The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities (ReNU) is driven by industry and market needs, which indicate unprecedented growth in renewable and distributed energy to 2050. This growth is underpinned by global demand for electricity which will outstrip growth in demand for other sources by more than two to one (The drivers of global energy demand growth to 2050, 2016, McKinsey). A significant part of this demand will arise from vast numbers of distributed, but interconnected devices (estimated to reach 40 billion by 2024) serving sectors such as healthcare (for ageing populations) and personal transport (for reduced carbon dioxide emission). The distinctive remit of ReNU therefore is to focus on materials innovations for small-to-medium scale energy conversion and storage technologies that are sustainable and highly scalable. ReNU will be delivered by Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham Universities, whose world-leading expertise and excellent links with industry in this area have been recognised by the recent award of the North East Centre for Energy Materials (NECEM, award number: EP/R021503/1). This research-focused programme will be highly complementary to ReNU which is a training-focused programme. A key strength of the ReNU consortium is the breadth of expertise across the energy sector, including: thin film and new materials; direct solar energy conversion; turbines for wind, wave and tidal energy; piezoelectric and thermoelectric devices; water splitting; CO2 valorisation; batteries and fuel cells. Working closely with a balanced portfolio of 36 partners that includes multinational companies, small and medium size enterprises and local Government organisations, the ReNU team has designed a compelling doctoral training programme which aims to engender entrepreneurial skills which will drive UK regional and national productivity in the area of Clean Growth, one of four Grand Challenges identified in the UK Government's recent Industrial Strategy. The same group of partners will also provide significant input to the ReNU in the form of industrial supervision, training for doctoral candidates and supervisors, and access to facilities and equipment. Success in renewable energy and sustainable distributed energy fundamentally requires a whole systems approach as well as understanding of political, social and technical contexts. ReNU's doctoral training is thus naturally suited to a cohort approach in which cross-fertilisation of knowledge and ideas is necessary and embedded. The training programme also aims to address broader challenges facing wider society including unconscious bias training and outreach to address diversity issues in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects and industries. Furthermore, external professional accreditation will be sought for ReNU from the Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Engineering Technology, thus providing a starting point from which doctoral graduates will work towards "Chartered" status. The combination of an industry-driven doctoral training programme to meet identifiable market needs, strong industrial commitment through the provision of training, facilities and supervision, an established platform of research excellence in energy materials between the institutions and unique training opportunities that include internationalisation and professional accreditation, creates a transformative programme to drive forward UK innovation in renewable and sustainable distributed energy.

DATA-CENTRIC will fundamentally transform modern computational engineering through the development of algorithms that are accountable. This means algorithms capable of quantifying the uncertainty arising from computation itself, delivering simulations that are more transparent, traceable and at the same time more efficient. Crucial decisions in science, engineering, healthcare and public policy rely on established methodologies such as the Finite Element Method and the Stochastic Finite Element Method. However, the models that inform such decisions suffer from an inevitable loss of accuracy due to, and not limited to the following sources of uncertainty: a) time and cost constraints of running modern high-fidelity computer models, b) simplifying approximations necessary to translate mathematical models into computational models, and c) limited numerical precision inherent to any computer system. Therefore, there is a continuous risk of relying on unverified computational evidence, and the path from modelling to decision-making can be (inadvertently or unwillingly) obscured by the lack of accountability. DATA-CENTIC will solve this problem through Probabilistic Numerics, a framework that will enable decision-makers to monitor, diagnose and control the quality of computer simulations. Probabilistic Numerics treats computation as a statistical problem, thus enriching computation with a probabilistic measure of numerical error. This idea is gathering momentum, especially in the UK. However, theoretical development are still in their early stages and except for a few examples, it has not been applied to solve large-scale industrial problems. Consequently, it has not yet been adopted by industry. DATA-CENTRIC will bridge this gap. . The proposed approach will provide radically new insights into the Finite Element Method and the Stochastic Finite Element Method. In particular, it will produce new solutions to industrial problems in Biomechanics and Robust Design. This has the potential of transforming personalised medicine and high-value manufacturing and will open the door to new industrial applications.

Metamaterials are artificial materials with characteristics beyond those found in nature that unlock routes to material and device functionalities not available using conventional approaches. Their electromagnetic, acoustic or mechanical behaviour is not simply dictated by averaging out the properties of their constituent elements, but emerge from the precise control of geometry, arrangement, alignment, material composition, shape, size and density of their constituent elements. In terms of applications, metamaterials have phenomenal potential, in important areas, from energy to ICT, defence & security, aerospace, and healthcare. Numerous market research studies predict very significant growth over the next decade, for example, by 2030 the metamaterial device market is expected to reach a value of over $10bn (Lux Research 2019). The 'Metamaterials' topic is inherently interdisciplinary, spanning advanced materials (plasmonics, active materials, RF, high index contrast, 2D materials, phase change materials, transparent conductive oxides, soft materials), theoretical physics, quantum physics, chemistry, biology, engineering (mechanical and electrical), acoustics, computer sciences (e.g. artificial intelligence, high performance computing), and robotics. Historically, the UK has been a global leader in the field, with its roots in the work of radar engineers in the 2nd World War, and being reinvigorated by the research of some of our most eminent academics, including Professor Sir John Pendry. However today, it risks falling behind the curve. As a specific example, the Chinese government has funded the development of the world's first large-scale metamaterial fabrication facility, which has capacity to produce 100,000 m2 of metamaterial plates annually, with projects relating to aerospace, communication, satellite and military applications. The breadth of metamaterial research challenges is huge, from theory, fabrication, experiment, and requiring expertise in large-scale manufacturing and field testing for successful exploitation. We believe that the isolation of research groups and lack of platforms to exchange and develop ideas currently inhibits the UK's access to the interdisciplinary potential existing within our universities, industries, and governmental agencies. It is of the utmost importance to develop interactions and mobility between these communities, to enable knowledge transfer, innovation, and a greater understanding of the barriers and opportunities. The intervention that this Network will provide will ensure that the UK does not lag our international competitors. Via the Network's Special Interest Groups, Forums, National Symposia and other community-strengthening strategies, the enhanced collaboration will help resolve key interdisciplinary challenges and foster the required talent pipeline across academia and industry. As a result we will see an increase in research power for the metamaterials theme, and therefore reaping the impact opportunities of this area for UK economy and society. The Network's extensive promotion of the benefits of metamaterials technology (e.g., case studies, white papers etc), facilitation of access to metamaterial experts and facilities (through the online database) and closer interactions with end-users at appropriate events (e.g. industry-academia workshops) will help grow external investment in metamaterials research. Ultimately the Network will provide the stimulation of a discovery-innovation-enterprise cycle to meet desired outcomes for prosperity and consequentially, society, defence, and security.

Current sound design does not have a spatial component: architects design buildings or public spaces so that the same sound is either everywhere or nowhere. We count on headphones for getting personal, high quality soundscapes, even in augmented/virtual/mixed reality applications. Our society, however, manages light differently: a theatre director can populate a scene with focused or diffused light, a spotlight that follows a character, alternation of light and shadows. This is possible because centuries of optical science have given us tools that can shape light beams: we call the simplest lenses, but these can be assembled to form telescopes, microscopes etc. Adding a 3D holographic image of a crown on a £5 note is now as easy as getting good fish and chips in Brighton. The difference between sound and light design is even more apparent in television/computer displays: we use special materials (liquid crystals) to compose lights of different nature, shaping them in what we perceive as 3D landscapes, even one for each observer. Conversely, there is no such a thing as a 3D display for acoustics, and this is probably the main reason why immersive experiences and videogames are mainly designed for visual feedback. Medical and industrial applications, which are based on transducer arrays, often require costly and bulky electronics and are difficult to scale up. Designers simply don't have the right tools. In this fellowship, I will exploit my research on meta-materials (i.e., materials designed and engineered to have acoustic properties not present in nature) to create these tools. If my research is successful, at the end of the 3 years we will have very thin DIY acoustic lenses that can be assembled in acoustic "telescopes" and "microscope" objectives, but also speakers that deliver personalised messages to passing users (like in the movie "Minority Report"). We will have windows that let the air through, but not the noise of the air-conditioning unit. We will have a new type of VR/AR environments, incorporating localised music and long-range haptics (like in "Iron Man"), available to the UK creative industries for early adoption. We will have diagnostic and therapeutic applications based on ultrasound with a simple 3D printer. To achieve this result, I will partner with selected industrial stakeholders (in UK and abroad), through workshops and short feasibility studies, to explore what lies beyond our everyday acoustics and how this can be applied to the benefit of UK companies. I will even build devices that have no optical counterpart, but that can manipulate sound with a precision beyond our perception. And you will able to see them in action, because I will be active in public engagement to facilitate their uptake. At the end of the three years, we will have a new way of designing, thinking and experience sound. We will have on sound the same control we now have on light.

Topic of Centre: This i4Nano CDT will accelerate the discovery cycle of functional nanotechnologies and materials, effectively bridging from ground-breaking fundamental science toward industrial device integration, and to drive technological innovation via an interdisciplinary approach. A key overarching theme is understanding and control of the nano-interfaces connecting complex architectures, which is essential for going beyond simple model systems and key to major advances in emerging scientific grand challenges across vital areas of Energy, Health, Manufacturing (particularly considering sustainability), ICT/Internet of things, and Quantum. We focus on the science of nano-interfaces across multiple time scales and material systems (organic-inorganic, bio-nonbio interfaces, gas-liquid-solid, crystalline-amorphous), to control nano-interfaces in a scalable manner across different size scales, and to integrate them into functional systems using engineering approaches, combining interfaces, integration, innovation, and interdisciplinarity (hence 'i4Nano'). The vast range of knowledge, tools and techniques necessary for this underpins the requirement for high-quality broad-based PhD training that effectively links scientific depth and application breadth. National Need: Most breakthrough nanoscience as well as successful translation to innovative technology relies on scientists bridging boundaries between disciplines, but this is hindered by the constrained subject focus of undergraduate courses across the UK. Our recent industry-academia nano-roadmapping event attended by numerous industrial partners strongly emphasised the need for broadly-trained interdisciplinary nanoscience acolytes who are highly valuable across their businesses, acting as transformers and integrators of new knowledge, crucial for the UK. They consistently emphasise there is a clear national need to produce this cadre of interdisciplinary nanoscientists to maintain the UK's international academic leadership, to feed entrepreneurial activity, and to capitalise industrially in the UK by driving innovations in health, energy, ICT and Quantum Technologies. Training Approach: The vision of this i4Nano CDT is to deliver bespoke training in key areas of nano to translate exploratory nanoscience into impactful technologies, and stimulate new interactions that support this vision. We have already demonstrated an ability to attract world-class postgraduates and build high-calibre cohorts of independent young Nano scientists through a distinctive PhD nursery in our current CDT, with cohorts co-housed and jointly mentored in the initial year of intense interdisciplinary training through formal courses, practicals and project work. This programme encourages young researchers to move outside their core disciplines, and is crucial for them to go beyond fragmented graduate training normally experienced. Interactions between cohorts from different years and different CDTs, as well as interactions with >200 other PhD researchers across Cambridge, widens their horizons, making them suited to breaking disciplinary barriers and building an integrated approach to research. The 1st year of this CDT course provides high-quality advanced-level training prior to final selection of preferred PhD research projects. Student progression will depend on passing examinable components assessed both by exams and coursework, providing a formal MRes qualification. Components of the first year training include lectures and practicals on key scientific topics, mini/midi projects, science communication and innovation/scale-up training, and also training for understanding societal and ethical dimensions of Nanoscience. Activities in the later years include conferences, pilot projects, further innovation and scale up training, leadership and team-building weekends, and ED&I and Responsible Innovation workshops