Materials Engineer

Director Industrial Research & Development , SWITCH Net Zero Wales

Graduating with a Doctorate in Materials Science in 1997 from Swansea University, and subsequently with an MBA from the University of Warwick in 2001, Barrie is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and holds Chartered Engineer status. For over 20 years he has held senior positions across the steel and metals industries at leading manufacturers, directing a range of technical and research programmes and building excellent customer relationships across the sector. Since 2019, Barrie has been Director of Industrial Research at the Steel & Metals Institute, an open access innovation centre based at Swansea University. In this role, he collaborates with a wide range of partners to develop both public and privately funded research aligned to industry needs, with a focus on decarbonisation and product development. The development and evolution of hydrogen testing capabilities has been at the forefront of the facility's growth and will continue to be a key focus to support the requirements of industrial stakeholders moving forward.

Head of Sales

Thomas graduated from Graz University of Technology (Austria) in Mechanical Engineering before going on to complete his PhD in the field of variable geometry combustion of gas turbines. Thomas joined ZwickRoell in 2012 in Fürstenfeld as Product Manager and Sales Engineer. In 2023 Thomas became Head of Sales.

Combination & Physical Devices Manager

Technical Senior Scientist

Ileah is a Technical Senior Scientist in the Physical and Combinations department at Medical Engineering Technologies Ltd (A Cormica Lab). She brings expertise in catheter testing and has experience testing PFS devices.

With a Chemistry degree from the University of Kent, Ileah applies her scientific knowledge to drive quality and precision in her work.

Dr Pieter Desnerck is an affiliated lecturer at the Department of Engineering and the Senior Technical Manager of the UKCRIC National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing (NRFIS) at the University of Cambridge. Pieter obtained his PhD at Ghent University (Belgium) and has previously worked at Universite de Sherbrooke (Canada), Missouri University of Science and Technology (USA) and Brunel University London (UK).

In 2018, he joined the University of Cambridge to strengthen the NRFIS management team.

Dr Desnerck's expertise is in concrete structures, academic lab management, experimental design, measurement techniques and research methodologies.

He leads the industrial and academic collaboration/consultancy projects at NRFIS.

Dr Yuan Xu is a Lecturer at Newcastle University. She obtained PhD in Civil Engineering from Sichuan University in 2018, where she was trained intensively in experimental characterisation and multi-scale modelling of geomaterials subjected to impact loading. She then conducted exciting research as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Impact Engineering Laboratory, University of Oxford in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc. 

Yuan’s current research focuses on performance inspection and damage prediction of materials and structures in highly dynamic (impact) environments. She develops novel experimental techniques and analytical methods to investigate the rate-dependent multiaxial behaviour of advanced engineering materials. These innovations support optimal integrity design in aerospace and automotive industries, aiding the adoption of emerging lightweight alloys and advancing net-zero goals.

Product Manager testXpert, ZwickRoell

Seminar Title: 

Empower your testing data - Improve data processing with testXpert Analytics

Interested in learning more about increasing efficiency in your quality control processes? Learn more about how to get the most out of your test and machine data.

View test series in real time, detect deviations in production at an early stage or take advantage of a predictive maintenance function.

The new features of testXpert give you a competitive advantage in terms of efficiency and safety of test results.

Stephen Barrett is a highly experienced engineer with over 50 years in the industry, offering deep expertise across a wide array of engineering disciplines. He excels in the integration of mechanical, hydraulic, electronic, data acquisition, and computer systems, particularly in the context of testing systems. His broad skill set spans various industries and applications, with a strong focus on fluid power and motion control systems.

In addition to his technical expertise, Stephen is an accomplished trainer who has successfully trained over 1,000 delegates in areas such as hydraulics, closed-loop motion control, safety, and software applications relevant to the testing industry.

Stephen holds several professional memberships, including being a Consultant Member of the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA), a Member of the BFPA Education & Training Committee, and a Member of both the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET, formerly IEEE) and the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

Laboratory Team Leader, Lab Operations & Support Team

Lee Fraser-Price has a BSc (hons) in Forensics and Criminology and currently works as a Principal Device Scientist / Laboratory Team Leader with 15 years’ experience in the Medical Device industry, 9 of which have been working for Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Throughout his career, Lee has acted as the Lead Device Scientist / Technical Expert across multiple, billion-dollar projects, with a specialisation in the physical/functional testing and development of medical devices and combination products.

Colin has dedicated over 37 years to ZwickRoell, making him an invaluable member of the team. Over the course of his long tenure, he has gained extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in a wide range of technical areas.

His responsibilities include overseeing the integration of modernisation upgrades, helping clients optimise and extend the lifespan of their existing testing systems with the latest technological advancements. Colin is also instrumental in advising clients on accessories that enhance the functionality of ZwickRoell products, providing expert guidance on custom solutions to meet specific requirements.

Alan Harrington is Technical Training Specialist at First Polymer Training Skillnet,. He graduated from Athlone I.T. in 1998 with a Diploma in Plastics Engineering and then attended North London University and graduated with a B.Eng. in Polymer Engineering. Alan held various technical roles within the Medical device sector and joined First Polymer Training in 2020, Alan’s Key objective is to develop and deliver training to industry members.

To contact Alan,  email alan.harrington@ibec.ie or telephone 090 6471223/ 087 1603445