Staff Profile

Current Role

Research Programme Manager - Faculty Infrastructure and Strategic Projects Team.

Richard is currently responsible for the FairWater (nwg.co.uk) research programme, aimed at Transforming Customers' Lives: Integrating pathways to fair and sustainable water. This is a collaborative project between Northumbrian Water, National Energy Action, Proctor & Gamble, Northern Gas Networks and Newcastle University's Computing, Engineering and Business Schools. It has been partly funded through the Ofwat Water Breakthrough Challenge, and aims to help customers save water and energy, in turn helping to lower bills and reduce carbon footprints.

He previously helped with the delivery of two Programme Grants funded by EPSRC:

i) SynFabFun: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/synfabfun/ - a collaboration between the universities of Newcastle, Bath, Edinburgh, Imperial and Manchester, investigating membrane materials and separation technologies;

ii) ACHILLES – ACHILLES EPSRC Programme Grant (achilles-grant.org.uk)/ - a collaboration between Newcastle, Loughborough, Durham, Southampton, Bath, Leeds and BGS, investigating long-linear civil engineering assets and life time prediction.

Key activities for the programmes included:

• tracking progress on the individual projects,
• liaising with the Industrial Advisory Group,
• preparing reports for EPSRC and
• monitoring financial and resource aspects for the university partners.

Professional Background

10. Research Fellow – Teesside University, School of Science & Engineering (2013-16). A fixed-term contract developing systems based approaches and computer simulations for new models of resource efficiency in industrial supply chains. 

9. Technical Consultant (2013-14). Contracted by BSI (British Standards Institute) to deliver a report on industry use and needs for standards in the offshore renewable industry.

8. Principal Wind Specialist - Narec (National Renewable Energy Centre, 2004-13). Responsibilities included: managing the Wind Research Section and blade testing activity; UK representative on IEC committees and at IEA – Wind, Chair of BSI PEL/88 Wind Standards committee; project managing EU and UK funded research programmes; supervising PhD research on wind turbine blade fatigue at Durham and Northumbria universities.      

7. Senior Project Leader - TWI, (2001-04). Polymer Technology, Advanced Materials and Processes – performing research and projects on joining processes for composite materials, and advising on adhesives joining technology.

6. Senior Scientific Officer - DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency/Qinetiq, 1993-97). Responsible for project co-ordination of research programmes on composite materials use in naval (military) and marine applications.

5. Technical Consultant (1991-93). Imperial College Consultants Ltd - recyclable short-fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite. Maunsell Structural Plastics - QA procedures on pultruded glass reinforced plastics.

4. Materials Engineer - Wimpey Offshore (1990-91). EU project on composite materials use for sea-water piping systems for offshore platforms.

3. Boat builder - Carl Douglas Racing Shells (1988-89). Manufacture of high performance racing rowing boats, from Kevlar/wood/epoxy composite.

2. Technical Sales Executive - Canon Europa N.V. (1986–88). Sales (>£5million) of semiconductor manufacturing equipment into the European market.  

1. Assistant Chemistry Master - Pangbourne College (1985-86). Preparation of students for public examinations at GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ level. 

Qualifications - Academic & Professional

Ph.D. Engineering, “The long-term durability of adhesive joints”. Cambridge University. 2001.

M.Sc. and D.I.C. - Composite Materials. Imperial College, London. 1990.

B.Sc. (Hons) II(ii) - Chemistry. Durham University. 1985.

Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) and Member (MIMMM) – Institute of Materials, Mineral and Mining (IoMMM). 2004.

Professional Body (IoMMM) End Point Assessor (EPA) for Level 3 Composite Technician award. 2022 onwards.

Assessor and Reviewer for applications for C.Eng status, IoMMM. 2015 – onwards.

External Examiner for MSc/PgD in Instrumental Analytical Sciences. The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. 1996-2000.

External Interests

When not working or studying, Richard is a keen rower – over 35 years of practice and still aspects to work on(!), and with any time leftover he enjoys walking, travel, wine-tasting, military history, and model building.

• Articles

  • Moreno M, Court R, Wright M, Charnley F. Opportunities for redistributed manufacturing and digital intelligence as enablers of a circular economy. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering 2019, 12(2), 77-94.
  • Hillier G, Court R, Hill J, Roberts C. Resource efficiency strategies and closed loops for manufacturing processes and materials. Environmental Scientist 2015, 24(1), 23-30.
  • Gharfalkar M, Court R, Campbell C, Ali Z, Hillier G. Analysis of Waste Hierarchy in the Waste Directive 2008/98/EC. Waste Management 2015, 39, 305-313.
  • Pratumnopharat P, Leung P, Court R. Wavelet transform-based stress-time history editing of horizontal wind turbine blades. Renewable Energy 2014, 63, 558-575.
  • Yang W, Court R, Jiang JS. Wind turbine condition monitoring by the approach of SCADA data analysis. Renewable Energy 2013, 53, 365-376.
  • Pratumnopharat P, Leung P, Court R. Extracting fatigue damage parts from the stress-time history of horizontal axis wind turbine blades. Renewable Energy 2013, 58, 115-126.
  • Greaves P, Dominy R, Ingram G, Long H, Court R. Evaluation of dual-axis fatigue testing of large wind turbine blades. Proc IMechE Part C. J Mechanical Engineering Science 2012.
  • Court R, Dominy R, Greaves P. Developments in dual-axis cyclic fatigue testing. International Sustainable Energy Review 2012, 6(1), 11-13.
  • Yang W, Court R. Bivariate empirical mode decomposition and its contribution to wind turbine condition monitoring. J. of Sound & Vibration 2011, 330(15), 3766-3782.
  • Court R, Sutcliffe M, Tavakoli S. Ageing of adhesively bonded joints - fracture and failure analysis using video imaging techniques. Int Journal of Adhesion & Adhesives 2001, 21, 455-463.
  • Banks W, Court R, McLachlan C. The design and performance of mechanically fastened composite 'T' joint configuration. IMechE 1999, C548/002, pp43-54.
  • Laight A, Court R, Treen A, Buijs J. Measurement of the electromagnetic shielding properties of mechanically loaded composites. Polymer Composites 1997, 18(3), 418-424.
  • Briscoe B, Court R, Williams D. The effects of fabric weave and surface texture on the interlaminar fracture toughness of Aramid/epoxy laminates. Composites Science and Technology 1993, 47, 261-270.