Background

Current Role

Research Programme Manager - School of Engineering and Faculty Infrastructure and Strategic Projects Team.

Richard is responsible for ensuring 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: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/achilles/ - a collaboration between Newcastle, Loughborough, Durham, Southampton, Bath, Leeds and BGS, investigating long-linear civil engineering assets and life time prediction.

Key activities are:

• 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.

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.

Publications

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Pratumnopharat P, Leung P, Court R. Wavelet transform-based stress-time history editing of horizontal wind turbine blades. Renewable Energy 2014, 63, 558-575.
• 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.
• Yang W, Court R, Jiang JS. Wind turbine condition monitoring by the approach of SCADA data analysis. Renewable Energy 2013, 53, 365-376.
• Court R, Dominy R, Greaves P. Developments in dual-axis cyclic fatigue testing. International Sustainable Energy Review 2012, 6(1), 11-13.
• 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.
• 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.