DR. IESTYN STEAD

Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham (UoB). Previously he has worked on a variety of technologies harnessing natural and renewable resources for the reduction of polluting emissions being released into the environment. In this research, he has developed engineering solutions with a number of industrial and academic partners across multiple industries ranging from the cold chain to geothermal drilling. During his doctoral research, he was the recipient of the Lawrence Arthur Foster Postgraduate Scholarship awarded by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and was made an Industrial Fellow of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for his work improving the efficiency of a cryogenic system providing clean cooling and power from waste liquid nitrogen. This research involved the development of novel lubricants based on compounds found within leaves. At the heart of his work is a multidisciplinary approach utilizing engineering design, tribology (the study of friction and wear), metallurgy, polymer science and failure analysis to increase process efficiency and reduce component failures. Stead now applies these skills to developing cost-effective, reliable and scalable solutions with longevity to harness the potential of Daphnia Magna in wastewater decontamination as an industrial setting