Building the Future: How WMG Powers UK Manufacturing

Welcome to "Ask The Expert", Silverstone Technology Cluster’s podcast. In each episode, we invite seasoned professionals and industry leaders to share their insights, experiences, and strategies for navigating the complexities of modern business and the advanced engineering landscape. Today, Jeannie sits down with Professor Kerry Kirwan, Dean of WMG. WMG blends cutting-edge research with real industrial partnerships. In this episode, we explore how students, SMEs, and major manufacturers work with WMG to solve real problems, build new skills, and push innovation forward. From Waste to Race to the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we discover WMG’s national impact. Meet our Expert:Professor Kerry Kirwan is Dean of WMG and a Trustee of The Alan Turing Institute. Formerly Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) at University of Warwick, Professor Kirwan provides expert investment, policy and strategy advice to international agencies, funders, and governments as the Chair of the Sustainable Manufacturing and Materials Group at WMG.He has also served as Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing and Strategic Director of the Industrial Doctorate Centre at WMG.A Warwick Engineering Doctorate alumnus, Kerry specialises in circular economy, sustainable materials, polymer processing, and industrial applications. Driven by a passion for sustainable manufacturing, he has extensive experience in developing planet-friendly materials and has lent his expertise to a wide range of projects, including Waste2Race —a sewage-powered racing car.His work has seen him win the British Science Association’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award Lecture and the IOM3 Thornton Gold Medal Link.