David Hughes

David is an Enterprise Fellow within the Department of Engineering and has wored at the University since 2013. Prior to joining Teesside University David worked as a design and development technician in the polymer industry winning the Society of Polymer Engineers national award in 2008. David works closely with local trusts and industries. David is the Chair of the national IOM3 Polymer Society and sits on a number of government steering groups related to plastics.

• Polymer Processing - Injection molding and polymeric materials
• Thermoplastic Composites - Commodity thermoplastic composites for mass manufacture
• Composite Design - Specifically digital manufacture for optimised performance and waste reduction
• High Temperature Functional Materials - Including sensitive materials and composite coatings (Geopolymers)
• Bio-Mechanics - Particularly the Glenohumeral joint (Human Shoulder)

I have a number of projects related to circular economy and materials development, particulalrly focusing on Geopolymers and polymer processing.
We have a relationship with Siemens working with the package FiberSim for composite design and manufacture. We have developing research interests around waste reduction and efficiency using these tools.

David is involved in a number of enterprise activities focused around materials technology. He is currently running a KTP project and other funded streams of work.

The focus of his industrial work is around the development and processing of material solutions, this includes polymers and polymer processing, composite material development and materials testing and characterisation. He has specific interests around waste management and reduction in processing.

Pedagogical research and development interests in the following two areas:

1. Overcoming the challenges of large and diverse classes using digital tools.
2. Developing the skills required for the digital industrial revolution.