Isabel Qamar (2011 cohort)
Please provide a brief summary of your PhD project.
Fibre-reinforced composites are particularly susceptible to brittle fracture, leading to the emergence of self-healing materials. Most recently, this functionality has been achieved by the introduction of vascular networks into the host material. However, the vascular networks must fracture in order for the healing agent to exit the network and infiltrate the damage site, limiting this to a single healing event as the network can no longer transport any further fluid. My project involved the design and fabrication of porous 3D printed, thermoplastic vascular networks that were embedded in a thermoset matrix. During a damage event, adhesive failure occurs between the thermoplastic network and the thermoset matrix, exposing the pores and allowing the fluid to exit without fracture of the network, thus enabling the long-term potential of repeated self-healing in fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites.
Did you choose to continue your XP project as a PhD? Why or why not?
I continued my XP project as a PhD as I was excited by the possible scope of the project. In particular, my supervisor and I had discussed investigating additive manufacture (3D printing) as a method for fabricating the networks and this was something I was particularly keen to explore.
How did the taught component benefit your PhD research?
The taught component provided me with knowledge of the design, manufacture, testing and failure of composite materials that I previously had little knowledge of and this was instrumental during my PhD. In addition, we also covered topics such as nature's materials and smart materials (e.g. self-healing!), the content of which continues to influence my work even now in my fellowship.
What did you most value about being part of a CDT?
I valued being part of a cohort, having people to share the PhD experience with and having peers to ask advice from as to the direction of my research or help solve problems that arose within my project.
What was your destination on leaving the CDT?
Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Bristol Interaction Group, and I was subsequently awarded an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship.
What are your main responsibilities?
I am currently involved in a number of projects, from implementing outputs from material science (in particular morphing structures) into the design of shape-changing devices, to 3D printing of electronics and overseeing students setting up a mini materials lab!
Where do you see yourself in five to ten years' time?
As a leading academic bridging the fields of material science and computer science.
How have the skills and knowledge you acquired during your time in the CDT helped develop your career?
During the CDT I gained important technical skills in fabrication, testing and manufacture of polymers and composites which have been essential in enabling me to succeed in my current role. Most notably for me, my communication, presenting and writing skills have come on in leaps and bounds. I still remember to this day the first presentation I gave in front of my cohort of 13 people and how nervous I was and how terrible I thought it went. Recently I gave a presentation at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2018) in front of a few hundred people and I found it a very enjoyable experience!