Science in Partnership

This University of Bristol Masterclass features Rowena Innocent, Aegis Professor of Technology, Innovation and Equality. Rowena is interviewed by Professor Michele Barbour, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Innovation.

Rowena has 30 years’ experience in research and product development for industrial applications. She is currently Senior Vice President of Engineering at Ultraleap, which manufactures interactive user interfaces using hand tracking and haptics. Her previous roles included Group Head of STEM strategy at Spectris plc, a supplier of precision instrumentation and controls, and Vice President of Research and Development at Malvern Panalytical, a market leader in material characterisation, instrumentation and services.

In her role as Aegis Professor, Rowena has a broad remit to work across the Faculty of Science and Engineering, sharing her industry expertise with colleagues.

In this podcast, Rowena and Michele discuss how to build trusting and fruitful relationships with industry, the importance of shared goals, and how to create that all-important contact network.

Anike is the Chief Strategy Officer and member of the Strategy Management Group of Lucideon, an international materials design, development, and commercialisation consultancy. In this global-facing role, Anike advises Lucideon on long-term strategic direction and how to develop and commercialise key new activities around technology trends and drivers of the future.

As an Aegis Professor for Engineering Biology at the University of Bristol, Anike helps to facilitate cross-disciplinary and collaborative working. She works with the Science Partnership Office on cross-Faculty initiatives such as supporting early career researchers, and with the Bristol BioDesign Institute (BBI) as industrial advisor for the translation of synthetic and engineering biology to applications in industry.

In this Enterprise Masterclass, Anike discusses her career and experience working in various sectors and positions, the importance of partnerships between universities and industry, and how to develop successful partnerships.

Recorded at a live event on 28 September 2023.

Welcome to the Science in Partnership podcast, a podcast showcasing scientific research and celebrating its real-world impact, made by the Science Partnership Office (SPO) at the University of Bristol. The SPO supports and promotes long-term partnerships between scientists, industry, government and the community.

In this episode, Dr Anne Westcott and Emma Creasey from the SPO talk to Dr Andy Humphris, Visiting Aegis Professor in the School of Physics at the University of Bristol and Chief Technical Officer at Infinitesima, a company that manufactures scanning probe microscopes. Andy talks about how his PhD research at the University led to the founding of Infinitesima. Along the way we discuss how to image objects at impossibly tiny scales, the importance of finding your niche in a market, and what academia and industry can offer each other.

Further information and contacts

You can contact the SPO via

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @SPO_Bristol

LinkedIn: search for SPO Bristol or view our Page

See the SPO website, www.bristol.ac.uk/science/science-partnership-office/for further information about Aegis professors.

Infinitesima’s website: https://www.infinitesima.com/