The IOM3 Polymer Group (formerly the Polymer Society) is a community of professionals with a shared technical interest in polymers, led by a team of volunteers. The group supports the development of future sustainable polymer supply chains by facilitating knowledge exchange and actively engaging in consultations and policy shaping. The group seeks to embed sustainability and circular principles into all aspects of production, processing, application and recovery and covers all technical, educational and professional considerations related to polymers. The group includes the former Polymer Processing & Engineering Committee.
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Meet the Polymer Group Leadership Team
Sally Beken
With a Ph.D in Polymer Science from the University of Birmingham Sally has over 35 years’ experience in research, innovation, and collaboration. Working in the medical sector she reformulated elastomeric seals patented for use in asthma inhalers which led to mitigating aerosol depletion of the ozone layer.
Sally is passionate about zero waste particularly with respect to plastics and polymers and in 2018 founded and the UK Circular Plastics Network. As Plastics Innovation Lead at Innovate UK she helped shape the Sustainable Smart Plastic Packaging Challenge, a £60m fund to shape and support the innovative UK materials, packaging and waste communities to reduce persistent plastic waste in the environment.
In 2023 she was made an Honorary Professor at Brunel University having supported them for over 20years. She also holds strategic advisory rolesr for growing start-ups such as innovative packaging company Magical Mushroom Co, behaviour change specialists Peasy and novel depolymerisation company Sylatech.
Velram Mohan
Dr. Velram Mohan CSci. is an experienced Polymers and Composites Engineer with significant experience developing functional composites for a range of applications. Velram has his base degree in Polymer Technology from Anna University, India and a research master's degree in Materials and Process Engineering, specialising in polymer rheology, from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He then went on to complete his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Centre of Advanced Composite Materials, the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His PhD thesis focused on developing graphene-based polymer composites for applications including electrically triggered sensors and electrodes. Following his PhD, He worked as a Research Associate at the Plastics Centre of Excellence at the University of Auckland, where he managed industry-based projects and served as the programme convenor for post-graduate courses in Polymer Engineering. Presently, he is working as an R&D Scientist at DEC International, New Zealand, focusing on developing thermoplastics-based slow-release products/devices.
Velram is a member of several engineering professional bodies and institutions, such as the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) , Engineering New Zealand (EngNZ), Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and Professional Management Institute (PMI). He is a reviewer for several materials engineering-based scientific journals and served as a consultant for the Royal Society of New Zealand's 'Plastics: Rethinking' initiative. Velram is an avid fitness enthusiast who enjoys cross-fit training and archery, while photography and carpentry are his main hobbies.
Patrick Fairclough
Patrick Fairclough obtained a BSc in Physics from the University of Birmingham in 1990 and a PhD in 1995 in Rare Earth Metal Hydrides. In 1994, he joined the Materials Science Centre at UMIST, where he worked on characterising block copolymers by X-ray and Neutron scattering. In 1997 he moved to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sheffield and in 2013, he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research interests cover resins and composites. Recently, he revived his early interest in hydrogen and cryogenics to study the mechanical properties of composites at low temperatures. He is actively involved in the Manufacturing group in Sheffield, working with the AMRC on a wide range of composite-related activities. His recent work in manufacturing involves developing incremental forming for composites to create a novel prototyping system. He is a director of Farapak Polymers, a specialist consultancy business.
Matthew Thornton
Prior to joining the University of Lincoln as the Commercial Manager for The Bridge in February 2023, Matthew was the Chief Innovation Officer for Polymateria Ltd based in London, where he was responsible for new product development in partnership with commercial customers to ensure that the companies research is commercially focussed and meets the requirements of our customers to deliver value for the business in the short, medium, and long-term, with a focus on strategic direction and innovation.
Matthew has a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry with Chemical Engineering from the University of Huddersfield, UK (2001) and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK (2005). Following his studies Matthew spent 18 months as a KTP Associate at the University of Reading, researching novel materials for the removal of mercury from crematoria flue gases, before spending 7 years at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining as both a Materials Advisor and the Polymer Sector Leader for the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network. He joined NetComposites Ltd in August 2013 as a Project Manager and was responsible for the management of several UK Government and EU funded collaborative research and development projects. In April 2016, Matthew joined Haydale Composite Solutions as UK Site and Innovation Director and was responsible for both the Haydale Group Innovation Department and the Resins, Polymers and Composites Business Unit.
Matthew is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a Chartered Environmentalist, and a Leadership Team Member of both the Elastomer Group and the Polymer Group of the IOM3. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Open University, UK (2022), and is the Secretary-General for the International Rubber Conference Organisation.
James Busfield
James has been the Head of the Soft Matter Group at Queen Mary University of London since 1994. His research group is currently the largest elastomer materials group in the UK. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020 and a National Teaching Fellow in 2009. He has been in a leadership role of the IOM3 Elastomer Group for more than 25 years, with whom he has organised nearly 100 discussion meetings and conferences of interest to the rubber community. He is the associate editor of the IOM3 Journal "Plastics, Rubber and Composites: Macromolecular Engineering" and has been on the leadership team of the IOM3 Polymer Group for more than two decades.
Biqiong Chen
Biqiong Chen is a Professor of Polymer Engineering at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast. She obtained her PhD in Materials Science from Queen Mary, University of London. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Her current research interests are mainly focussed on the synthesis, processing and characterisation of smart sustainable polymers and multifunctional polymer nanocomposites for both engineering and biomedical applications.
George Davies
Hi, I’m George Davies. My interests lie in polymer lamination and processing. I am currently a Quality Specialist in Tata Steel, working on their polymer-coated steel, Protact®. In my current role, I am heavily involved in food contact compliance of the products that we produce, new product developments and process improvement. Prior to starting at Tata Steel, I completed an Engineering Doctorate, looking at the mobility of polymer coated steel. My spare time is taken up with spending time with my family. I also enjoy DIY, when I get the time!
Dr. Farai Carter MIMMM
Dr. Farai Carter has a Polymer Engineering degree from the London Metropolitan University and an Engineering Doctorate in micro and nanomaterials from University of Surrey. He is experienced in a variety of nanomaterial processing techniques and developing functionalised colloidal particles and materials for use in different industrial applications. This ranges from targeted drug delivery systems to consumer commodity products. Dr. Carters passion lies in creating scientific and engineering solutions for a healthier planet, focusing on environmentally friendly materials. Also active in science outreach as a STEM Ambassador and also part of various working groups including the High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s Design for Sustainability and Circularity framework initiative.
Cynthia Adu
Cynthia is a Sustainability Manager at Hide Biotech, an innovative startup developing sustainable alternatives to traditional leather. Cynthia holds an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) and MSc in Sustainable materials and manufacturing – jointly awarded by Cranfield, Exeter, and Warwick university. Her research focused on implementing a circular business model to convert industrial by-products into value for other industries such as construction, textiles, packaging, and composite materials. She also spent the first half of her professional career as a sustainability consultant at Accenture UKI sustainability services. Cynthia worked with businesses to support the transition to a Net-Zero future, her core competency was focused on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), which involves the development of tools to help model environmental impacts associated with products and services.
Cynthia first became involved with IOM3 as a member of the Student & Early Career Committee in 2018 and is now currently a strategic advisor to IOM3, supporting the technical committee on skills and professional development. Cynthia is very interested in implementing sustainability knowledge in STEM courses. She has contributed to several panels and public outreach, like skills and capacity building for the circular economy, volunteering with the United Nations University on implementing sustainability assessment methods in post-graduate courses of developing countries, and mentorship to young black school students to show representation and importance of sustainability in STEM subjects.
Cynthia oversees the Ceramics Group, the Polymers Group, and the Sustainable Development Group.
Dr. Anders Aufderhorst-Roberts PhD, MInstP, MRSC, MIMMM, FHEA
Anders is a Lecturer in Sustainable & Biological Materials at the University of Liverpool and a Visiting Fellow at Durham University. His research group is focused on the use and development of experimental tools to characterise the dynamic and responsive behaviour of soft and biological materials under changing mechanical environments. His PhD, with Prof Athene Donald FRS at the University of Cambridge, investigated the self-assembly of small molecules for food and personal care applications, in collaboration with Unilever R&D. His postdoctoral experience at the University of Leeds and at AMOLF, in the Netherlands focussed on materials characterisation of soft, biological and bioinspired materials. His research interests are diverse encompassing both fundamental material science, formulation and biological materials research and his group’s funding is diverse, spanning Industry, Government and Charitable Foundations.
Professor P D Coates BSc ARCS MSc PhD FREng FIMechE FIMMM FPPS CEng
Professor Phil Coates is a Physics graduate of Imperial College, London. His PhD research was on solid phase deformation processing of polymers (Leeds University) with Prof Ian Ward FRS. Prof Coates was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1995. He was Pro Vice Chancellor for Research & Knowledge Transfer at the University of Bradford for 7 years (2004-11), and is Professor of Polymer Engineering (1990 on). He is Director of the internationally recognised Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) which is at the leading edge of polymer processing, in-process measurements for process monitoring, analysis and control, and computer modelling in a 4500 m2 laboratory (see www.polyeng.com). The Polymer IRC research targets high value polymer products for a range of sectors – healthcare technology (including bioresorbable polymers for orthopaedic applications; ultra-precision moulding e.g. of polymer surfaces; arterial stents), oriented polymer technologies, pharmaceuticals processing, optical, automotive and advanced materials developments, including nanocomposites and reactive grafting. All of these processes are aimed at structuring polymers for enhanced properties. He co-directs 4 joint international research laboratories in China, and directs the UK-China Advanced Materials Research Institute, and has won a range of international awards.
Professor David Hughes
David is a Professor of low carbon materials and the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation within the Department of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies at Teesside University. David coordinates the University Circular Economy and Recycling Innovation Centre (CERIC).
Philip K. Law B.A. (Nottingham), M.A. (York), Cert. Ed. (Oxford)
Initial career experience in linoleum and textile printing industries. Philip has been a plastics industry specialist since1978. He has been Director-General of the British Plastics Federation since July 2014 and also a Board member of the European Plastics Converters Association and has served as Chairman of both its Environment and Communications Committees. He has been the Secretary General of CIPAD, the association of global plastics trade bodies.
Ton Peijs
Ton Peijs is a Professor of Polymer Engineering and the Head of the Centre for Polymers and Composites (CPC) at WMG, University of Warwick. He earned his PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology, where he worked until 1999. In 2019, he joined WMG, having worked previously at Queen Mary University of London. Ton is internationally recognized for his extensive research in polymers and composites, focusing on processing-structure-property relationships. With over 30 years of experience in the field, he has published more than 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He also serves as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nanocomposites (Taylor & Francis). Beyond a strong academic track-record, he has a proven record of collaborating effectively with industry through WMG’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC), facilitating the translation of cutting-edge research into practical commercial applications. At WMG, he leads interdisciplinary R&D in polymer and composite engineering, bridging materials, processing, and engineering innovations to develop sustainable polymer-based products.
Florence Huynh PhD
Florence Huynh is an enthusiast sustainability researcher born in France. She obtained a chemical engineering degree from the INP-ENSIACET engineering school in France and received a PhD degree in chemistry from Cardiff university, UK working on engineering enzymes for novel natural products synthesis. She first started working at Polymateria in 2020 as research innovations manager and is now Vice president of the Innovation department since January 2023, leading the research, development and testing of the next generation of biodegradable polyolefins products. Her current research interests include carbon sequestration of biodegradable materials/polymers, biodegradation and ecotoxicity of new materials, microplastic formation and fate in the environment.
