Mark Miodownik

Material scientist and Head of Materials Research group at King's College London

Dr Mark Miodownik is a scientist specialising in self-organising materials. He graduated with First Class Honours in Material Sciences from St Catherine’s College, Oxford in 1992, and gained his PhD in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University in 1996.

In 2003, as part of his role as Head of the Materials Research group at King’s College London, he was awarded a NESTA fellowship to found the Materials Library. The project actively researches the senso-aesthetic properties of materials to understand why materials feel, smell and taste the way they do. This has resulted in collaborations with designers, architects, artists, as well as many museums, such as the Tate Modern, the Hayward Gallery and the Wellcome Collection. Mark is a broadcaster and writer on engineering issues and believes passionately that to engineer is human. He is a member of the Cheltenham Science Festival Advisory Group and a Board member of Ignite.