PERFECTING THE JET ENGINE PROFILE

Lastly, advances in computing of the gap, according to engine These future aircraft concepts foresee what the aeroplanes of power have led to engineers condition, on a second-by- are not only radically different, tomorrow will look like, but all on the project developing new second basis. Systems such as but all point towards a need the signs are that they will burn A BUSINESSLIKE algorithms for electronically active tip clearance control are for closer integration between less fuel and emit less carbon monitoring and controlling the paving the way to an intelligent the airframe and the engine, dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. engine. Active tip clearance engine that will ‘morph’ to its even designing the aircraft and control is a key example. Here, operating conditions. the engine as a single, fully See Professor Philip Ruffles’ control software has been integrated entity. talk: Past, present and future developed to monitor and alter Danish physicist Niels Bohr – sustaining the traditions APPROACH TO the gap between the tip of a AIRCRAFT OF reportedly said that “prediction of Sir Henry Royce at http:// turbine blade and its casing. THE FUTURE is very difficult, especially tv.theiet.org/technology/ The turbine tip seal gap is in the Ultimately, tomorrow’s engines about the future”. We cannot transport/13479.cfm magnitude of the width of a will largely be defined by future human hair. It minimises airflow aircraft designs. New concepts losses and keep the blades and in development include Boeing’s BIOGRAPHY LEARNING casing cool. However, the gap blended wing body, Lockheed Professor Philip Ruffles CBE FREng FRS enjoyed a distinguished width normally varies throughout Martin’s box-wing and Northrop career in engineering at Rolls-Royce, becoming director of flight, as the casing and blade Grumman’s flying wing designs. engineering and technology from 1997 to 2001. He led on heat up and cool down and All of the proposed aircraft are the development of the Trent aero engine, which won the SIR CHRISTOPHER SNOWDEN FREng FRS as the blade is subjected to designed to halve landing and MacRobert Award. Professor Ruffles was also awarded and the centrifugal forces. take-off emissions of nitrogen Prince Philip Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering and With active clearance control, oxides by reducing the take-off Few engineers have moved between business and academia as became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001. sensors in the EFE continuously thrust requirements. They also fluently and as often as Professor Sir Christopher Snowden. This monitor the width of this gap aim to cut fuel consumption and feed data back to the by nearly 50%, compared with Ingenia would like to thank Dr Rebecca Pool, science and technology experience has put him in demand in many areas, not least with engine’s electronic control unit. aircraft flying today, with a large writer, Ian Doherty, Strategic Marketing Manager at Rolls-Royce, and policymakers. He tells Michael Kenward that his multidisciplinary Crucially, the control system can proportion of this benefit being John Whurr, Chief Project Engineer – Future Programmes, Rolls-Royce, use this data to alter the width delivered by the engines. for their help in producing this article success has not blunted his desire to get to grips with new technology and share his knowledge with a wider audience.

When it was put to Christopher Snowden MULTIDISCIPLINARY that he should try for the position of vice- Pursuing both business and academic chancellor of the University of Surrey in activities has long been a personal mission 2004, he had his doubts. He was running for Snowden. It stems from early work a very successful business and was not experience when he was in his early sure that the university would welcome twenties. On leaving University of Leeds a business outsider. Snowden was chief with a degree in electronic engineering, he executive of Filtronic ICS at the time, but his wanted to do something practical and go friends told him that he was regarded by straight into industry. He got a job as an most as an academic as well and after much applications engineer at Mullard and raised consideration he decided to take on the the idea of getting more qualifications. The university position. company’s response was that “experience is It turned out to be a good decision much more valuable.” However, when new for both parties: for the past seven years, recruits with further degrees leapfrogged Snowden has overseen the University of him into more senior positions, he decided Surrey’s steady rise up the academic league to look further afield. A 10 Watt microwave power MMIC amplifier, which in 2004 achieved the world record for the highest tables, making it to number 12 in the Even though he had a house with power density and efficiency © C. Snowden Guardian newspaper’s universities league a mortgage, Snowden returned to table, 30 places up since his appointment. university. He had already won a prize for It brings the university near the top-10 an undergraduate project on a distortion position that Professor Sir Christopher free audio amplifier and had sold the idea Airframers are looking to the future with designs that can accommodate open rotor (above) or geared turbofans © concept by Royal Aeronautical Society with Snowden (he was knighted in 2012) set to BT. Now, for his next degree, he chose rendering by Kaktus Digital himself as a goal on taking up the post. microwave communications engineering.

46 INGENIA INGENIA ISSUE 53 DECEMBER 2012 47 SIR CHRISTOPHER SNOWDEN FREng FRS PROFILE

“At the time, that was quite unexplored,” Snowden oversaw the introduction of new semiconductor BACK TO ACADEME he explains. “This was pre-mobile phones. By then, Leeds had lost its edge in research, Satellites were around. There was even a technology. “By the time I left, Filtronic had a large slice of the according to the Research Assessment little bit of point-to-point [microwave], but compound semiconductor market. They were making a third Exercise, if not in the minds of the it was very much a niche area at the time.” academics. Snowden realised that he Snowden returned to Leeds for his of the world’s switches for mobile phones.” would have to make changes. He drew on Masters because it enabled him to do his business experience. “I had learnt a lot a joint Masters with the University of about technical management, so I thought Sheffield, the only two in the country to do maybe I could use some of these skills here.” so. “I really liked the idea of sampling the Leeds had good industry contacts, but expertise of two universities and enjoyed it was not publishing enough good papers my Masters, which stimulated me to and had a poor record at winning funding subsequently pursue a PhD at Leeds with from the Research Councils. Snowden the aim of strengthening my employment slimmed the research down from six credentials, even though this meant I had groups, all in different areas, and set up to pay for a large part of my studies.” This at Caltech in California. “That gave me an curve of things like the breakdown voltage two research institutes, one in microwaves was before companies routinely sponsored appetite for working in the States.” The against the geometry parameters of the and photonics and another in integrated workers through research degrees, image of US universities is that of high transistor. I said: ‘I think that this would communications systems. He also set up although he was delighted to secure pressure hothousing, but Snowden found follow your experimental data.’” The a department for teaching and for staff some sponsorship from the MESL that it could also be a relaxed environment company remained sceptical, so Snowden who didn’t want to work in those areas. Group in Edinburgh. to work in. The plan worked. Leeds came out in the Two-and-a-half years later, with a freshly- gave it the model with an invitation to ‘try it The opportunity to move properly to the top group of the 2001 RAE league tables, minted career-enhancing PhD, the next yourself’. “The next day they rang up, very US came in 1989. Microwave Associates, obvious step would have been to take up excited. They said, yes, it actually laid on a position it has retained since that time later M/A-COM, invited him to manage a a job in industry. However, a colleague top of their data.” Together, they used the (coincidentally Surrey is ranked second in project that it ran with Filtronic, a business at Leeds suggested that Snowden apply model to design a new transistor. electronics to Leeds in the last Research set up by David Rhodes, who had worked for a lectureship at the University of York. Snowden’s model has become an Assessmenr Exercise). alongside Snowden at Leeds. M/A-COM Snowden had taught during his PhD but industry standard that is still in use. Now Thanks to Snowden’s business contacts, invited Snowden to be its technical director. lectureships usually went to postdocs with known as the quasi-two-dimensional AMP, the company that had taken over MA/ He didn’t rise to the bait immediately, so a few research papers under their belts. “I model, the idea has also proved to be a COM, invited him to return to the US as the Gerry Di Piazza, M/A-COM’s senior vice didn’t really think that this was likely to pan model for delivering publications: Snowden company’s vice president of technology. president, suggested a trial. “I really wanted out. Nevertheless, I went for it and they has more than 150 papers to his name in Despite his doubts about the longevity of to do this,” says Snowden, so, in those days offered me the job minutes after I had left the IEEE’s database alone. The most recent ‘veeps’, the offer persuaded Snowden, who before academics could expect sabbatical the interview! What had clinched it was my was in 2012, on ‘Multi-physics modelling of had a family by then, to sell his house, car, leave, at the age of 33, he took a leave industrial experience.” high-power microwave transistors’. and even his record collection to prepare to of absence and decamped to MA/COM’s Snowden was among the second staff Snowden continues to be active in move back across the Atlantic. Then came corporate R&D group in New England. intake in York’s brand new electronics research even though he does not have a snag: David Rhodes invited him to do department. Unfortunately, York’s research his own research group these days. As a the same job for Filtronic, forcing Snowden base wasn’t strong enough to satisfy IMPORTANT INNOVATION vice-chancellor, he says, “you have to be to choose between an American business Snowden, so he took the opportunity when During his time with MA/COM, Snowden realistic about the amount of research that with a market capitalisation of billions of dollars and a ‘small’ UK concern with sales Leeds invited him back. “We had formed developed a tool that transformed chip you can do”. However, Surrey has an active Professor Sir Christopher Snowden FREng FRS on the University of Surrey campus a very good team of academics. We then design. “I had been working on a new type group in the area. “I enjoy the stimulus of approaching £50 million. “David knew me became the most successful microwave of model for high-frequency transistors. The thinking about these problems,” he adds. well enough to know that I like the idea of As with most of his career, Snowden did group in the country.” model was literally a thousand times faster Snowden is also involved in technology growing things and that would stimulate the BUSINESS BACKING not set out to become a vice-chancellor. By then, microwave communications than the nearest equivalent and used all of projects, including a recent one which entrepreneurial spirit in me.” Rolls-Royce actually provides some of was in vogue, with rapid growth in mobile the material parameters – in the same way involved two different technologies, that of Filtronic it was then. Snowden oversaw However, he saw the Surrey position as “an Surrey’s income: it supports the Thermo- telecoms and burgeoning business interest that the engineers were designing them diamond-based transistors and of gallium the introduction of new semiconductor opportunity to combine all of the things that Fluid Systems University Technology Centre in microwave engineering. Snowden used and laying them out to make them” . The nitride transistors. technology. “By the time I left, Filtronic had a I really enjoyed doing”. (see Ingenia 47). This is just one of Surrey’s his industry links freely: if he wanted funds computer model was so accurate that it Much as he enjoyed his time at MA/ large slice of the compound semiconductor As he did as head of department at many links with companies, a subject that for a PhD student, he invited an industry evoked “a certain level of healthy scepticism.” COM, Snowden turned down an invitation market. It was making a third of the world’s Leeds, Snowden arrived at the University is clearly close to Snowden’s heart. He contact to sponsor the student. “By then,” MA/COM was working with big to become a vice president of the switches for mobile phones.” During his time of Surrey with a business mindset. After describes in detail some of the many ways he explains, “people could see that high- customers that needed to produce large company. “Working in the US, I had learnt with the company, Snowden also became all, as he points out, contrary to popular in which the two ‘sides’ work together with frequency communications was going to numbers of high-power transistors for that vice presidents usually have fairly their joint chief executive officer. “I learnt perception, the government is not the research only a part of the picture. “We be a boom area. It was growing and they communications and radar equipment. short-lived career profiles.” So he returned a huge amount in that role, particularly biggest source of income for many have the most successful training-year couldn’t get enough good graduates.” They had spent millions on this programme to the University of Leeds as Professor about public companies. It was a FTSE universities. “Only a quarter of Surrey’s programme in the UK,” says Snowden. A few years after Snowden’s return to and no two transistors were the same. of Microwave Engineering and, not long company, so I learnt about the City as well.” income comes from the government purse. “Undergraduates, no matter what subjects Leeds, a grant from the Royal Academy Snowden worked on the data overnight after that, as Head of the Department of This experience, says Snowden, has proved Rolls-Royce has a higher percentage of its they study, spend time in companies and of Engineering helped him to spend time before a final presentation. “I plotted a Electronic and Electrical Engineering. valuable in his current role. income from the public purse than we do.” other organisations. That is why Surrey, over

48 INGENIA INGENIA ISSUE 53 DECEMBER 2012 49 SIR CHRISTOPHER SNOWDEN FREng FRS PROFILE

“Universities are not here the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) the Department for Business, Innovation was launched which is now promoted by and Skills (BIS). Then Sir Christopher was to produce oven-ready the TSB and is still growing. He was also invited to undertake a review of BIS and its keen to do what he could to strengthen effectiveness. “The group of us who did it graduates who can just the role of the TSB. “There was no sense provided a pretty punchy report.” plug into a particular job of thematic support for innovative ideas Another development at BIS is that the in the UK.” It isn’t good enough, he says, department has also changed its structure and that’s it. We are here to leave businesses to sink or swim in and style. “Instead of being essentially just the marketplace. “Before you can get economically driven, it now has technical to help people to develop investment, you sometimes need to have a business on the agenda.” Sir Christopher and to become competent catalytic amount of money.” also points to the government’s focus Snowden describes one example of on infrastructure, which is driven by the individuals who can think where the TSB’s backing proved crucial. Treasury. “There is a lot of engineering and develop themselves for It helped to fund a business developing input and genuine interest in how that technology for 3D imaging of wounds can contribute.” life, not just for a few terms.” in patients in hospital beds. Building on Since 2008, Sir Christopher has served TISICS, a member of the University of Surrey’s research at the University of Oxford, Eykona as a Vice President of the Royal Academy International Space Innovation Centre, is a a world leader in titanium composites. The silicon carbide Technologies had developed a fast, non- of Engineering in his role as Chair of the fibre reinforced titanium composite Xenon pressure invasive wound measurement system, with Academy’s Engineering Policy Committee. vessel prototype (above) was tested for six months and is up to 40% lighter than conventional materials no risk to the patient. On a larger scale, The reports and other policy work he © TISICS says Sir Christopher, “Nissan would not have has overseen are credited with helping invested in the next generation of electric the Academy expand its influence with cars in the UK if it hadn’t been for the TSB government and impact in the media. and its low carbon transport projects.” As well as policy work and the day job, Sir Professor Snowden delivering his inaugural address as President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2009 Beyond such examples, is there any Christopher continues to accept invitations evidence that “politicians understand that to talk about technology. “I enjoy helping engineering is key to creating this new, people to see just how fantastic engineering, the past 15 years, has had the highest level among “600 major international companies isn’t an overconcentration in just a few broader economic base” as Sir Christopher science and technology are. If I can explain of graduate employment – 96% within six involved with us”. Sometimes companies institutions. The reason for that is simple: and other heads of engineering institutions some of the most recent developments and months of graduation.” will ‘embed’ their researchers in the we won’t generate enough scientists and said in a letter to the Guardian two years help them to gain an appreciation for it then Much as Sir Christopher (knighted university. For example, Surrey is home to engineers that are needed for the UK ago? “I think we have made significant it is very satisfying. If we don’t communicate for services to engineering and higher a communications research centre that is economy, let alone for the global economy, progress,” he says. One important move, well as a community, how can we expect education) is proud of Surrey’s record on one of the largest in Europe. “We have just if we don’t look after the broader base.” he believes, was the appointment of an the general public to understand the value graduate employment, there are, he insists, won £35million of funding to build on one engineer as a full-time scientific adviser at of what we add to society?” limits to what employers can expect of their of our strengths and set up the world’s first graduate recruits. “Universities are not here 5G Centre. We couldn’t have done without WEARING OTHER HATS With a career that has never seen him solely to produce oven-ready graduates who can the strong support of companies such as BIOGRAPHY on one side of the business/university ‘fence’, Michael Kenward OBE has been a freelance writer since 1990 and is a member of the just plug into a particular job and that’s it. Vodafone, Telefonica, Samsung, Huawei, it is no surprise that Snowden’s expertise is Ingenia Editorial board. He is Editor-at-Large of Science|Business. We are here to help people to develop and Fujitsu, Rohde & Schwarz, AIRCOM and Sony in demand. For example, he is a member to become competent individuals who can allied with government investment.” of the Council for Science and Technology, think and develop themselves for life, not It is not, though, simply a case of the group that advises the Prime Minister just for a few terms.” working with large companies. Surrey also Companies, Snowden feels, also have works with “a colossal number of SMEs”, and the Cabinet on scientific issues. He is CAREER TIMELINE AND DISTINCTIONS to be active in training graduates for the says Sir Christopher. He cites a Knowledge also a member of the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) and of the Born, 1956. Awarded BSc in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Leeds, 1977, followed by world of work. If anything, companies need Transfer Partnership where the university’s an MSc and PhD, 1982. Applications Engineer for Mullard Applications Laboratory, 1977-8. Lecturer in Electronics, universities more than ever. In their R&D, he chemists worked to improve a company’s governing board of the Technology Strategy says: “Companies have become more short- plating process for catalytic converters, Board (TSB). University of York, 1982-3. Served on the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, term. Research labs in most companies and another company that wanted to Sir Christopher was keen to become University of Leeds, 1983-2005; Professor of Microwave Engineering from 1992-2005; Head of School from have horizons of maybe five years, whereas develop better fireworks at lower cost. involved in the TSB, partly because he 1995-1998. Joined the Board of Filtronic plc as Executive Director of Technology, 1998, and was appointed Joint 25-year horizon research was being done The variety of academic relationships had seen the Small Business Innovation Chief Executive Officer, 1999. Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, 2000. Became Chief Executive Research (SBIR) programme in action in the before. The good news,” he adds, “is that with companies underlines the Officer of Filtronic ICS, 2001. Awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal for outstanding contributions companies are now more willing to work importance of diversity in universities. US and thought that the UK could do with with universities.” “We are particularly good at science and a local equivalent. The SBIR funds small to the UK microwave semiconductor industry, 2004. Appointed Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University He then lists major companies that work engineering in the UK,” says Sir Christopher. companies to invest in research. “I really of Surrey, 2005. Elected Fellow of the Royal Society, 2005. Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, 2008. with Surrey: Intel, IBM and Volkswagen are “But we do need to be careful that there thought that was a clever idea.” In the UK Awarded knighthood for services to engineering and higher education, 2012.

50 INGENIA INGENIA ISSUE 53 DECEMBER 2012 51