News

We’re celebrating 10 years of delivering insights for industry! This week marks a decade since nC² was formed, opening up the University’s science and engineering capabilities to help companies solve problems, innovate and grow.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved since then:

• Provided insights and solutions for 195 companies across 329 projects
• Increased projects delivered each year from 18 to 68
• Expanded our team from 2 to 8 experts
• Collaborated with 30+ University specialists on our clients’ projects

A huge thank you to all the companies who have entrusted their research projects to us – and who have returned to us again and again – and to our colleagues and partners within the University of Southampton who enable us to offer unrivalled expertise.

Calling all railway specialists! The UKRRIN Inspire railway infrastructure conference is on 27 October, and the nC² team will be there. Come and say hello and find out about our rail-related capabilities.

This free one-day event, organised by our colleagues at the School of Engineering, brings industry and academia together to explore ways to reduce the cost of railway infrastructure through innovation.

The event will be introduced by journalist Paul Clifton, and you’ll hear from researchers about the latest developments, plus speakers from government and industry. Find out more and reserve your place.

We chose the brilliant Hawk Conservancy Trust as the venue for our recent nC² team day. The focus was on stress management, so getting into nature and meeting some of the Trust’s magnificent birds was a perfect reminder of the importance of work-life balance.

We spent the day working through our plans for a new workload model to help us maintain our first-class customer service and continue to deliver our clients’ projects with maximum efficiency as our portfolio grows.

Meet our new Professor of Forensic Engineering. Our Director Nicola Symonds has a new professorial title which better reflects her internationally-recognised expertise in failure analysis and accident investigation.

She says: “I find accident investigation the most rewarding part of all the work we do, because my contribution means that in future people won’t have to go through what others have gone through. We are saving lives – that’s not something many engineers can say.”

Read more about Nicola and her accident investigation work.

This video gives a glimpse of mechanical testing in action.

We ran tests on hundreds of oak samples like these to support the conservation of Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory. The tests were designed to simulate the effects of weather and time, helping the team at the National Museum of the Royal Navy select the best performing sealant for the ship’s newly replaced timbers.

For this particular test, we kept samples in a freezer at minus 20 degrees, then conducted tensile testing in a cooled chamber to measure the force needed to pull them apart.

Find out more about our mechanical testing capabilities, and how we’ve been helping to keep HMS Victory shipshape.

Please join us in welcoming Dr Isha Gupta to our network of specialist materials scientists.

Isha specialises in materials failure, with a particular focus on the effects of high temperatures on coatings. Read more about Isha’s expertise and experience.

If you’re looking for insights into how coatings perform – or why they fail – under extreme heat or thermomechanical loads, get in touch for a free consultation.

Our forensic materials science expertise helps to make sense of, and learn from, tragedy.

We analysed components from a fatal gyroplane crash, and conducted a lab-based simulation of the complex loads on the aircraft’s rotor head, to understand the cause of the accident.

Our work informed the Air Accidents Investigation Branch’s recommendations for regulatory, design and training changes that will help save lives in future.

Read more about this project here.

Meet the latest member of our network of experts – Dr Marcus Newton. Marcus specialises in X-ray characterisation of nanomaterials, in particular synchrotron based X-ray phase contrast imaging.

Marcus uses specialist instrumentation at the University’s X-ray diffraction imaging facility, which is uniquely configured to enable a wide range of measurements on single crystals, thin films and powdered materials.

Would your project benefit from Marcus’ expert input? If so, get in touch for a free initial consultation.

You can find out more about Marcus here.

Not all samples are flat, so we’ve expanded our UV testing capabilities to accommodate 3D specimens.

Rachel and Spencer took out their toolkits and installed new components to modify our UV chamber. This opens up our accelerated weathering tests to a wider range of sample shapes, giving you the performance insights you need.

Learn more about our specialist paint and coatings testing and analysis capabilities, or get in touch to talk to our expert team. 

What’s the best thing about being ISO 9001 certified? It means we build quality management into everything we do – it has become an integrated part of our business, not just an add-on.

Getting the accreditation was a real achievement, but we’re not resting on our laurels. With regular quality management meetings we continue to come together as a team to enhance and develop our systems, ensuring our clients get an exceptional service.

The nC² team was lucky enough to be invited on a special tour of the Mary Rose Museum to see its vast store of Tudor objects, as well as the historic ship itself.

From hand-chiselled stone shot for the ship’s guns to preserved leather shoes, the artefacts gave us a glimpse through time to the people who served on Henry VIII’s favourite ship. We also got an insight into the challenges of preserving this important collection for future visitors and researchers.

As well as a fascinating experience for us, the visit was a chance to explore ways our organisations can support each other – we look forward to building a fruitful working relationship into the future. A big thank you to Eleanor Schofield, Deputy CEO of the Mary Rose Trust, for inviting us and showing us the museum’s many treasures.

Visit our LinkedIn page for more images of the artefacts – and we highly recommend a visit to see the Mary Rose for yourself!

Congratulations to Dr Benjamin Cunningham, our highly skilled mechanical testing expert, on his recent promotion to Senior Consultant.

We’re delighted for Ben, an invaluable member of the team who has been instrumental in the expansion of our mechanical testing portfolio, applying his specialist knowledge to complex projects and delivering the insights our clients need.

Read Ben’s profile, and explore our mechanical testing services.

On International Women in Engineering Day 2025 we shine a spotlight on the talented women engineers and scientists in the nC² team and across the University of Southampton.

This year’s theme, Together We Engineer, is a perfect opportunity to commend not only the exceptional women in our core consultancy team, but also the specialists who contribute their expertise to our clients’ projects, including Dr Julie Herniman, Dr Kathryn Rankin, Dr Dimitra Georgiadou, Dr Agnes Macey-Michalik, Dr Isha Gupta and Professor Lindsay-Marie Armstrong.

Find out more about our experts.

We were delighted to welcome representatives from a range of companies at our special industry engineering showcase, organised by the University of Southampton’s School of Engineering. Great to meet you all!

It was a really productive morning for the nC² team, making new contacts and hearing about industry issues. And our visitors learned how easy it is to tap into our infinite range of expertise and facilities to solve their R&D challenges.

Visit our services pages to find out more about our capabilities.

The banners are up, the flyers are ready and we’re looking forward to meeting you! It’s time to greet visitors at today’s engineering industry showcase at the University of Southampton, along with colleagues from ISVR Consulting, the Wolfson Unit and more.

Always a pleasure to meet people face-to-face and show off our superb range of materials science expertise and facilities. We look forward to discussing how we can help solve your industry problems.

Many thanks to our colleagues at the University’s School of Engineering for making it happen.

Talk to us about how we can help optimise your product development.

From identifying the most suitable material for your product, to investigating issues with your prototype, our expert consultants can provide the insights you need to ensure your project goes smoothly and avoids any bumps in the road.

Check out our full range of testing and analysis capabilities and get in touch to find out how we can support your R&D.

A big thank you to Dr Dimitra Georgiadou, our go-to expert in the characterisation of thin film and optoelectronic materials and devices, for giving us a tour of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC).

The ORC’s superb facilities include bespoke instruments for the measurement of surface and/or optical properties. Dimitra is skilled in using these to gain the insights our clients need into the behaviour and performance of novel thin film materials and devices.

If Dimitra’s expertise could help take your product development forward, get in touch.

Think university R&D is out of reach? Join us on Wednesday 11 June 2025 for a special engineering industry showcase and find out how easy it is to tap into specialist engineering services and support.

Hosted by the School of Engineering, it’s a unique opportunity to see the University’s superb facilities for yourself and and learn how the University of Southampton’s capabilities can give your R&D the edge.

🔬 Hear about the wide range of testing, imaging and characterisation facilities available for industry use, and join lab tours to see them for yourself.

🧑‍🔬 Talk to experts from different engineering specialities and find out how they can support your projects.

🤝 Explore how you can engage with the University through consultancy services and research partnerships.

There’s also a chance to discover more about Education within the School of Engineering, including previewing innovative design projects by our final-year engineering undergraduates, and connect with talented future engineers.

The nC² team will be there, along with lots of our engineering colleagues, all ready to help you take advantage of the subject matter expertise and cutting-edge capabilities at Southampton.

Visit Eventbrite to find out more and register your place. We look forward to welcoming you!