Invited Speakers

James Ewen, Imperial College London
Marius Gintalas, Brunel University
Timothy Kamps, NPL
Gordon Lamb, BP
Ryan Manthiri, Shell
Mehdi Mohammadpour, Loughborough University
Tom Reddyhoff, Imperial College London
Julian Stow, Institute of Railway Research

James P Ewen, Imperial College London

Dr James P. Ewen is a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. The topic of my Fellowship is ‘Controlling Friction through Molecular Engineering’. The primary focus of my research has been improving the fundamental understanding of the physiochemical processes that occur between moving surfaces to help rationally design lubricants, e-fluids and other formulations with improved performance and sustainability. These activities have the potential to significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption and harmful emissions. His research has been recognised through several awards, including the Wen Shizhu Maple Leaf - Young Scholar Award from the State Key Laboratory of Tribology at Tsinghua University, the Innovation in Tribology Award from the Institute of Physics, and the Tribology Bronze Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Marius Gintalas, Brunel University

Dr Marius Gintalas obtained his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering studying fracture toughness measurement methods under impact load. He worked on crack-tip constrain problems and the development of new wire manufacturing methods as a postdoctoral research associate at Manchester and Cambridge Universities. Marius joined fracture mechanics section at The Welding Institute (TWI) Ltd as a senior project leader after postdoctoral period of five years. In 2020, he returned to academia as a lecturer at Brunel University of London. Recently, collaborating with Southampton University he has successfully delivered two projects on rolling contact fatigue to Rail Standard and Safety Board.

Timothy Kamps, National Physical Laboratory

Timothy Kamps is a Tribologist in the Advanced Engineering Materials group at NPL. He is experienced in the design and analysis of laboratory experiments that quantify the friction and wear of lubricated interfaces. Timothy received his MEng & PhD degrees from the University of Southampton. Timothy is currently developing in situ contact and non-contact topography measurement technologies for both unidirectional and reciprocating tribometers. This capability provides high value tribology testing by reducing both the number and duration of tests required to investigate friction and wear phenomena.

Gordon Lamb, BP

Gordon Lamb graduated in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham in 1985, and completed a PhD in Polymers, also at Birmingham, in 1989.

He joined Lubrizol Ltd in 1990 in the UK. There he worked in product development and research principally in the area of engine oil lubricants. He has also spent 2 years working for Lubrizol in the US. He joined bp in 2002 taking over as Team Leader of the Heavy Duty Diesel product development team. He was appointed Advisor, Engine Oils in 2004 and Senior Advisor in 2019. Gordon spent 3 years working at the Castrol China Technology Centre in Shanghai. In his role as an Advisor he provides guidance to bp on engine oil development and more recently the implementation of digital solutions in technology.

He has published and co-authored papers and books on lubrication technology.

Ryan Manthiri, Shell Global Solutions (US) inc

Ryan Manthiri, Project Leader in Shell’s Global Solutions Technology Group, is a mechanical engineer with an interest in vehicles, engines and the energy sector. He has led diverse technical projects across multiple sectors including Motorsport, Manufacturing, Mining and Oil & Gas. Ryan has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Mehdi Mohammadpour, Loughborough University

Dr Mohammadpour is associate professor at Loughborough University, leading a team of researchers in the field of powertrain tribology. He is also the founder and CEO of a university spin-off, TriboDENS Ltd. which provides simulation tools and test methods and facilities in the field of tribology.

His academic background is in the field of mechanical engineering, and his research has led to more than 70 journal publications, 10s of conference presentations and invited lectures and 8 successful completion of PhD projects under his supervision. He is member of NAFEMS’ steering group and serves as member of the editorial board in several journals.

Tom Reddyhoff, Imperial College London

Tom Reddyhoff is a reader in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College and a member of the Tribology Group. Tom's background is as a mechanical engineer, though the scope of his research has broadened to include the chemistry and physics of surfaces. Tom’s team researches novel ways to improve the performance of sliding interfaces. This requires the development of new measurement techniques used in combination with mathematical modelling.

Julian Stow, Institute of Railway Research

Julian is Associate Director at the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield. He has 26 years’ experience in the rail industry specialising in rail vehicle dynamics and wheel-rail interface engineering and has led a wide range of projects for the GB rail industry in these areas. He is currently responsible for the delivery of a programme of research work under the Strategic Partnership between RSSB and the University of Huddersfield. Julian is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.