Professor Michael Shaver, University of Manchester

Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships 2023-2024

In this research programme, we will develop a truly net zero vehicle in partnership with Polestar, a forward-thinking global leader in electric vehicle manufacturing. By directly linking fundamental academic research to real-world product development, we will deliver a roadmap for materials design.

This will involve actionable polymer engineering solutions to address the major plastic and multi-material components in automotive design. These solutions will include:

• innovative use of recycled content
• carbon negative polymers from biomass or sequestered carbon dioxide
• emerging chemical and biological recycling strategies.

Importantly, all opportunities will be evaluated using systems-level tools such as life cycle assessment to quantify their economic, social, and environmental sustainability. By collaborating closely with Polestar, we will anticipate and mitigate barriers for translation to industry, including product performance, safety, and environmental risk. Overall, this proposed chair will unlock transformative change in the automotive sector and create a crucially important centre of engineering excellence in Manchester.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-shaver-52325712/

Professor Michael Shaver