Researchers across Engineering and Physical Sciences will address global challenges in four new Centres of Excellence at the University of Southampton.

Academics in Electronics and Computer Science will play an integral role in each of the four cross-disciplinary centres that focus on spearheading sustainable digital technologies.

The new Centres will tap into the University’s diverse strengths to deliver major research programmes in Continuous Digital Chemical Engineering Science, the Future of Human Communication, In-situ and Remote Intelligent Sensing, and Re-engineering for Electric Mobility.

Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi, Dean of Faculty, Engineering and Physical Sciences, says: “I am delighted to be formally launching these new hubs that will push the frontiers of research. This cross-disciplinary approach will channel expertise, both within and beyond our Faculty, and I firmly believe this will generate exceptional real-world impact.”

The Centre for Continuous Digital Chemical Engineering Science will develop smarter, greener and more efficient processes for the discovery and manufacture of new chemicals and materials. It aims to reduce the environmental footprint of chemicals and materials manufacture and open up new possibilities for industrial product development and scientific research.

The Centre for the Future of Human Communication is dedicated to developing digital technologies that will help people to communicate better. Its researchers are working on accessible devices and systems to improve the healthcare and wellbeing, and enhance the way we learn, work and consume entertainment and culture.

The Centre for In-situ and Remote Intelligent Sensing is the world’s only research hub dedicated to developing intelligent, connected, self-powered sensing systems. Operating in some of Earth’s most remote, harsh environments, they will provide better understanding of the world around us and help tackle pressing environmental and human challenges.

The Centre for Re-engineering for Electric Mobility will accelerate the development of sustainable, interconnected electric transport systems, re-engineering existing infrastructure and vehicles through advances in energy storage technology, the use of digital tribology to optimise components, and the redesign of the human-machine interface.

Professor Robert Wood, Associate Dean of Faculty (Research), Engineering and Physical Sciences, says: “Through these connected discipline centres we aim to transform the research landscape, connect to global and national challenges and drive research areas aligned to societal needs.

“We are very pleased to have received declarations of interest from dozens of researchers, including our vibrant early career research community, and these hubs will now begin to connect to the University Strategic Research Groups, University institutes and our industrial partners to launch ambitious programmes that will change the world for the better.”

Further information about the Centres and other activities within Engineering and Physical Sciences can be found on the Faculty’s webpage.

A rapid prototyping service for photonic integrated circuits is being expanded in a new funding success at the University of Southampton's £120m cleanroom complex.

Research partners, including experts from Electronics and Computer Science's Sustainable Electronic Technologies group, have been awarded around £1.5m by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to extend the CORNERSTONE service.

CORNERSTONE is an industry compatible, flexible silicon photonics fabrication foundry that provides a multi-project-wafer (MPW) service for academics and industry. The scalable platform, which is unique in its design and process versatility, offers a clear route to market through the use of deep ultraviolet projection lithography.

The team will now develop six new silicon-based technology platforms for researchers to design next generation circuits. These platforms will extend the supported wavelength range into both the visible wavelengths and mid-infrared wavelengths, enabling a range of applications including LIDAR remote sensing and lab-on-a-chip devices.

Professor Harold Chong, Project Co-Investigator and Professor of Electronic Engineering, said: “The flexibility of the processes and the variety of the platforms available in CORNERSTONE 2 gives researchers numerous options when designing optoelectronics devices and systems.

The service is led by Southampton researchers from the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics' Silicon Photonics Group and School of Electronics and Computer Science, alongside external partners from the University of Glasgow. The Glasgow team will be responsible for integrating light sources onto silicon photonics chips, a major step in the commercialisation of silicon photonics.

Professor Graham Reed, Project Principal Investigator and Deputy Director of the University's Optoelectronics Research Centre, said: "I'm delighted that the EPSRC are supporting the expansion of CORNERSTONE. I believe that it will enable UK researchers to have significant impact in a variety of silicon-based platforms."

The project officially launches on Sunday 1 March and will run for two years.

UK academics will have the opportunity to access the new platforms free-of-charge for the final six months of the project. Throughout the CORNERSTONE 2 project, the team will be consulting the community to determine if they would like to see CORNERSTONE become an EPSRC National Research Facility (NRF).

For more information, visit the CORNERSTONE website.

Autonomous vessel mission capability is being increased by a new software package developed in a strategic partnership between the University of Southampton and Thales.

The Integrated Mission Management System (IMMS) project, which brings together experts from Engineering and Electronics & Computer Science, is addressing current limitations around autonomous vessels that require one human controller per vehicle.

IMMS scales up the potential for autonomous squads by providing a common interface that connects vessels and their payloads with a single human supervisor.

The joint team, led by the University's Dr Jon Downes and Thales' Ben Pritchard, successfully tested the software package this winter with a three-vessel trial at Thales' Maritime Autonomy Centre on the Plymouth waterfront.

The first year of the university-industry strategic research partnership was recently celebrated at an event on Boldrewood Innovation Campus.

Thales has also supported an Alan Turing Institute project, Flexible Autonomy for Swarm Robotics, led by Professor Sarvapali Ramchurn from the Agents, Interaction and Complexity Research Group.

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