The University is to share in £2.5m funding to train the environmental scientists and engineers of the future in the use of smart and autonomous observation systems (SAOS).
Innovative sensor platforms such as drones and autonomous robotic submarines play an increasingly important role in environmental science, carrying out tasks from monitoring air pollution to exploring the deep ocean.
The new Centre of Doctoral Training in ‘The use of Smart and Autonomous Observation for the Environmental Sciences’ known as NEXUSS (NEXt generation Unmanned System Science), will provide specialised training in this increasingly vital area, creating a community of highly skilled people whose expertise will contribute both to scientific breakthroughs and to economic growth.
Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato, from the University and Director of NEXUSS, said:
“[This] is an outstanding opportunity to develop a new generation of environmental scientists that is more aware of the vast possibilities that SAOS approaches offer, and that can take forward the environmental application of these technologies in decades to come.”
Professor Philip Nelson, The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s chief executive and former University Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise, said:
“Centres for Doctoral Training are extremely popular with students and industry alike as they address real-world challenges and skills needs.”
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