Research Staff

Dr. Fergus Cuthill is FastBlade Manager and Senior Experimental Officer for the FastBlade Structural Composites Research Facility at The University of Edinburgh. He runs the day-to-day operations, testing and planning for the facility. Working with researchers to design experiments, managing the team of researchers and students working at FastBlade and supervising students. His main areas of research interest are advanced sensors, measurement systems and experimental mechanics.

Prior to his present post, he was an experimental officer for FastBlade, designing the facility, and developing the LabVIEW Control and data logging system.

His background is in materials testing, having completed a PDRA within the Institute for Materials and Processes, working on two Wave Energy Scotland (WES) funded projects (ELASTO & ROTOHYBRID). His role focused on the mechanical testing, analysis and classification of novel materials for the potential use in wave energy devices with the aim of the research being a step change in the levelised cost of energy (LCOE).

He completed his PhD "The Influence of Snow Microstructure and Properties on the Grip of Winter Tyres" in collaboration with Michelin and supervised by Dr. Jane Blackford and Prof. Vasileios Koutsos in 2017.

PhD Mechanical Engineering (Snow Mechanics), The University of Edinburgh, 2017

MEng Mechanical Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, 2013

Chartered Member of The Institute of Mechanical Engineers

Dr James A Quinn is a Research Associate in Composite Design and Testing at The University of Edinburgh and a member of the MATTERS Group, where his role focuses on connecting innovative research to practical applications.

He is experienced in many aspects of composite testing, with current research interests in multifunctional composite materials and structures. Building on his background in asset maintenance of thick marine composite structures, he is also involved in:

• electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance in composite structures
• multifunctional composite materials and structures
• non-destructive testing (particularly of thick fibre-reinforced polymer structures)
• mechanics of thick or large composites including sandwich structures
• fracture mechanics of polymer composites
• repair of polymers and polymer-composites.