A global research project led by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Edinburgh has received a share of £10 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Mother and child on the beach

Lead investigator Dr. Encarni Medina Lopez met her collaborators while participating on the Edinburgh Climate Leaders programme, which was created to help women researching climate change build ambitious interdisciplinary projects.

FeMe will tackle the failure modes of current engineering practices, particularly in relation to climate change and its impact on women, children and underrepresented groups globally.

The funding is intended to help address the challenges identified in the 2022 Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges (TERC) report.

The Edinburgh-led project ‘Failure Modes of Engineering (FeME): a network for future inclusivity, sustainability and global impact’ is one of six research projects who will benefit from the funding boost.

Failure Modes

The study will explore the use of ‘failure modes’, a method taken from traditional systems engineering to better link researchers, industry and communities, to delve into the complex relationship between engineering, nature and society.

The project will be led by Encarni Medina-Lopez (School of Engineering), with Agnessa Spanellis (Business School), Laura Colucci-Gray (Moray House School of Education and Sport) and Sue Widdicombe (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences). They will also be working in partnership with colleagues from Heriot-Watt and Glasgow Universities.

Encarni Medina-Lopez Senior Lecturer in Ocean Observation, School of Engineering, said: “Women, children and underrepresented communities globally are the most affected by climate change. Engineering, as the link between society and nature, is at the core of a fair and sustainable future for all. Our network plus will create and enable research in this important area from a truly interdisciplinary perspective.”

Lorna Thomson, Director of the Edinburgh Research Office, who spearheaded the Climate Leaders programme, said: “We are investing in our future leaders and helping them realise their potential in solving intractable problems. To see results from this programme already, our Climate Leaders winning a major EPSRC award, is fantastic.”

Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service, will be facilitating industry participation in this project.

Empower.Ed – Engineering an alternative future

Read Dr Encarni Medina-Lopez’ blog to find out more about the project and how it came together: Empower.Ed – Engineering an alternative future by Dr Encarni Medina-Lopez

If you’re interested in getting involved through a workshop, targeted industry event or 1-1 meeting, email feme@ed.ac.uk.