Congratulations to PhD student Callum White, who was recently honoured with the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research (CSAR) student award, presented by Pro Vice-Chancellor for Innovation, Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, in recognition of ‘outstanding research and potential’.

The award, which includes £1000 to support Callum’s research and career, is open to students in any discipline at the University of Cambridge who are currently pursuing their PhD and received over 200 applications this year.

Callum had the opportunity to speak on stage about his research at the Concrete Infrastructure Research Group and to discuss his work with the Pro Vice-Chancellor. His work focuses on enhancing understanding of concrete behaviour. Concrete is a fluid that hardens over time into a high-strength material; Callum believes there is a window of opportunity while the concrete remains fluid to detect and address issues before it sets. His PhD has developed a digital testing system for fluid concrete, which significantly improves the insights provided by existing site-based tests. It offers comparable results for laboratory testing systems at a fraction of the cost. Using this system provides deeper insights into the material’s behaviour, leading to improved quality control.

On the award, Callum said: “I am delighted to receive this prestigious CSAR award. While the competition was intense, I enjoyed presenting my research at the panel interview to specialists and non-specialists, who produced interesting questions and suggestions for further work. I was grateful for the mentoring I have received from CSAR members on how to achieve meaningful translation of research into practice. I plan to use the award to visit Asia and disseminate my research further, as well as to gain additional insights into research translation, particularly in the context of digital technologies. Thank you to the CSAR community and to those who have supported my research.”