The MSF’s Structure and Personnel

The Material Social Futures programme is funded by the Leverhulme Trust and Lancaster University and will continue supporting research until at least 2025

It is co-directed by Professor Richard Harper, of the Institute for Social Futures, and Professor Rob Short, of the Materials Science. Professor Harper is the Principal Investigator for the Leverhulme Trust.

Joining the MSF

Each year, a new cohort of students apply for Scholarships. For this autumn, the following areas are being advertised. At the same time, the MSF always welcomes contact from individuals who are undecided of their particular research discipline but feel the MSF might provide a suitable environment for their ambitions. Please contact Professor Harper or Professor Short.

MSF Supervisory Team

The MSF programme is being developed by a growing team of supervisors from across Lancaster University. These include:

• Peter Garraghan (Computing)
• Emily Speirs (Modern Languages)
• Alison Stowell (Management)
• John Griffen (Chemistry)
• Mark Rouncefield (Computing)
• Sam Murphy (Engineering)
• Sam Jarvis (Physics)
• Nuria Tapia Ruiz (Chemistry)
• Lefteris Danos (Chemistry)
• Adrian Friday (Computing)
• Ben Robinson (Physics)
• Rebecca Braun (Modern Languages)
• Bran Knowles (Computing)
• Kas Toghill (Chemistry)
• Hungyen Lin (Engineering)
• Moniker Buscher (Sociology)
• Richard Dawson (Engineering)
• Nicola Spurling (Sociology)
• Mark Shackleton (Management)
• Manus Hayne (Physics)
• Ben Surridge (Chemistry)
• Charlie Gere (Institute of Contemporary Art)
• Denes Csala (Engineering)
• Crispin Halsal (Environmental Science)
• Nuno Bimbo (Chemistry)

The MSF’s Structure and Personnel

Training and research in the MSF programme is advised by influential thinkers from around the world who act on its Advisory Board. Each year, PhDs present their research to this board and get personalised guidance and feedback on their endeavours.

The Advisory Board includes:

• Dr David Stanley, Henry Royce Institute for Materials
• Professor Bill Buxton, Partner, Microsoft Research, Seattle
• Dr Oskar Korkman, Director of AliceLabs, Helsinki, Finland
• Andrea Brown, Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
• Dr John Carney, Principal Scientist at Systems Thinking Consulting Group, DSTL, UK