Professor Allan Rennie
Professor in Manufacturing EngineeringMy Role
Professor in Manufacturing Engineering - School of Engineering
Associate Dean for Engagement - Faculty of Science and Technology
Profile
Allan has broad ranging teaching and research interests in the fields of engineering design, manufacturing and engineering education, with research specialisms particularly in the field of additive manufacturing. Having initiated his career in additive manufacturing in the mid-1990's, helping to spin-out one of the first companies in the UK in this field, his career has seen him focus on the industrial use of the technology in a diverse range of applications across many sectors. Current research is focused on design for additive manufacturing (co-leading the UK's EPSRC DfAM Network), industrial digitalisation of manufacturing processes, tooling (using metallic and hybrid approaches for mould development) and manufacturing process development and optimisation. Allan has also developed an interest in engineering education, integrating business and management into his teaching and the effects that this has on students, the need to move to online and hybrid delivery modes during Covid-19 and the impacts on engagement, learning and graduate employability.
Current Teaching
Currently Module Leader for:
ENGR205 Business Development Project
ENGR400 MEng Start-Up Week Preparation Programme
ENGR407 MEng Group Project
ENGR421/ENGR521 Rapid Product Development and Additive Manufacturing
Supervising Projects for:
ENGR300 BEng Individual Project
ENGR301 MEng Individual Project
ENGR407 MEng Group Project
ENGR445 MEng Industry Project
ENGR495 MEng Individual Project (ChemEng)
ENGR540 MSc Individual Project
Automating the Design for Additive Manufacture Process with AI
01/09/2023 → 29/02/2024
Research
Engineers in Business Competition - AY2022-23
01/05/2023 → 31/12/2023
Other
Engineers in Business Competition - AY2021-22
01/05/2022 → 31/12/2022
Other
IAA CALFS Project with Agri-Lloyd
01/10/2020 → 30/09/2022
Research
UK Design for Additive Manufacturing Network
01/10/2020 → 31/12/2023
Research
Engineers in Business Competition - AY2019-20
01/05/2020 → 31/12/2020
Other
Regenerated Laser Sinter Powders (RENDER)
01/05/2020 → 31/10/2021
Research
ACADEME PLUS (Advanced Manufacturing Capital for Skills Development & Employer Engagement - Extension)
01/04/2020 → 31/03/2023
Research
ACaDEmE:Additive Manufacturing (Equipment): ACaDEmE Plus
01/01/2020 → 30/04/2023
Research
Engineers in Business Competition - AY2018-19
01/05/2019 → 31/12/2019
Other
TecHnology and EntrepreneUrship Education - Bridging the Gap for Smart Product Development
01/11/2018 → 31/08/2021
Research
Engineers in Business Competition - AY2017-18
01/05/2018 → 31/12/2018
Other
Proximity to Discover: Industry Engagement for Impact
31/03/2018 → 30/11/2019
Research
Applications for the Random Column Packing “Dixon Rings”
01/01/2018 → 31/12/2020
Research
Production Capable Additive Manufacturing of Polymers
01/10/2017 → 31/03/2020
Research
Additive Manufacturing - Technologies and Key Applications
25/09/2017 → 24/09/2018
Research
IAA: SLS Scanning - Qucker/Greater Resolution
01/07/2017 → 31/03/2024
Research
Research on adaptability of additive manufacturing technologies to the agricultural machinery design and manufacturing industry: know-how exchange activity
29/12/2016 → 28/12/2017
Other
Voxel Printing
18/11/2016 → 18/11/2018
Research
IAA: Euriscus
01/11/2016 → 31/05/2022
Research
Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) of Electrodes for Fundamental Neuroscience
03/10/2016 → 30/06/2017
Research
Hybrid and Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing for End-Use Industrial Applications
01/10/2016 → 31/03/2017
Research
Advanced Manufacturing Capital for Skills Development & Employer Engagement
01/09/2016 → 30/09/2021
Research
Development of a Universal Slicing and Scanning Engine
01/07/2015 → 31/03/2017
Research
IAA: Euriscus
01/07/2015 → 31/12/2017
Research
IS 2015 - High end capture and reproduction of cultural artefacts
01/06/2015 → 31/05/2016
Research
Institutional Sponsorship 2015
01/06/2015 → 31/03/2016
Research
H2020: TWEETHER: Travelling wave tube based W-band wireless networks with high data rate, distribution, spectrum and energy efficiency
01/01/2015 → 30/09/2018
Research
Benchmarking recycled metallic powders for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing
01/01/1900 → …
Research
25th International Conference on Engineering Design (Event)
Membership of committee
UK Society for Biomaterials Conference 2025
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
University of Twente - PhD External Examiner
Examination
Bournemouth University - PhD External Examiner
Examination
Touch, Heal, Build: The Power of Additive Manufacturing
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Chemistry (Organisational unit)
Member of Advisory Panel
The Third Casablanca International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (Event)
Membership of committee
2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (Event)
Membership of committee
Loughborough University - MPhil External Examiner
Examination
University of Manchester - PhD External Examiner
Examination
The Royal Society (External organisation)
Membership of committee
7th International Congress on 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Digital Industry 2023 (Event)
Membership of committee
The 2nd International Conference on Design for 3D Printing (Event)
Membership of committee
Centre for Digital Innovation Launch Event
Oral presentation
Design for 4D Printing
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
University of Sheffield - PhD External Examiner
Examination
Design for AM - A Focus on Polymers
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Curious Investigators post theatre show workshop
Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition
Design for AM Metals - Turning Designs into Reality
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
University of Manchester - PhD External Examiner
Examination
The Second Casablanca International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (Event)
Membership of committee
6th International Congress on 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Digital Industry 2022 (Event)
Membership of committee
RAPDASA-RobMech-PRASA-CoSAAMI (Event)
Publication peer-review
Manufacturing Debate: Will Manufacturing Make It?
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
International Conference on Design for 3D Printing (Event)
Membership of committee
Responsible Design for Additive Manufacturing
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Blackpool and the Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of board
University of Chichester (External organisation)
Membership of board
University of Chichester (External organisation)
Membership of board
2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (Event)
Membership of committee
Design for 3D Printed Textiles - Where they stand today
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
University of Bolton - PhD External Examiner
Examination
University of Manchester - PhD External Examiner
Examination
Design for Additive Manufacturing in Redistributed Healthcare
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Shayfull Zamree Bin Abd Rahim
Hosting an academic visitor
International Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering & Telecommunications (Journal)
Publication peer-review
University of Wollongong, Australia - PhD External Examiner
Examination
Establishing a Design for Additive Manufacturing Research Community in the UK
Invited talk
Computational Tools: Pushing the Frontiers of Design for Additive Manufacturing
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Saad Hasan
Hosting an academic visitor
RAPDASA-RobMech-PRASA (Event)
Publication peer-review
Greater Manchester AI Foundry Showcase
Oral presentation
41st International MATADOR Conference on Advanced Manufacturing (Event)
Membership of committee
Additive Manufacturing Technologies in Product Design and Development for Manufacturing Companies
Oral presentation
Design for Additive Manufacturing for Education
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
2021 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (Event)
Membership of committee
The First Casablanca International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (Event)
Membership of committee
5th International Congress on 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Digital Industry 2021 (Event)
Membership of committee
Designing the Future of Additive Manufactured Electronics
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Cleaner Engineering and Technology (Journal)
Publication peer-review
STEM Ambassador Hub Lancashire and Cumbria (External organisation)
Other Membership
International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing (Journal)
Editorial activity
GAMBICA (External organisation)
Membership of council
EPSRC Redistributed Manufacturing in Healthcare Network (RiHN) (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Staffordshire University - PhD External Examiner (External Organisation)
Examination
Invited Talk: Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, Tennessee Technological University, USA
Invited talk
Institution of Engineering Technology (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackpool and the Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of board
Reactors, Scale-Up and Separations: Process intensification, integration and multifunctionality
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
H Kursat Celik
Hosting an academic visitor
Production of conductive composite electrodes for extracellular recording and stimulation
Invited talk
2nd International Conference on Advanced Structural and Functional Materials
Invited talk
4th International Congress on 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Digital Industry 2019 (Event)
Membership of committee
Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing Conference (S2M) (Event)
Membership of committee
Computers in Industry (Journal)
Publication peer-review
University of East Anglia (School of Engineering) (External organisation)
Membership of board
Loughborough University (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Advances in Manufacturing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Elsevier (Publisher)
Publication peer-review
3rd International Congress on 3D Printing Technologies and Digital Industry 2018
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Dublin City University - School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Invited Public Talk: Southern Manufacturing Innovation Group (Illawarra, Australia)
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Invited Talk: Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Australia
Invited talk
Invited Talk: Department of Agricultural Machinery, Akdeniz University, Turkey
Invited talk
Rapid Prototyping Journal (Journal)
Editorial activity
National University of Science and Technology (External organisation)
Membership of board
Invited Lecture - Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
University of Central Lancashire (External organisation)
Membership of committee
15th Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference (RDPM2017)
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Invited Seminar and Q&A Session: Arab Academy for Science & Technology
Invited talk
Loughborough University - Loughborough Design School (External organisation)
Membership of committee
International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing (Journal)
Editorial activity
Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI) (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Workshop: High-end capture and reproduction of cultural artefacts
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Additive Manufacturing (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science (Journal)
Publication peer-review
14th Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference (RDPM2015)
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Interactive Workshop: High-end capture and reproduction of cultural artefacts
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Elsevier (Publisher)
Publication peer-review
The British Academy (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI) (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation - National Research Council (CNCS) (External organisation)
Membership of committee
International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing (Journal)
Editorial activity
Lancashire County Council (External organisation)
Other Membership
Loughborough University - Loughborough Design School (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackpool and the Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of board
Invited Research Seminar - The University of the South Pacific
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Research Project Interview - University of Wollongong
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Invited Seminar - University of Wollongong
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Industry and Parliament Trust (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Computer-Aided Design (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Uni of warwick (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Materials and Design (Journal)
Publication peer-review
Royal Academy of Engineering (External organisation)
Member of Advisory Panel
Akdeniz University, Turkey (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Dublin City University (External organisation)
Membership of committee
University of Northumbria (External organisation)
Membership of committee
IWT - Agency for Innovation by Science & Technology (External organisation)
Member of an organisation
Politechnica University Bucharest (External organisation)
Membership of committee
13th Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference (RDPM 2012)
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Concept Modelling Additive Manufacturing Systems
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Economic and Social Research Council, UK (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackpool & The Fylde College (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Materials Knowledge Transfer Network: Special Interest Group on Additive Manufacturing (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Glasgow Caledonian University (External organisation)
Membership of committee
H Kursat Celik
Hosting an academic visitor
12th Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Olaf Diegel
Hosting an academic visitor
Research And Development Management Association (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Virtual and Physical Prototyping (Journal)
Editorial activity
University of Dundee (External organisation)
Membership of committee
11th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
David R Aitchison
Hosting an academic visitor
Glasgow Caledonian University (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Buckinghamshire New University (External organisation)
Membership of committee
University of Wales Institute Cardiff (External organisation)
Membership of committee
New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (External organisation)
Member of an organisation
University of Canterbury, New Zealand (External organisation)
Membership of committee
10th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
The Rapid Product Development Magazine (Journal)
Editorial activity
University of Central Lancashire (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Lancashire Economic Partnership (External organisation)
Membership of committee
University of Canterbury, New Zealand (External organisation)
Membership of committee
9th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
North West Universities Association (External organisation)
Membership of committee
University of Central Lancashire (External organisation)
Membership of committee
8th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
University of Northumbria (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Blackburn College (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (External organisation)
Member of an organisation
Seventh National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
International College of Engineering and Management (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Sixth National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Fire Safety Engineering College (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Construction Innovation Seminar
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Fifth National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Fourth National Conference on Rapid and Virtual Prototyping and Applications
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Third National Conference on Rapid Prototyping, Tooling and Manufacturing
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
The Institute of Metal Finishing, Westinghouse Prize 2002
Prize (including medals and awards)
European Union, Exemplar Project Status
Other distinction
Fifth Annual InfoSciR-Journals Excellence in Research Awards
Prize (including medals and awards)
McKinnon Walker Fellow, University of Wollongong, Australia
National/international honour
Science and Technology Dean’s Award – Teacher of the Year (2019)
Prize (including medals and awards)
Pilkington Teaching Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Other distinction
Senior Fellow - AdvanceHE (SFHEA)
Fellowship awarded competitively
JMMP 2021 Best Paper Award
Prize (including medals and awards)
Associate of the Institution of Engineering Designers (AIED)
Other distinction
Manufacturing
- Centre for Global Eco-innovation
- Energy Lancaster
- Lancaster Product Development Unit
- Manufacturing