Within the next few years the number of devices connected to each other and the Internet will outnumber humans by almost 5:1. These connected devices will underpin everything from healthcare to transport to energy and manufacturing. At the same time, this growth is not just in the number or variety of devices, but also in the ways they communicate and share information with each other, building hyper-connected cyber-physical infrastructures that span most aspects of people's lives. For the UK to maximise the socio-economic benefits from this revolutionary change we need to address the myriad trust, identity, privacy and security issues raised by such large, interconnected infrastructures. Solutions to many of these issues have previously only been developed and tested on systems orders of magnitude less complex in the hope they would 'scale up'. However, the rapid development and implementation of hyper-connected infrastructures means that we need to address these challenges at scale since the issues and the complexity only become apparent when all the different elements are in place. There is already a shortage of highly skilled people to tackle these challenges in today's systems with latest estimates noting a shortfall of 1.8M by 2022. With an estimated 80Bn malicious scans and 780K records lost daily due to security and privacy breaches, there is an urgent need for future leaders capable of developing innovative solutions that will keep society one step ahead of malicious actors intent on compromising security, privacy and identity and hence eroding trust in infrastructures. The Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) 'Trust, Identity, Privacy and Security - at scale' (TIPS-at-Scale) will tackle this by training a new generation of interdisciplinary research leaders. We will do this by educating PhD students in both the technical skills needed to study and analyse TIPS-at-scale, while simultaneously studying how to understand the challenges as fundamentally human too. The training involves close involvement with industry and practitioners who have played a key role in co-creating the programme and, uniquely, responsible innovation. The implementation of the training is novel due to its 'at scale' focus on TIPS that contextualises students' learning using relevant real-world, global problems revealed through project work, external speakers, industry/international internships/placements and masterclasses. The CDT will enrol ten students per year for a 4-year programme. The first year will involve a series of taught modules on the technical and human aspects of TIPS-at-scale. There will also be an introductory Induction Residential Week, and regular masterclasses by leading academics and industry figures, including delivery at industrial facilities. The students will also undertake placements in industry and research groups to gain hands-on understanding of TIPS-at-scale research problems. They will then continue working with stakeholders in industry, academia and government to develop a research proposal for their final three years, as well as undertake internships each year in industry and international research centres. Their interdisciplinary knowledge will continue to expand through masterclasses and they will develop a deep appreciation of real-world TIPS-at-scale issues through experimentation on state-of-the-art testbed facilities and labs at the universities of Bristol and Bath, industry and a city-wide testbed: Bristol-is-Open. Students will also work with innovation centres in Bath and Bristol to develop novel, interdisciplinary solutions to challenging TIPS-at-scale problems as part of Responsible Innovation Challenges. These and other mechanisms will ensure that TIPS-at-Scale graduates will lead the way in tackling the trust, identity, privacy and security challenges in future large, massively connected infrastructures and will do so in a way that considers wider sosocial responsibility.

In many parts of Africa, changing patterns of cross-border migration are transforming the importance of borders for marginalised populations. Recent literature cautions that simplified narratives about illegality in border zones are complicating efforts at addressing social inequities. This research examines social and political dimensions of rural livelihoods along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border in conjunction with current debates about transboundary resource management in the region, focusing on perspectives in artisanal gold mining communities in Manica, Mozambique, where Zimbabwean artisanal miners live and work side-by-side with Mozambicans. The study explores what displacement means to different rural actors and how challenges are negotiated in pursuing resource-dependent livelihoods, with the ultimate goal of enhancing policies for addressing livelihood insecurity on both sides of the border. The Zimbabwe-Mozambique border is a high priority for research, as large numbers of Zimbabweans have crossed into Mozambique as Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis deepened and are engaging in artisanal mining. Empirically, the study addresses three interlinked research questions: 1) How does mobility across the border represent new opportunities or, conversely, new challenges, for reconfigured livelihoods in artisanal mining communities near/along the border?; 2) To what extent are global and national institutions taking these challenges and opportunities into consideration in their approach to transboundary resource management policies?; 3) How are formal artisanal miners associations and informal groups of artisanal miners (on both sides of the border) socially engaged in processes of contesting land near/at the border? Through in-depth life history interviews, focus groups, field diaries, visual methods and participant observation with artisanal mining associations, the study will explore how women and men in mining communities negotiate livelihood struggles, analysing social and economic ties that transcend the border. Analysing perspectives on mining, displacement and migration in relation to transboundary resource governance, policy documents will be reviewed and interviews conducted with national and district government authorities, companies and civil society organizations. This study will generate original data and contribute new insights to engage conceptual and policy debates as well as associated methodological and ethical debates in borderlands research. The analysis aims to inform researchers in geography, development studies, African studies and the growing field of borderlands research, as well as policymakers. In 2011, the African Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Borderlands Research Network, based at the University of Edinburgh, highlighting the need for research to support policymaking that enhances livelihoods in border regions. This project is especially timely in light of a global environmental treaty signed by more than 120 countries recently, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique, requiring governments to take new steps to manage artisanal gold mining. Government officials have expressed the need for research to inform National Action Plans for implementing the treaty in the 2015-2020 period. The project's regional workshops will co-produce knowledge while building local capacity of artisanal mining associations, government agencies, civil society and universities in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the UK. Theoretical, ethical and methodological insights will be disseminated through books, articles, briefs, lectures and courses, to inform crosscutting debates at the intersection of borderlands research and extractive sector research. Building on past experiences working with United Nations agencies, this project will be transformative in cultivating new skills to lead North-South-South collaborative research that informs policymakers at regional, national and global levels.

Photonic materials interact with light in useful and interesting ways. They enable its manipulation, and conversion into other forms of energy. One important class of photonic materials are non-linear optical (NLO) materials, which can be used to manipulate and adjust the properties of laser light beams. For example, they are used to make green lasers by second harmonic generation (SHG) from an infra-red source, and in electro-optic (EO) modulators that transfer digital electronic signals into fibre-optic telecommunications. At present, most commercial NLO materials are simple inorganic salts. These are inexpensive, durable and ideal for simple SHG applications. However, in telecommunications and computing they suffer from slow speed, as their responses originate from displacement of (relatively heavy) ions in response to the electric field of light. Molecular organic and metal-organic materials promise faster responses, because they arise from displacement of lighter, faster electrons, and also rational property tuning and the possibility of rapid property switching (i.e. on/off for optical or electrooptical transistors). But it is difficult to obtain molecules combining high NLO activity with adequate transparency and photostability, and adding the ability to reversibly switch between on/off states is a still greater challenge. Recently, we discovered a promising new class of molecular NLO materials based on polyoxometalates (POMs) - a type of molecular metal oxide cluster - connected to organic groups. These POM-based chromophores (POMophores) obtain high NLO coefficients from materials with small, stable organic groups and excellent transparency, and show redox properties that could be used to switch the NLO response. The next stage, addressed in this project, is to assemble POMophores into bulk materials that can be used in devices - specifically EO modulators and transistors. To do this, we must find a way to align all of the POMophores so that they point in the same direction and give a net NLO effect. This is challenging, as methods for controlled assembly of POM-based materials are currently very limited, and to achieve the goal we will develop a new approach where we first trap the POMophore in a molecular container. The molecular containers are designed in such a way that they form a film where the desired molecular orientation is forced on the POMophore. In addition to organising the POMophores to give bulk NLO properties, the containers will also protect them from degradation when we investigate redox-switching of the NLO response. POMs offer many other properties beyond non-linear optics - for example many POM clusters are excellent catalysts or photocatalysts due to their ability to rapidly accept and transfer electrons, some have magnetic and/or luminescence properties introduced by incorporating suitable heterometals into the POM framework, and POMs have also demonstrated anti-viral activity. Therefore, we expect that other areas of chemistry and materials science will benefit from methods enabling their encapsulation and control over their positioning on the nanoscale. Possibilities could include selective catalysis, solar energy conversion, memory devices, and even targeting of biologically/medicinally active POM species for therapeutic interventions. This project will lay the groundwork necessary for such developments, as well as potentially producing the new, high performance bulk NLO materials needed for future telecommunications and computing.

We will launch a new CDT, focused on composite materials and manufacturing, to deliver the next generation of composites research and technology leaders equipped with the skills to make an impact on society. In recent times, composites have been replacing traditional materials, e.g. metals, at an unprecedented rate. Global growth in their use is expected to be rapid (5-10% annually). This growth is being driven by the need to lightweight structures for which 'lighter is better', e.g. aircraft, automotive car bodywork and wind blades; and by the benefits that composites offer to functionalise both materials and structures. The drivers for lightweighting are mainly material cost, fuel efficiency, reducing emissions contributing to climate change, but also for more purely engineering reasons such as improved operational performance and functionality. For example, the UK composites sector has contributed significantly to the Airbus A400M and A350 airframes, which exhibit markedly better performance over their metallic counterparts. Similarly, in the wind energy field, typically, over 90% of a wind turbine blade comprises composites. However, given the trend towards larger rotors, weight and stiffness have become limiting factors, necessitating a greater use of carbon fibre. Advanced composites, and the possibility that they offer to add extra functionality such as shape adaptation, are enablers for lighter, smarter blades, and cheaper more abundant energy. In the automotive sector, given the push for greener cars, the need for high speed, production line-scale, manufacturing approaches will necessitate more understanding of how different materials perform. Given these developments, the UK has invested heavily in supporting the science and technology of composite materials, for instance, through the establishment of the National Composites Centre at the University of Bristol. Further investments are now required to support the skills element of the UK provision towards the composites industry and the challenges it presents. Currently, there is a recognised skills shortage in the UK's technical workforce for composites; the shortage being particularly acute for doctoral skills (30-150/year are needed). New developments within industry, such as robotic manufacture, additive manufacture, sustainability and recycling, and digital manufacturing require training that encompasses engineering as well as the physical sciences. Our CDT will supply a highly skilled workforce and technical leadership to support the industry; specifically, the leadership to bring forth new radical thinking and the innovative mind-set required to future-proof the UK's global competitiveness. The development of future composites, competing with the present resins, fibres and functional properties, as well as alternative materials, will require doctoral students to acquire underpinning knowledge of advanced materials science and engineering, and practical experience of the ensuing composites and structures. These highly skilled doctoral students will not only need to understand technical subjects but should also be able to place acquired knowledge within the context of the modern world. Our CDT will deliver this training, providing core engineering competencies, including the experimental and theoretical elements of composites engineering and science. Core engineering modules will seek to develop the students' understanding of the performance of composite materials, and how that performance might be improved. Alongside core materials, manufacturing and computational analysis training, the CDT will deliver a transferable skills training programme, e.g. communication, leadership, and translational research skills. Collaborating with industrial partners (e.g. Rolls Royce) and world-leading international expertise (e.g. University of Limerick), we will produce an exciting integrated programme enabling our students to become future leaders.

One of the hallmarks of eukaryotic cells is the presence of membrane-bound compartments (organelles), which create different optimised environments to promote various metabolic reactions required to sustain life. To adapt to the changing physiological requirements of a cell or organism, organelles have to constantly adjust their number, shape, position, and metabolic functions accordingly. This requires dynamic processes which modulate organelle abundance by organelle formation (biogenesis), degradation (autophagy), or inheritance (cell division). Peroxisomes are multifunctional subcellular organelles that are essential for human health and development. Vital, protective roles of peroxisomes in lipid metabolism, signalling, the combat of oxidative stress and ageing have emerged recently. Our work has revealed that peroxisomes are extremely dynamic and can form from pre-existing organelles in a multistep process which requires remodelling of the peroxisomal membrane, the formation of tubular membrane extensions which subsequently constrict and divide into several new peroxisomes. Defects in peroxisome dynamics and multiplication have been linked to age related disorders involving neurodegeneration, loss of sight and deafness. Despite their fundamental importance to cell physiology, the mechanisms that mediate and regulate peroxisome membrane dynamics and abundance in humans are poorly understood and a biophysical model is missing. Understanding these mechanisms is not only important for comprehending fundamental physiological processes but also for understanding pathogenic processes in disease etiology. The overall aim of this project is to acquire novel insights into the mechanism and regulation of peroxisome abundance, membrane dynamics and organelle cooperation in normal and disease conditions. In this research project, we will (1) assess the role of key proteins in peroxisome division to unveil the molecular mechanisms modulating peroxisome abundance, (2) apply biophysical approaches to investigate protein-lipid interaction and membrane remodelling, (3) identify mechanisms to modulate expression of key proteins and peroxisome dynamics for improvement of cell performance, and (4) develop a biophysical/mathematical model to understand and predict peroxisome dynamics in health and disease conditions. In summary, in this interdisciplinary project we will combine unique complementary expertise in organelle-biology and organelle-based disorders with biophysical and mathematical approaches as well as novel tools and models in human cell biology. We will apply molecular cell biology, biophysical, biochemical and screening approaches, mathematical modelling and cutting edge imaging techniques to reveal the molecular mechanisms and pathways that mediate and regulate organelle membrane dynamics and organelle abundance. Specifically, this research project will improve our understanding of organelle dynamics/abundance and its impact on healthy ageing and common, degenerative disorders. We will generate new tools and models for assessing and modulating organelle dynamics, which may help to improve cell performance. Understanding how to modulate organelle dynamics and abundance and to use the protective functions of organelles will be of significant biological and medical importance. It may contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches in healthy ageing and age-related disorders.