Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics and director of the Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Group and Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory at University College London. Her current research combines physics and engineering to develop novel optical systems for monitoring and imaging the brain. Clare currently leads the Brain Imaging for Global HealTh (BRIGHT) research project, investigating the impact of malnutrition on early infant brain development. In this episode of the Create the Future p...
Jun 07, 2022•33 min
Christine Bland is an aerospace electrical engineer, artist, and photographer. For over 30 years she’s worked for Lockheed Martin, designing electronics for NASA spacecraft including the Spitzer telescope, Phoenix Mars lander, Mars rovers (Spirit and Opportunity), Mars orbiters (Grail, Juno, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), and deep space probes (Stardust and Genesis). Since 2009, Christine has led the development of electronic hardware for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, designed to take huma...
May 24, 2022•30 min
Dr Merritt Moore is a STEM advocate, quantum physicist, and professional ballerina with a penchant for connecting technology and the arts. A robotics enthusiast who one day dreams of dancing in space, Merritt explores her dual interests by using Artificial Intelligence to choreograph routines for her dance partner, an industrial robotic arm. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we explore Merritt’s fascinating endeavour to fuse performance with collaborative robotics and hear why sh...
May 10, 2022•22 min
In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we ask acclaimed biomedical engineer and policy adviser, Guru Madhavan, “how do engineers think?” Along the way, Guru tells us how he started down the path of investigating the engineering mindset, why he advocates for engineers to engage with the arts, and how he applies his systems engineering background to his work. We discuss the origins of the word “ engineering ”, hear about the similarities between evolution and innovation, and learn what ...
Apr 26, 2022•23 min
Susan McDonald is an award-winning mechanical and electrical engineer with over 10 years’ experience in overseeing major programmes in the power, utilities and renewables sector. Having previously led on the coordination of 12 offshore wind projects, Susan recently took a career break to help reimagine at-home COVID tests. She now applies her broad engineering and industry experience to help clients shape their net zero strategies. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, Susan tells us...
Apr 12, 2022•23 min
Data-centric engineering is nothing new, but digital twins open up a whole new world. Digital twins use real-time data from sensors to provide a virtual representation of a physical object or system that engineers can use to monitor real-time performance, reduce maintenance costs, and predict future malfunctions. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Mark Girolami, Chief Scientist at The Alan Turing Institute, about his work on the world’s first 3D printed pedestrian brid...
Mar 29, 2022•25 min
An inventor, robotics enthusiast, and internet creator, Simone Giertz gained popularity with her early viral YouTube videos—employing humour and creativity to make complex engineering principles approachable for all. Originally designing “useless” robots, a brain tumour in 2018 encouraged Simone to shift her focus towards creating unique solutions to everyday problems. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Simone about her "make your own" engineering journey, from flicker...
Mar 15, 2022•27 min
Professor Pamela Ronald studies the genes that control resistance to disease and tolerance to environmental stress in plants, with the goal of improving food security globally. With enough rice to feed 30 million people lost to flooding every year, together with her collaborators, she has been instrumental in the development of rice that is both disease-resistant and flood-tolerant. In this episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Pamela about the 10,000-year-old history of modifyin...
Mar 01, 2022•24 min
Leslie Gaston-Bird is a re-recording mixer and sound editor with over 30 years of audio engineering experience. Currently specialising in mixing feature-length films, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammys), was previously Governor-at-Large for the Audio Engineering Society, and is a member of the Association of Motion Picture Sound and Motion Picture Sound Editors. Her book, Women in Audio, features almost 100 profiles and stories of female audio engineers throughout hist...
Feb 15, 2022•27 min
In this special episode, we speak to 2022 QEPrize winner , Dr Masato Sagawa, who received the award in recognition for his work in the discovery, development and global commercialisation of the world’s most powerful permanent magnet— the sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet. Dr Sagawa’s innovation has been transformational in its contribution to multiple applications globally, including: medical imaging; electric vehicles; wind turbines; audio systems; spacecraft; robots and computers....
Feb 01, 2022•21 min
Faced with retreating glaciers high in the Himalaya, engineer Sonam Wangchuk invented a way to store winter water for irrigation—a 78-foot-tall “ice stupa”. Built in one of the most arid regions of northern India, these artificial glaciers delay the release of meltwater by freezing it into a cone of ice shaped like a stupa—a Buddhist structure which represents enlightenment. In this Season 3 premiere episode of the Create the Future podcast, we speak to Sonam about the origins of the Ice Stupa p...
Jan 18, 2022•33 min
In this Season 2 finale episode of the Create the Future podcast we speak to Stephen Rouatt, CEO of the UK & Ireland markets for Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) about innovations in LED lighting. We discuss the innovative ways in which the 2021 QEPrize winning technology is being used today, consider the future uses of LED lighting, and Stephen tells us why engineers often make great entrepreneurs. We’ll be back in January 2022 with Season 3. In the meantime, subscribe to us here on your...
Oct 05, 2021•24 min
Mischa Dohler is a telecommunications innovator known for his pioneering work on 5G wireless communications, the Internet of Skills, and Smart Cities. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Mischa about what 5G is and how might improve our lives. We discuss the improvements made to cellular networks since the days of 2G, why collaboration in telecommunications and engineering is becoming increasingly important, and how Mischa managed to combine his love for music and technology in t...
Sep 21, 2021•25 min
Dr Gladys West is a pioneer in the use of complex mathematics and efficient programming to generate accurate, repeatable and global models of the Earth’s geoid that were eventually incorporated into the mapping functions of the Global Positioning System (GPS). This work required her to process early satellite data and use complex algorithms to account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and other forces that distort Earth's shape. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Dr West a...
Sep 07, 2021•27 min
Dr Margaret Liu, known as The Mother of DNA Vaccines, is President Emeritus of the International Society for Vaccines and scientific lead for the World Health Organisation drafting group writing guidelines on mRNA vaccines. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Margaret about all things mRNA vaccines and how they came to play a role in the largest immunisation programme in recent times. We discuss vaccine manufacture and clinical trials, explore the advantages of mRNA vaccines, and...
Aug 24, 2021•33 min
Charlette N’Guessan is the technology entrepreneur behind BACE API, a software that uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. In 2020 Charlette was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize, Africa’s largest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. While facial recognition software isn’t new, BACE API uses live images or short videos taken on in-built phone cameras to detect whether a person is real, or just photo. During the global pandem...
Aug 10, 2021•20 min
Guido de Croon is an engineer and Professor of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) at TU Delft who combines computer vision and robotics to create the world’s smallest flapping wing autonomous flying robots. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Guido about the challenges of miniaturising insect-sized MAVs, and explore the role drones could play in the future of spaceflight, emergency rescue, and—considering the uncertain future of pollinators—precision horticulture. We delve into the world ...
Jul 27, 2021•25 min
Naadiya Moosajee is a civil engineer and entrepreneur on a mission to fast-track gender parity in STEM. In 2005 she co-founded WomEng, a global non-profit organisation that aims to attract, develop, and nurture the next generation of women engineering leaders in an effort to foster growth in emerging economies and engineer a more inclusive world. In this episode of Create the Future, Naadiya explains her goal to get #1MillionGirlsInSTEM and how—through WomEng—incredible progress is already being...
Jul 13, 2021•25 min
Kari Byron is a television host and STEAM communicator (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) best known as one of the presenters of the popular science entertainment show “Mythbusters” which, over the course of 248 episodes and 2,950 separate experiments, helped inspire an entire generation of young engineers and scientists. Its combination of smart entertainment and accessible educational content proved immensely popular, garnering an international audience while demonstratin...
Jun 29, 2021•22 min
What if we could grow our own clothes? Suzanne Lee is a fashion designer who works closely with engineers, biologists, and material scientists to do just that. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Suzanne about biofabrication, a process that creates sustainable alternatives to materials like plastic and leather by engineering with life, not taking from it. We hypothesise the future applications of biofabrication in the construction of Mars habitats, discuss the ecological benefits...
Jun 15, 2021•30 min
Hugh Herr is an engineer, biophysicist, and pioneer in the field of biomechatronics - technology that marries human physiology and electromechanics to provide greater mobility for those with physical disabilities. A double amputee himself, Hugh has made breakthrough advances in bionic limbs and prostheses that interface with neurology, allowing both control by thought and sensory feedback. In this episode of Create the Future, we discuss the technologies employed in biomechatronics and explore t...
Jun 01, 2021•26 min
A software engineer at Apple for over 16 years, Ken Kocienda was deeply involved with the development of the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Safari web browser. From the design of the first software keyboard to the invention of autocorrect, this episode is an insider’s account of the creative decision-making process at the forefront of technological innovation. In this episode of Create the Future, we delve into the fast-paced world of software engineering, as Ken shares a glimpse into Apple’s se...
May 18, 2021•30 min
Janine Benyus has a message for engineers: Look to nature for inspiration. Biomimicry is the practice of learning from and replicating nature's forms, processes, and ecosystems to help solve some of the world’s most complex design challenges. By looking to the natural world and its extensive database of evolutionary solutions, we can improve the way we engineer everything from skyscrapers to solar panels. In this episode of Create the Future, Janine explains how she has helped some of the most s...
May 04, 2021•29 min
Shah Selbe is a conservationist, engineer, explorer, and entrepreneur developing technology-based solutions to solve some of the planet’s biggest conservation challenges. A satellite propulsions engineer by training, Shah’s low-cost, often open-source solutions have been implemented in some of the harshest environments here on Earth, including oceans, deserts, glaciers and rainforests. His technologies have monitored species ranging from Sri-Lankan blue whales to Congo’s lowland gorillas. In thi...
Apr 20, 2021•30 min
Chris Toumazou is one of the world’s leading medical engineers, recognised for his ingenious electronic medical diagnosis and therapy devices. His latest device is an innovative, lab-free, cartridge-based PCR test that combines advances in microfluidics, biochemistry, and electronic engineering to deliver test results in just over an hour, dramatically accelerating testing workflows. The same cartridge can simultaneously test for FluA, FluB and RSV. But how does it work? In this episode of Creat...
Apr 06, 2021•27 min
TIME Magazine’s first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’, Gitanjali Rao, is on a mission to create a global community of young innovators. At just 15 years old, Gitanjali has already invented an impressive number of life-changing tools. From a portable device that speeds up the process of lead detection in drinking water to an early prescription opioid addiction diagnosis tool, Gitanjali is no stranger to using science and engineering for global good. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak to Gitanj...
Mar 23, 2021•24 min
Henry Petroski is interested in engineering when it succeeds, but more so when it fails. A distinguished author and professor of both civil engineering and history, Petroski has authored 19 books and written hundreds of articles on the subject of engineering for newspapers, trade journals, and magazines. His books can often be found at the top of engineering ‘must read’ lists. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Petroski about the importance of failure in successful engineering a...
Mar 09, 2021•28 min
Direct air capture (DAC) technology has been in the news a lot recently following the announcement of Elon Musk’s one-hundred million dollar carbon sequestration competition, but how does the technology work? In this episode of Create the Future, we are joined by Nathalie Casas, a chemical engineer and Head of Research and Design at Climeworks, the world leader in carbon dioxide DAC technology. Climeworks’ innovative modular carbon capture technology is powered by renewable energy and has the sm...
Feb 23, 2021•23 min
In this special episode of Create the Future we speak to the winners of the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering , the creators of LED lighting. Solid state lighting technology has changed how we illuminate our world. It can be found everywhere from digital displays and computer screens to handheld laser pointers, automobile headlights and traffic lights. Today’s high-performance LEDs are used in efficient solid state lighting products across the world and are contributing to the sustainab...
Feb 09, 2021•32 min
Veena Sahajwalla is revolutionising recycling. As the engineering brains behind “green steel” and the world’s first e-waste microfactory, she is leading the way on “green materials” – products and resources made entirely, or primarily, from waste. From plastic bottle derived furniture to steel made from old tires, her goal is for people to see waste not as a problem, but as a useful resource. In this episode of Create the Future, we speak with Veena about the limitations of conventional recyclin...
Jan 26, 2021•28 min
