, and with membership of the Young Academy of Scotland, Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Research interests
Summary
I lead the Adaptus Research Group, established to realise adaptive ultrasonics and systems for intelligent medical and industrial technologies. The Adaptus Research Group utilises advanced materials including those exhibiting shape memory behaviour and metamaterials, integrating them with a wide range of ultrasonic devices and electro-mechanical systems to control and optimise dynamic performance. My group operates across the Centre for Medical and Industrial Ultrasonics (C-MIU) and the Materials & Manufacturing Research Group (MMRG).
Key Interests
The Adaptus Research Group tackles challenges across the following four key themes:
Theme 1: Shape Memory Alloys and Metamaterials My team has made significant developments in understanding how we can integrate materials such as Nitinol into a range of ultrasonic transducer configurations, including the Langevin and the Class IV and V flextensionals. Published reports demonstrate the ability to control device resonance using precise modulations in temperature or stress, or stable resonance with temperature increases towards 100℃, depending on manufacturing approach. Similarly, our research into metamaterials has yielded significant developments in tuneable acoustic devices, through magnetics.
Theme 2: Biomedical Devices and Systems We are engineering a new range of piezoelectric-based wearable sensors using biodegradable materials, with the aim of removing the need for lead-based bulk piezoelectric ceramics in such devices. We are also investigating a range of devices to meet current healthcare needs, including flextensional ultrasonic transducers with adaptive properties for surgery, and biomedical imaging applications of metamaterials.
Theme 3: Industrial Sensors and Actuators We have expertise in the design and development of acoustic and ultrasonic sensing systems for measurement in a range of fluids, and at fluctuating temperatures (into the hundreds of ℃) and pressures (exceeding 200 bar). Our interests are in developing solutions for in-situ measurement in hostile or challenging environments, including for flow measurement.
Theme 4: Sustainable Manufacturing My team is part of a significant multi-institutional and international drive towards the circular economy, using sonochemistry to facilitate the recovery and recycling of a range of valuable materials from waste electronics and photovoltaic cells. The partnership includes C-MIU's CavLab and the Centre for Sustainable Materials Processing (CSMP) in the School of Chemistry at the University of Leicester.
Publications
Selected publications
Gardiner, A., Domingo-Roca, R., Windmill, J. F.C. and Feeney, A. (2024) An adjustable acoustic metamaterial cell using a magnetic membrane for tuneable resonance. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 15044. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65819-2) (PMID:38951634)
Liu, Y., Hafezi, M. and Feeney, A. (2024) A cascaded Nitinol Langevin transducer for resonance stability at elevated temperatures. Ultrasonics, 137, 107201. (doi: 10.1016/j.ultras.2023.107201)
Jacobson, B., Li, S., Rivera, R. M., Daly, P., Elgar, C. E., Mulvihill, D. M. , Abbott, A. P., Feeney, A. and Prentice, P. (2023) A mechanistic study identifying improved technology critical metal delamination from printed circuit boards at lower power sonications in a deep eutectic solvent. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 101, 106701. (doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2023.106701)
Feeney, A. , Kang, L. and Dixon, S. (2022) Higher order modal dynamics of the flexural ultrasonic transducer. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 55(7), 07LT01. (doi: 10.1088/1361-6463/ac3352)
All publications
Grants
Active
- Industrially Scalable Solutions for Ultrasonic Collagen Sealing, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) IAA, EP/X5257161/1, £19,951, M. Hafezi (PI), Y. Liu, M. Lucas, A. Feeney, 2024 - 2025.
- AMNIUS: Advancing Tissue Adaptivity with Additively Manufactured Nitinol Ultrasonic Transducers in Robot-assisted Surgery, UK-Switzerland CR&D Round 2, Innovate UK, £227,254 (UK Consortium Only), A. Feeney (PI), M. Lucas, Nami Surgical Ltd (Lead), Swiss Consortium, 2024 - 2026.
- The Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies Centre (REACT), UKRI Accelerating the Green Economy Centres, £5,624,682, J. Kettle (PI) et al., 2024 - 2028.
- LCA of Semiconductors, Industrial PhD Studentship (Minviro), £85,000, J. Kettle (PI), A. Feeney, 2024 - 2027.
- Development of Ultrasonically Enhanced PCB Recycling, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) IAA, EP/X5257161/1, £65,284, B. Jacobson (PI), A. Feeney, P. Prentice, 2024.
- Membership of the Centre for Engineering Education & Development (CeeD), EPSRC IAA (Fast Track), EP/X5257161/1, £4,380, A. Feeney (PI), P. Prentice, J. Kettle, 2024 - 2025.
- A Proactive Approach to the Recovery and Recycling of Photovoltaic Modules (APOLLO), Horizon Europe Innovation Action, £8,140,769 (£510,000 Glasgow fund), Consortium Lead: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft; University of Glasgow Investigators: J. Kettle (PI), P. Prentice, D. Flynn, A. Feeney, 2024 - 2027.
- Automated Nano AnaLysing, characterisatiOn and additive packaGing sUitE (ANALOGUE), EPSRC Strategic Equipment Grant, EP/Y015215/1, £3,163,220, H. Heidari (PI) et al., 2024 - 2027.
- Technology Critical Metal Recycling using Ultrasonics and Catalytic Etchants, UKRI Sustainable Manufacturing, EP/W018632/1, £1,212,656, A. Abbott (PI), A. Feeney (University of Glasgow PI, 50%), G. Jenkin, K. Ryder, P. Prentice, J. Kettle, 2022 - 2025.
- RESINators – Miniature Acoustic Resonator Systems, EPSRC Standard Grant, EP/W006456/1, £556,665, J. Camargo-Jackson (PI), R. Domingo-Roca, A. Feeney (University of Glasgow PI, EP/W006499/1), J. Windmill, 2022 - 2026.
- Establishing Adaptive Ultrasonics through Shape Memory Materials, EPSRC New Investigator Award, EP/V049658/1, £606,562, A. Feeney (PI), 2021 - 2025.
Completed
- Ultrasonic Bonding of Collagen Films, Devro Ltd, £79,976, A. Feeney (PI), M. Hafezi, M. Lucas, 2023 - 2024.
- Portable Applicator for Extrusion and Consolidation of Fibre-reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Standard Innovation Voucher Scheme, £5,000, A. Feeney (PI), 2023 - 2024.
- Ultrasonic Sensor Development for Metering Applications, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) IAA, EP/X5257161/1, £38,980, A. Feeney (PI), S. Cochran, 2023 - 2024.
- Object Detection in Pipelines, CENSIS and Online Electronics Ltd, £112,000 (£62,500 Glasgow fund), A. Feeney (PI), M. Hafezi, M. Lucas, 2022 - 2023.
- Sensor Development, SPE, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, £5,000, A. Feeney (PI), S. Cochran, 2023.
- Capital Equipment, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, £41,294, A. Feeney (PI), 2022.
- Ultrasonically Assisted Augers, National Space Technology Programme (NSTP), UK Space Agency, £49,989, P. Harkness (PI), K. Worrall, A. Feeney, X. Li, 2021 - 2022.
- Ultrasonic Transducer Development, CENSIS and MeterTech Limited, £120,000 (£64,000 Glasgow fund), A. Feeney (PI), S. Cochran, 2021 - 2022.
- Sensor Development, PMRF, £25,858, A. Feeney (PI) and S. Cochran, 2021 - 2022.
- Instrument Bid, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, £5,278, A. Feeney (PI), 2022.
- Establishing Adaptive Ultrasonics through Shape Memory Materials, Rewards for Excellence, College of Science & Engineering, University of Glasgow, £10,000, A. Feeney (PI), 2021.
- Green Processing of Ores and E-waste Through Sonocatalysis, SPE ECDP, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, £4,000, A. Feeney (PI), 2021.
- Ultrasonic Compaction for Sub-sea Exploration, Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) and Badger Explorer ASA, £130,500, A. Feeney (Co-I), S. Sikaneta, P. Harkness, M. Lucas, 2015 - 2016.
- Ultrasonic Technology for Sub-sea Exploration, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) IAA and Badger Explorer ASA, £80,000, A. Feeney (Co-I), S. Sikaneta, P. Harkness, M. Lucas, 2014 - 2015.
- CR Barber Trust Fund Grant, Institute of Physics (IoP), 2013.
- Thomas Andrew Common Overseas Conference Grant, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), 2013.
- EPSRC DTA Research Scholarship (Enhanced Stipend), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Grant EP/P505534/1, 2010 - 2014.
Supervision
Postdoctoral Research Team
- Dr Ben Jacobson, 2023 - Present
- Dr Weihuan Kong, 2022 - Present
- Dr Paul Daly, 2022 - Present
- Dr Mahshid Hafezi, 2021 - Present
PhD Students
As Principal/Joint Supervisor:
- Jason McKenna, Ultrasonics for next-generation mid-air haptics, 2024 - Present
- Saeed Ramezani Talabari, Solving NDT&E challenges for the future aerospace industry, 2024 - Present
- Rachel Stoakes, Metamaterials applied to biomedical ultrasound, with the University of Strathclyde, 2022 - Present
- Sam Adams, The application and design of flexural ultrasonic transducers for use in new age renewable energy technology, 2022 - Present
- Zhijun Qian, Water ultrasonic flow metering, with the University of Strathclyde, 2022 - Present
- Zhao Wang, Next-generation self-powered piezoelectric ultrasonic wearable devices for healthcare applications, 2022 - Present
- Yuchen Liu, Shape memory materials for adaptive ultrasonic devices, 2021 - Present
- George John Puthenvila, Shape memory materials for multifunctional ultrasonic surgical devices, 2021 - Present
- Alicia Gardiner, Acoustic metamaterials for ultrasonic applications, with the University of Strathclyde, 2020 - Present
As Secondary Supervisor:
- Laura McKenzie, Life cycle assessment of semiconductors, with Minviro, 2024 - Present
- Alireza Parsa, Recycling and recovery of photovoltaics, 2024 - Present
- Faraz Amini Boroujeni, Novel cymbal transducers, 2022 - Present
- Bashayer Alsulami, Developing the circular economy of photovoltaics, 2022 - Present
- Shida Li, Acoustic cavitation in deep eutectic solvents for e-waste recycling, 2022 - Present
- Alejandro Triay, Multifunctional metamaterials enabled by additive manufacturing, 2022 - Present
Former Group Members
- Dr Alexander Hamilton, 2023 - 2024
- Dr Ali Tabatabaeian, Research Associate, 2024
- Dr William Somerset, Analytical modelling of flexural ultrasonic transducers, with the University of Warwick, PhD, 2018 - 2024
- Mr Adam Getty, Gas ultrasonic flow metering, with the University of Strathclyde, MSc, 2022 - 2023
- Dr Jack Perris, Research Associate, 2022 - 2023
- Dr Srikanthreddy Devireddy, Research Associate, 2021 - 2022
- Dr Paul Barron, Research Associate, 2021 - 2022
- Dr Colin Souza, Research Associate, 2021
Information for Prospective PhD Students
Project details for exceptional candidates to undertake a PhD aligned to strategic areas can be found through the following link:
PhD Opportunities in the Systems, Power and Energy Research Division
I am actively looking for a high quality candidate to investigate the processing of minerals through high power ultrasound.
- Li, Shida
Experimental and numerical investigations on interaction between double cavitation bubbles and a rigid wall - McKenna, Jason
Optimisation of ultrasound sensors for enhanced haptics - Triay, Alejandro
Multifunctional metamaterials enabled by additive manufacturing - Wang, Zhao
Next-generation self-powered piezoelectric ultrasonic wearable devices for healthcare applications
Teaching
Undergraduate
Mechanical Design 1, ENG1016 - Course Convenor and Lecturer (2020 - Present)
Individual Project 4, ENG4110P - Project Supervisor (2020 - Present)
Individual Project 5, ENG5041P - Project Supervisor (2020 - Present)
Advanced Ultrasonics, ENG5316 - Lecturer (2022 - Present)
Design Special Topic 5, ENG5026 - Project Supervisor (2022 - Present)
Engineering Skills M, ENG5322 - Lecturer (2024 - Present)
Postgraduate
PDE MSc Project, EXT5156P - Project Supervisor (2020 - Present)
MSc Project, ENG5059P - Project Supervisor (2020 - Present)
Research Methods, CS957 (Strathclyde) - Project Supervisor (2022 - Present)
Ultrasonic Engineering Case Study, ENG5328 - Supervisor (2020 - Present)
I am also an Adviser of Studies for the Mechanical Engineering Discipline.
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2017, 2018, 2019: Outstanding Contribution to Physics (University of Warwick)
- 2013: RWB Stephens Award Honorable Mention (International Congress on Ultrasonics, Elsevier)
Research datasets
Additional information
Visiting Academic Positions
- Honorary Lecturer, Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (2020 - Present)
- Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, University of Warwick (2020 - Present)
Society Memberships
- Young Academy of Scotland, Royal Society of Edinburgh (2024 - Present)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2020 - Present)
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers (2015 - Present)
Board Memberships
- Ordinary Member, Ultrasonics Industry Association (2023 - Present)
Committee Chairs and Memberships
- Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the IEEE UFFC-S Chapter, IEEE United Kingdom and Ireland Section (2023 - Present)
- EPSRC Peer Review College (2023 - Present)
- Chair of the IEEE UFFC-S Publicity Committee (2023 - Present)
- Co-Chair of the Researcher Development Committee, FUSE CDT (2023 - Present)
- FUSE CDT Outreach (2021 - Present)
- IEEE UFFC-S Publicity Committee (2020 - Present)
- FUSE CDT External Engagement Committee (2020 - Present)
International Conference Organisation and Chairs
- The 52nd Ultrasonics Industry Association (UIA) Symposium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 2024
- The 51st Ultrasonics Industry Association (UIA) Symposium, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2023
- The 50th Ultrasonics Industry Association (UIA) Symposium, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, 2022 (postponed from 2020)
International Conference Session Chairs
- The IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Joint Symposium, IEEE, Taipei, Taiwan, 2024, Underwater Acoustics (NUA) and Transducers (NDE and Industrial) (NTC) Session.
- The 18th International Conference on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, British Society for Strain Measurement, University of Liverpool, 2024, Special Session on Materials Challenges for Ultrasonic Devices and their Applications.
- The International Ultrasonics Symposium, IEEE, Montreal, Canada, 2023, Acoustic Sensors Session.
- The 17th International Conference on Advances in Experimental Mechanics, British Society for Strain Measurement, University of Glasgow, 2023, Special Session on Materials Challenges for Ultrasonic Devices.
- The 49th Ultrasonics Industry Association (UIA) Symposium, Online, 2021, Industry Session.
- The 48th Ultrasonics Industry Association (UIA) Symposium, Toronto, Canada, 2019, Industry Session.
- The 6th International Congress on Ultrasonics (ICU), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 2017, Ultrasonic Motors, Actuators, and Sensors Session; Guided Waves and Their Applications in NDE Session.