Title: Warwick Centre for Analytical Science
Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Abstract: Analytical Science involves the development and application of new methods to measure the composition and structure of manufactured and natural substances of all types. The analytical sector in the UK underpins many vital industries (e.g. food, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental, materials), is crucial to process and cost control, to product quality and competitiveness, to industrial compliance with environmental and safety legislation, and to the delivery of healthcare and justice. Crucially, progress in Analytical Science is also essential to advances in many key research areas including materials and life sciences. Modern analytical problems often require high spatial resolution in three dimensions, resulting in very large, complex data sets. Moreover, there is a need to combine information from multiple data sets of very different provenance. Recent official reviews have warned that, despite its central importance to the UK's economic and scientific competitiveness, Analytical Science in the UK suffers from low esteem and fragmentation, and lacks interdisciplinarity. The result is a shortage of analytical scientists, and an alarmingly low level of innovation compared to other countries. Research and innovation-led reinvigoration of this area is essential for the UK's economic and social well-being. The University of Warwick invests heavily in multidisciplinary research and education, and has a strong research base in Analytical Science in the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Statistics, Engineering, Biological Sciences and the Medical School. Building on this philosophy, we have responded to the fourth Science and Innovation Call by proposing lectureships in three new interdisciplinary research areas (Chemometrics and Experimental Design, Chemical and Structural Characterisation of Materials, and Mass Spectrometry) that will be combined with diverse research in Analytical Science at Warwick to found a new Centre for Analytical Science, expected to boost the profile of Analytical Science in the UK and world-wide. Recognising the fact that scientific progress crucially depends on communication and collaboration between different disciplines and sectors, a central aim of the Centre will be to bring together people from academia and industry with the objective of providing a platform for identification, definition, and implementation of new Analytical Science research goals including the development of new instrumentation, and new methods for data acquisition and statistical inference. The process of innovation requires a dialogue between academia and the private sector. As stated in the Lambert report, the best forms of knowledge transfer involve human interaction . Therefore, the Centre will have an academic/industrial Advisory Board, and will develop, through its new Analytical Forum, a visitor and outreach programme, not only to enable the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and technology between developers and users of analytical tools in public and private sectors, but also to foster new collaborations.Applicants of the very highest quality will be attracted by offering excellent research facilities supported by PhD students and post-doctoral researchers in a well resourced multinational, multidisciplinary environment. The Centre will develop training programmes in Analytical Science, statistics and transferable skills. The integration of research and education in the Centre will offer a comprehensive approach to Analytical Science, helping to provide the UK with the skills base essential to remain internationally competitive.Warwick will nurture the new Centre by guaranteeing long-term support for the area, and by investing heavily in state-of-the-art equipment, purpose-built accommodation and infrastructure. There will be development of modules for CPD, PG and UG training which will help sustainability.


Research activity codes: 1.3 CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES;1.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (UNDERPINNING)
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE