Project SIBLING

Peter Ali is the Business Development Manager for Project SIBLING. He is a multi-sector business development professional with 17 years of experience. He has held senior sales and business development roles in the telecommunication, tech, and international development sectors. With his experience in managing high-profile strategic partnerships, he has led and facilitated several successful proposal development and project management efforts for international donors like the AfDB, FCDO, World Bank, and the EU toward development projects in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. He provides expertise in business development strategy and project management for Project SIBLING, facilitating the linkages between the scientific capabilities at the University of Bradford with target SMEs in the West Yorkshire region. His goal on Project SIBLING is to continue to deepen the existing collaboration in research development, and scientific innovation between SMEs in West Yorkshire and the University of Bradford through access to state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation and academic expertise at the University. With a BSc in Biochemistry, he holds certifications in Business Strategy, Human Centred Design, Business Process Management and Auditing, and Project Management.

Jason has a PhD in Chemistry from University of York and 20 years’ experience in R&D and business development in the pharmaceutical and chemical research services sector. Jason has extensive experience in business development and business management and is currently responsible for growing the commercial and grant funded revenues of a number of Research and Knowledge Transfer Centres across the Faculty including Pharmaceutical Engineering Sciences, Institute of Cancer Therapeutics and Centre for Chemical and Structural Analysis. Director and Business Manager for Lena Nanoceutics Ltd a University spin-in company

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Laia completed her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry followed by her Master's degree in Applied Materials Chemistry with honours from the University of Barcelona in July 2019. Shortly after, she secured a studentship to pursue her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Bradford from 2019 to 2023.

Currently, Laia is employed as a Research Technician for the SIBLING project at the Centre for Chemical and Biological Analysis. Her field of expertise includes a range of analytical techniques such as NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Richard is a Professor of Analytical Chemistry  and Director of the Analytical Centre at the University of Bradford; a specialist facility managing the major analytical equipment for the University. He joined Bradford in 2005 to manage commercial projects run through the Centre and continues to collaborate widely with industrial partners delivering continuously on multiple projects to the Pharmaceutical, Agrochemical, Healthcare and Specialty Chemical Sectors as Principle Investigator. He has delivered over £2.0m commercial research income since joining the University. Prior to this, Richard started his career at Zeneca (subsequently AstraZeneca and Syngenta) where he spent 8 years in characterisation functions at their HMC and Jealott’s Hill manufacturing and R&D sites as a Senior Analytical Chemist. He has extensive expertise in a broad range of analytical techniques including NMR, vibrational spectroscopy (Raman, FTIR), separation science (HPLC, GC, CE), mass spectrometry, thermal analysis (DSC, TGA, DMA), and electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), with a particular research interest in hyphenated techniques including DSC-Raman/FTIR/XRD (the focus of a recently co-authored book chapter for the RSC text “Principles of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry”).

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Prof Ben Whiteside, CEng, completed a PhD in 2001 studying ‘Simulation and validation of glass fibre orientation in automotive injection mouldings’ at the University of Bradford. Since then he has actively researched the field of micro-injection moulding (micromoulding), beginning with working at post doctoral level on an EPSRC funded research programme.  Over the last decade, he has built the area considerably by attracting further grant funding and industrial contracts worth in excess of £5m. 

He is now Director of the Centre for Polymer Micro and Nano Technology (the Polymer MNT centre) based at the University of Bradford which was officially opened in 2009 and has quickly established a reputation as a key research facility in Europe for micro and nano moulding activities. The Polymer MNT Centre provides a focus for industry-facing aspects of research activities and a route for industrial engagement for proof of concept work, contract R&D and small scale manufacture.  Key Academic research areas investigate many aspects of the process including material modification and characterisation, micro and nano scale surface structuring, process measurement, high speed imaging systems, precision part handling systems, tribology  and product property assessment.

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Dr Cooke joined the University of Bradford in 2017. He is an Associate Professor in Material Science and Engineering and Director of Post-Graduate Research. Before coming to the University of Bradford Dr Cooke served as Programme Director of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology, Jamaica. He was awarded a PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2011, which focused on transient liquid phase diffusion bonding of particle reinforced aluminium alloys. His qualifications also include a B. Eng. with honours and an MPhil from the University of Technology in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Management from Patten University. Dr Cooke is a reviewer for several international journals illustrating international recognition in the main field. In 2013, he won the prestigious University of Technology, Jamaica President Research Excellence Award for research excellence in surface and interface engineering. Dr Cooke is also a chartered engineer (C.Eng.), a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Member of the Caribbean Academy of Science.

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Sharon Mason works within the Financial Management Team at the University and is helping to deliver the SIBLING Project.  She has worked at the University since 2015 as part of the finance department, starting as a Finance Officer (Grants) and moving on to Assistant Finance Business Partner in more recent years.  She also supported the CAYMAN project from a financial aspect.

Her first job on leaving college was within the Estates Department of the University.  She then worked in schools for 18 years whilst raising a family and held varying admin and finance rolls there.

She returned to studies in 2011 and completed her AAT qualification which then brought her full circle to return to the University.