Metamaterials UK Conference & Forum 2025

Published on 21st January 2025

Acoustic Metamaterials Active Metamaterials Events Health Manufacturing and Scale Up Mechanical Metamaterials Microwave and THz Metamaterials News Photonic Metamaterials Space and Aviation Sustainability Theory, Modelling and AI

Event details

Date: 20 May - 22 May 2025
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Tortworth Court
Format: In person conference
Registration Deadline: March 28, 2025

More info (external link)

Metamaterials UK Conference & Forum 2025

To unlock metamaterials’ potential; to promote pathways to funding; to foster national and international scientific collaboration.

If your organisation does not allow for the use of Google Forms to register your interest, please email info@metamaterials.network.

Conference Vision

Our mission for the Metamaterials UK Conference & Forum 2025 is to bring the metamaterials community together to this flagship event, across academia, field leaders and government representatives. The annual Conference & Forum supports the collaborative academic community at the heart of the UK Metamaterials Network (UKMMN). Through the event the community shapes the future strategy for metamaterials in the UK offering a unique event creating a confluence of domains building towards a self-sustaining metamaterials ecosystem. This three day event aims to enhance the UK’s leadership in science and innovation.

Who?

Academics, early career researchers, representatives from industry & non-academic research organisations, and government. This is particularly suited to those seeking to advance their career in academia, build research networks, collaborations and programme grants.

Why?

The fourth Metamaterials UK Conference & Forum brings a unique opportunity to network with delegates from all domains of the metamaterials community to collaborate on cutting-edge developments in metamaterials science. This is a critical opportunity to engage in metamaterials developments; meet with potential collaborators; and shape the future of the metamaterials community in the UK.

Where?

The Conference & Forum 2025 will take place at Tortworth Court (Tortworth, Wotton Under Edge, GL12 8HH). Situated on the southernmost edge of the beautiful Cotswolds in the heart of 30 acres of rolling countryside, Tortworth Mansion House is a majestic country house hotel. Home to English aristocracy since the 14th-century, the “Gothic revival” mansion house you see today was built between 1849 and 1853.

The Grade II* listed hotel is close to Junction 14 of the M5, 40 minutes from Bristol airport and just 20 minutes from Bristol Parkway station.

Regional Map

What’s on?

The UKMMN’s Special Interest Groups and Challenge Areas will lead a series of sessions bringing together cutting edge metamaterials science and applications. There will also be sessions on the UKMMN’s funded pump prime projects; major investments in metamaterials across the UK; a poster session and a ‘hot topic’ session on new and significant developments in the metamaterials field.

This is your chance to connect with the UK metamaterials community to collaborate, exchange innovative ideas, and explore cutting-edge advancements in metamaterials science. This year’s event, with a spotlight on both national and international perspectives, promises an exciting experience for delegates from the UK and around the world.

Agenda

Funding Opportunities & Horizon Europe

Dr Zaffie Cox (EPSRC)
Dr Georgina Drury (UK Research Office Brussels)

Metamaterials for Health

This session on metamaterials for health will feature three invited speakers. The three presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with the same speakers. The main theme of the session will be showcasing and discussing how to identify opportunities to take metamaterials forward to health applications.

Photonic Metamaterials and Microwave & THz Metamaterials

This session will focus on Sensing and Nondestructive Testing and brings together experts on bio-sensing, atmospheric sensing and materials metrology, who utilise regions of the spectrum from Microwave through TeraHertz and Infrared to Optical, to discuss opportunities and challenges for metamaterials in this application area. The panel will answer audience questions and pose problems to the room, with deeper technical discussion encouraged at the subsequent poster session.

Dr SaeJune Park (Queen Mary University of London)
Professor Jeremy Baumberg (University of Cambridge)
Dr Okan Yurduseven (Queen’s University Belfast)

Theory Modelling & AI

In this session, we will explore the latest breakthroughs in numerical optimisation and machine learning applied to metamaterial design. We will hear about case studies from leading experts in the field and discuss how, as a Network community, we can improve access to cutting-edge techniques.

Space & Aviation

The session will focus on developing demonstrator platforms for metamaterials in the Space and Aviation sectors, specifically cubseats and unmanned aerial vehicles. Keynote talks will set the scene for roundtable sessions which will identify or assess ideas for modules and integrated components that can be used to demonstrate the capability of metamaterials using these platforms. The outcomes from the session will form the basis of future work to develop demonstrator platforms for metamaterials in real world applications.

Dr Chris Brunskill (Growbotics)
Dr Owen McAree (University of Liverpool)

Emerging Trends

This session will include introductory talks and a panel discussion around emerging trends in metamaterials research. We will hear from industry, funders, and academia, spanning trends in fundamental science, translation and scale-up, and blue-skies technologies.

Conrad Burke (MetaVC Partners)
Professor Dorota Pawlak (Ensemble3 Centre of Excellence )
Professor Jensen Li (University of Exeter)
Professor Jeremy Baumberg (University of Cambridge)
Professor Ian Youngs (Dstl)

Sustainability

Pending

Dr Iris Nandhakumar (University of Southampton)
Dr Jenny Baker (Swansea University)

Active

The recent active metamaterials roadmap has highlighted complexities in developing active metamaterials (modelling, simulation, manufacture, testing and integration) as an important area for future focus. This session will use keynote talks and roundtable discussions to develop key questions and strategies in the area of complexity of active metamaterials. The outcomes will help influence future work such as an active metamaterials hackathon and white paper.

Acoustic

The acoustic SIG session will summarise recent outreach events, focusing on engaging with the SIG, and then have talks from companies that have taken acoustic metamaterials to the market (in the UK and Europe).

Dr Luca Sangiuliano (Phononic Vibes)
Dr Greg Chaplain (University of Exeter)
Professor Gianluca Memoli (CEO Metasonixx)

Mechanical Metamaterials

This session explores the nexus between mechanical metamaterials, manufacturing, and application will explore factors that have influenced commercial success for certain types of mechanical metamaterials. We will work with the whole metamaterials community to create pipelines from metamaterial conception to production – focusing on what is needed in the short, mid, and far terms

Dr Stefan Mohr (Head)

Manufacturing

In the Manufacturing Challenge session, we will focus first on identifying existing metamaterials-relevant manufacturing and scale up facilities in the UK and how to access them. We will then work collectively to identifying gaps in facilities both existent but currently unavailable or inaccessible in the UK, and also novel facilities which would require research and development to realise them. The work in this session will be used to influence and inform future proposals for funding equipment and facilities for the benefit of the community.

Dr Melissa Riley (TWI)
Dr Gilda Gasparini(Lucideon)

Technical Posters & Demonstrators

If you wish to submit a poster or demonstrator to the Conference & Forum Showcase, please complete this Poster or Demonstrator Template for inclusion in the booklet. You may submit this by emailing it to info@metamaterials.network

Commitment fee

All participants are required to register and pay the appropriate fee (detailed below) to attend the conference. This fee is non-refundable. The commitment fee link will open following the close of the expression of interest form. Please note that in this instance Early Career Researcher (ECR) is defined as within 4 years of the completion of a PhD.

for UK-based Network members:
- £550 for non-Early Career Researchers
- ECRs £275.
for international guests:
- £1,000 for non-ECRs
- £500 ECRs

Accommodation on the night of Tuesday 20th May and the night of Wednesday 21st May, and meals on site are included in the fee, including the conference dinner.

UK-based researchers who cannot afford the commitment fee are invited to apply to the Access Fund directly to discuss the attendance costs, please email info@metamaterials.network for further information. If you have caring responsibilities please contact the UKMMN and/or note this in your application form.