People
Martin Conreen - Making Director
Martin Conreen is an artist and designer. He received his BA from Goldsmiths College in Fine Art/Sculpture in 1984. His interest in materials and making led him to work in numerous design fields, including silver-smithing, set building, furniture design and shoe making. In 1994, Martin became a visiting lecturer at Goldsmiths. From 2002 to 2005, Martin was the Head of the Design Department. Since 2008 he has been a Senior Lecturer. Martin's research has focused on new and emerging materials, crafts, material culture, contemporary art, and manufacturing. He currently has a growing interest in Rapid Prototyping/Manufacturing along with their materials and their relationship to digital technologies. He has contributed to the development and delivery of several new BA and MA Design programmes including a new degree programme with the Engineering Department of Queen Mary University of London, to bridge the gap between engineering, art and design. He undertakes materials consultancy with the prospecting and Innovation Studio (PI Studio) at Goldsmiths and lectures worldwide about design and materials. From October 2005 to October 2006 he was appointed a visiting senior Research Fellow at King's College London, and in 2006 he was made a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA).
Ellie Doney - Writer/Researcher
Ellie Doney is an artist and a graduate of the Royal College of Arts' MA in Ceramics & Glass whose work explores the nature of materiality and transformation, and the undercurrents of the subconscious which run through our experience of matter itself. Ellie is currently offering her expertise as a Writer/Researcher at the Institute of Making.
Phil Howes - Post-doc Researcher
Phil Howes is a research scientist and an enthusiastic maker. After reading physics as an undergraduate, he undertook a PhD in nanotechnology at King’s College London, which he completed in 2010. He has a keen interest in multidisciplinary work, with his research experience to date encompassing physics, chemistry and biology, and has a particular liking for science writing and communication. During his PhD, he published seven papers on his work, and contributed a chapter to a book on the use of nanoparticles in biology. In his role at the Institute of Making, Phil is now working on developing a sensoaesthetic theory of materials, which involves strong elements of both materials science and psychophysics.
Zoe Laughlin - Creative Director
Artist and maker Zoe Laughlin is a co-founder/director of the Institute of Making and the Materials Library project. She holds an MA from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design and obtained a PhD in Materials within the Division of Engineering, King's College London. Working at the interface of the science, art, craft and design of materials, her work ranges from formal experiments with matter, to materials consultancy and large-scale public exhibitions and events with partners including Tate Modern, the Hayward Gallery, the V&A and the Wellcome Collection. Her particular areas of interest are currently The Sound of Materials, The Taste of Materials and The Performativity of Matter, with outputs ranging from theatrical demonstration lectures to the making of instruments and features on both radio and television.
Mark Miodownik - Director
Mark Miodownik is an engineer and materials scientist. He received his PhD in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University in 1996. Before joining UCL in Feb 2012 he worked in engineering research institutions in the USA, Ireland, and in the UK. His research areas include self-assembling materials, self-healing materials, psychophysical properties of materials, sensoaesthetic properties of materials. This work has resulted in collaborations with designers, architects, artists, as well as many museums, such as the Tate Modern, the Hayward Gallery and the Wellcome Collection. He is a broadcaster and writer on science and engineering issues and regularly gives popular talks on engineering and physics to TV, radio, festival, and school audiences. Mark presented the Royal Institution's 2011 Christmas Lectures, which were broadcast on BBC Four to an audience of 8.5 million people, and was included in the The Times 2010 list of the top 100 most influential people in science.
Filippo Rota - Writer/Researcher
Filippo is a research scientist currently completing a PhD in Organic chemistry at University College London, where he is studying alternative approaches for the synthesis of medium sized rings and the use of gold in catalysis. Having graduated in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies at University of Milan, Filippo subsequently moved to the UK and worked as a synthetic chemist for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer prior to returning to academia. While Filippo's research interest has always been in Chemistry and drug discovery, he recently developed a broader interest in applications of Organic Chemistry other than pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, such as materials chemistry, nanotechnologies, organic solar cells and molecular machines.
Graziella Terracciano - Project Manager
Graziella Terracciano is an arts manager whose professional background has included working in opera, publishing, visual arts, architecture, and dance (flamenco!) in both Canada and the UK. Graziella holds a MA in Cultural Policy & Management from City University London and has been part of the Materials Library / Institute of Making team since summer 2010.
Sarah Wilkes - Writer/Researcher
Sarah is a PhD student from the Material Culture Group of the Department of Anthropology, University College London. She is currently doing ethnographic research with members of the IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining), her collaborative partner. This research explores the many factors that cause different materials - like PVC, steel and bioplastics - to be classified as sustainable or hazardous, and questions what this can tell us about how the global concept of ‘sustainability’ is put into practice in the context of the UK materials industry.
Supinya Wongsriruksa - PhD Researcher
As a materials scientist, jeweller and university lecturer from Bangkok, Supinya Wongsriruksa is currently pursuing her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at King's College London. Supinya's current research is centred around the senso-aesthetic properties of materials for jewellery and decorative applications, with a specific emphasis on the feel of materials.