The Sensor CDT course is managed by a number of dedicated people, organised into groups with specific responsibilities as shown in the diagram. You can find more detailed information about the members in each group further down.
Senior Management Team
Clemens Kaminski is the Director of the Sensor CDT. He is a Professor of Chemical Physics and leads the Laser Analytics Group in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. He specialises in the development of photonic sensor systems for the study of dynamic chemical processes ranging from single molecule studies in living cells to chemical reactions in the atmosphere. He was awarded the Hinshelwood (2004); Gaydon (2004); Leverhulme (2005) prizes and is recipient of the international SAOT award in optics (2008). He is co-founder of the Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre (CAIC), and the Openlabtools initiative, and serves on the management boards of both. He is also founder and Director of CamBridgeSens, the Strategic Network of sensor research at Cambridge University.
Róisín M Owens (Sensor CDT Equality and Diversity Champion) is the acting Co-Director of the Sensor CDT. She is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and leads the Bioelectronic Systems Technologies Group. Her research encompasses biological models development integrated with electronic devices for monitoring or modulation. Her group actively work on the interface of biological materials with transducers, on the development of 3D models with integrated fluidics and electronics, and use of 3D in vitro systems to answer specific questions related to human pathology. She has been internationally recognised with the European Research Council starting grant in 2011, proof of concept grant in 2014, consolidator grant in 2016, a Marie Curie fellowship, and an EMBO fellowship. She became principle editor for biomaterials for MRS communications (Cambridge University Press (2014) and she is a member of the advisory board of Advanced BioSystems and Journal of Applied Polymer Science (Wiley).
Axel Zeitler is the acting Co-Director of the Sensor CDT. He is a Professor of Microstructure Engineering in the Department Of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and leads the Terahertz Applications Group. His expertise lies in terahertz spectroscopy and imaging as well as materials characterisation, non-destructive imaging, industrial sensor applications. He serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutics.
Pietro Cicuta is Deputy Director. He is a Professor of Biological Physics in the Cavendish Laboratory. His research combines the use of physical techniques such as optical tweezers, microrheology, advanced confocal microscopy and image analysis methods to address biological questions, e.g. dynamics in biological colloidal and cellular systems.
Elizabeth (Lisa) Hall is Deputy Director. She is a Professor of Analytical Biotechnology and leads the Cambridge Analytical Biotechnology (CABs) Group. She investigates methods to interface biology with electronic, mechanical and optical systems in both fundamental and applied research. She links transducer technologies (electrochemistry, optics, ultrasound) with synthetic biology and nanomaterials for novel sensor concepts. She is a founding member of CamBridgeSens.
The Senior Management team is supported by:
Dr. Adriana Wolf Perez, Programme Manager and MRes Course Director. Adriana is a biophysicist and biochemist. She has a PhD in NanoScience and her expertise lies in antibody drug development and protein engineering. She has worked 6 years in the industry. She oversees overall coordination of the programme and assists the Directors in the running of the programme.
Latika Soogumbur, Sensor CDT Course Coordinator. Latika has her BSc. in Chemistry, and five years experience working within the University. She supports Adriana and students with course administration.
External Advisory Board
Elena Gaura is a Professor in pervasive computing and Associate Dean at Coventry, but with a focus and passion on deployment in developing countries.
Will Gompertz is our EPSRC representative. He is a Portfolio Manager for engineering at EPSRC.
Diane Hatton is the Director of Cell Line Development and Engineering at AstraZeneca. She leads a team who are responsible for the construction and characterisation of high-yielding stable cell lines that are suitable for large-scale production of clinical grade recombinant proteins; developing and evaluating associated enabling expression technologies and process improvements, and supporting regulatory submissions.
Krikor Ozanyan is a Professor of Photonic Sensors & Systems at the University of Manchester. He specialises in semiconductors, sensors, spectroscopy, solid-state, nano-structures, surfaces, optics, as well as photonics, imaging, tomography and electronics.
Michelle Peckham is a Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Leeds. Her interests lie in molecular motors (myosins and kinesins), how their activity is regulated, and how they carry out their cellular functions.
Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley (Chair) is Director of Innovations and Impact at the British Antarctic Survey. Her background is in fundamental and applied research as a protein biochemist, and she has experience of commercialisation through involvement in a spin-out company developing algae- and moss-based biophotovoltaic devices.
Lee Smith is an ARM Fellow and one of the founders of the company. His experience ranges from product design and technical development to management, consultancy and legal aspects of R&D.
Iain Williams is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the National Environment Research Council (NERC). He was formerly the Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor for DEFRA.
Steering Committee
A Steering Committee of senior academics from across Cambridge University is supporting the Management Team in the shaping of the Sensor CDT. The research interests and expertise among the members of the Management Team and Steering Committee cover the whole range of sensor related research, from technology, via middleware, to applications.
Current members of the Steering Committee are:
Lara Allen is CEO of the Centre for Global Equality, a civil society organisation that evolves innovative solutions to global challenges through inclusive innovation. She also leads the Inclusive Innovation Programme at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge. She is an experienced international development practitioner who has worked as a consultant, employee and volunteer with grassroots Community Based Organisations and national and international NGOs in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ireland and the UK..
Raquel Costa is the Course Coordinator for the MPhil in Biotechnology at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/biotech). With a background in Chemical Engineering (PhD, University of Cambridge, 2008), Raquel has worked on research and lecturing capacities before joining the MPhil in Biotechnology. She has a longstanding interest in the interface between universities and the labour market, and she has also worked as an analyst in a Higher Education setting supporting the development of new programmes.
Tijmen Euser is a Lecturer in the Department of Physics. His research centres on hollow-core photonic crystal fibres. His Optofluidics lab investigates optical manipulation of nanoparticles and biomolecules as well as photocatalysis in optofluidic waveguides.
Ljiljana Fruk is a Lecturer in Bionanotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Her research interest is the use of bio and nanoelements to design materials for catalysis and tissue engineering.
Aga Iwasiewicz-Wabnig is Director of Partnership Development at the Maxwell Centre. A physicist by training, who in her current role delivers a broad programme of industry-academia interactions and collaborations involving Physical Sciences and Technology research at the University of Cambridge.
Viv Lindo is Associate Director in the Analytical Sciences function in Biopharmaceutical Development at AstraZeneca. His major interest is in physiochemical and structural characterisation of complex biologic molecules, mass spectrometry, protein chemisty and proteomics.
Phillip Stanley-Marbell is a Lecturer in the Internet of Things in the Department of Engineering. His research exploits the structure of signals in the physical word and the flexibility of human perception to make computation more efficient.
Ian Wassell is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Technology. He is course director for the MPhil in Advanced Computer Science (ACS) and for Part III of the Computer Science Tripos (CST). He has broad interests in the area of wireless communication, including radio propagation, the physical layer and applications such as sensor networks and the Internet of Things. He also conducts investigations concerning sparse data representation (e.g., compressive sampling) and image classification.
Student Representatives
Francesca van Tartwijk (2017 cohort) has a background in natural sciences, specialising in biology. Her interest is high resolution microscopy. She is conducting her PhD research under the supervision of Clemens Kaminski in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. Her research is in the area of the effect of FUS phase transition on local protein synthesis in axon termini and the implication for neurodegeneration.
Erika Bondareva (2018 cohort) has a background in Biomedical Engineering. She is currently studying for PhD under the supervision of Cecilia Mascolo in the Computer Laboratory. Her research is on machine learning on wearables for efficient cardio-vascular health diagnostic and progression through audio signals.
Mohammed Alawami (2019 cohort) has a background in Biology, Biophysics and Nanotechnology. He is interested in diagnostics and single molecule sensing. He is doing his PhD in solid state nanopore sensing in the Keyser Lab at the Cavendish laboratory. His research focus on detecting nucleic acids and proteins, and mapping single-stranded DNA damage using nanopore sensing.
Anne-Pia Marty (2020 cohort) has a background in Natural Sciences (biology, physics, maths, data analysis and chemistry), and public policy. She is currently in the 1st year of her Phd.
Eleni Papafilippou (2022 cohort) has a background in Biomedical Engineering and is currently in their MRes year.