Royce is pleased to welcome six distinguished experts and leaders from across academia, industry and research technology organisations as new members of its Strategic Advisory Board.
Chaired by Professor Jan-Theodoor (JT) Janssen, the Strategic Advisory Board provides independent strategic advice to Royce’s Governing Board and Leadership Team. Its primary focus is on helping to deliver the Institute’s Vision – particularly in relation to enhancing the operation of Royce facilities and maintaining excellence in its scientific outputs.
The newly appointed members bring a vast range of technical knowledge, extensive leadership experience, and diverse perspectives across a wide range of materials science disciplines. Together with existing Board Members, they will help to guide Royce in its mission to support world-leading materials research and innovation.
The six new board members are:
Mr Sean Cooper, Senior Chief Engineer for Defence at NCC
Sean joined NCC in 2018 and has held several senior engineering leadership roles, focusing on applying advanced materials technologies to challenges in the defence sector. He contributes to a range of multi-sector innovation pathways and serves on the boards of the Composites Leadership Group and the Defence, Safety Secruirty Leadership group at IOM3. Additionally, Sean holds various government advisory roles for applied materials science.
Dr Sarah Glanvill, Co-head of Materials and Mechanical Metrology (Designate) at NPL.
Sarah is a materials scientist and engineer with a strong track record in driving innovation and change within industry. Sarah previously led Renishaw’s Materials Research Team, driving strategic R&D initiatives. A Fellow of IOM3, Chartered Engineer (CEng), and Chartered Scientist (CSci), she also holds an Honorary Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham.
Dr Jon Meegan, Research Fellow at Syensqo
Since joining Cytec Engineered Materials (now Syensqo) in 2007, Jon has developed and launched multiple thermoset composite products. In his current role, he oversees key research collaborations and brings strategic insight to Syensqo’s innovation programmes. Jon is also a Chartered Chemist (CChem) with the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Dr Susanne Norgren, Director of Sandvik Scientific Council
Susanne is an internationally recognised expert in materials design and industrial innovation. She holds a Lise Meitner adjunct professorship in industrial production at Lund University and is a Docent at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. She has chaired the Mining and Materials division of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and is currently Chair of the European Powder Metallurgy Institutes. She is also an elected member of AcademiaNet, powered by the Swiss foundation for outstanding female researchers.
Dr Andy Perry, Core Materials Specialist – Manufacture, Rolls Royce
Andy began his career as a plutonium metallurgist at AWE before joining Rolls-Royce in 2008. He has since held various leadership roles in core design and manufacturing for the Royal Navy’s submarine reactor programmes. His current focus is on material selection and manufacturing methods for future submarine reactors. Andy is a Fellow of IOM3 and a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
Professor Dr Peter A. Van Aken, Head of the Stuttgart Center for Electron Microscopy
Peter leads pioneering work in high-resolution Electron Microscopy at the Stuttgart Center for Electron Microscopy (StEM) and has previously held leadership roles at the German Society for Electron Microscopy (DGE). As Coordinator and Principal Investigator of the European ESTEEM3 project, he strengthened Europe’s electron microscopy infrastructure, integrating state-of-the-art facilities and providing transnational access to advanced atomic-scale characterization techniques. Peter also holds positions as Adjunct Professor at TU Darmstadt and Honorary Professor at Nelson Mandela University.
