Engineering press releases

A model city with a person holding a pen above it

COP31: Why future-proofing cities and infrastructure is central to climate conversations

In this year’s COP discussions, the COP31 Presidency of Türkiye has set a prominent role for cities, infrastructure and water for this year’s conference. Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga, from Loughborough University’s School of Architecture, Built Environment, and Civil Engineering, explores why this is pivotal for climate discussions.
Leftover food on a dinner plate being scraped into a waste bin

Could reducing food waste be a climate solution we already have?

As global leaders gather for COP31, much of the discussion will likely focus on renewable energy, environmental protection and pathways to net zero. These are all important. However, one of the greatest opportunities to reduce environmental impacts is disarmingly simple, and doable: reduce food waste, Dr Elliot Woolley explains.
A person using a laptop and phone with graphics of a globe in front

New network supported by Loughborough expertise aims to strengthen UK electronic materials sector

Researchers from Loughborough University are set to partake in a new partnership which aims to strengthen the UK’s sovereign capabilities in the development, manufacture, and commercialisation of electronic materials.
A man smiling into the camera against a plain background

Loughborough academic appointed as Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser to Government

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has appointed Professor Sergio Cavalaro as the Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser (CCSA).
An image of an electric scooter on a pavement with a person stood next to it

New study shows how e-scooters could be the future of India’s commuting travel

With a number of countries already supporting the use of electric scooters (e-scooters) on their roads, and many countries now choosing to illegalise their use on roads, countries like India may be travelling in a different direction.

A black car driving through muddy flood water

Driving through water is the biggest cause of death during floods – here’s how it can happen

An opinion piece written by Dr Matthew Watkins for The Conversation platform.
A man looking into the camera and smiling against a plain background

Loughborough engineer awarded prestigious research chair

An academic from Loughborough University's School of Architecture, Building, and Civil Engineering has been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering  Research Chair.
A group of people cutting a ribbon to open the centre all smiling to camera

Loughborough opens the new outdoor East Midlands Zero Carbon Innovation Centre

Loughborough University has opened the new outdoor East Midlands Zero Carbon Innovation Centre (EMZCIC), a facility designed for hydrogen and net zero research, training and industry collaboration.

A landscape image of a volcano erupting in the distance with smoke coming out the top

“Getting the story straight” - International team of volcanologists publishes common misconceptions and facts about volcanoes

An international team of volcanologists has published a review paper in the Journal of Applied Volcanology that clarifies the 18 most commonly misunderstood topics about volcanoes and their eruptions, and the fundamental science facts behind them.

A flooded road with two road signs

Rivers don't burst their banks on a schedule - but the world's flood maps assume they do

New research led by Dr Yinxue Liu shows that the frequency with which rivers fill their channels varies systematically with climate. The findings challenge a decades-old assumption used in global flood inundation models and could help improve flood-risk estimation worldwide.

A worker using a tablet with graphs

Loughborough University joins new Defence Universities Alliance to support technological research

Loughborough University is one of 35 universities to join a new Defence Universities Alliance, spearheaded by Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP.
A hand reaching to open a curtain with the sun shining through the gap

Heatwaves: expert tips on redesigning UK homes to cope with hotter temperatures

An opinion piece, written by Dr Ben Roberts, Senior Lecturer in Healthy Buildings, for The Conversation.
A row of houses with orange brown bricks facing the sun with blue sky

Updated guidance to help tackle overheating risk in homes, new report reveals

CIBSE in collaboration with Arup and Loughborough University, has launched the updated CIBSE TM59 Overheating risk in dwellings: A design stage methodology, providing the industry with revised guidance for assessing and mitigating overheating risk in new homes and major residential refurbishments.
A crack formed in the middle of a concrete road

Why the Venezuela Earthquake caused so much destruction, from an earthquake engineering expert

On June 24, 2026, northern Venezuela was struck by a rare and devastating "doublet" earthquake sequence, where a magnitude 7.2 shock was followed just 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 event.
A woman sat in front of a window with the sun brightly rising, stretching in bed.

Cooling mattress toppers an effective and low-energy way to improve sleep in hot bedrooms, study finds

Targeted bed cooling, using a cooling mattress topper, offers an effective and low-energy solution for minimising sleep disruption in overheated bedrooms, a study led by Loughborough University shows.

A group of blurred people playing football in the background on artificial grass

New UK research aims to solve artificial turf waste challenge

A major new UK research project will tackle one of sport’s fastest-growing environmental challenges, how to recycle artificial turf pitches at scale, as more than 30 million square metres reach end-of-life each year.
A group of people spending time under a pavilion made from seaweed in low lighting

Seaweed used as low-carbon material to make new London pavilion designed by students

A new pavilion designed by students at Loughborough University has been constructed using timber and seaweed biomaterials, highlighting how the construction sector is moving towards Net Zero.

A football used in the World Cup being measured using a yellow measuring tape

World cup football offers GCSE students the chance to learn more about science and engineering

Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, GCSE students will get hands‑on experience with the same tests used to approve elite match balls, thanks to a new outreach initiative from Loughborough University in partnership with adidas, funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Three people smiling into the camera and cutting a ribbon to open the centre

New Loughborough lab can heat to 3,000°C and quenches to −150°C at extreme rates to test non-standard materials

A newly launched lab at Loughborough University will see industry partners and researchers use new equipment only available in a handful of places across the world to test materials at extremes of temperatures and pressures.

An image of three towers with clouds of emissions coming out the top against a cloudy background

Loughborough expertise to support £6million programme to replace fossils fuels in plastics, chemicals and construction

£6 million in grant funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has been secured to focus on cutting industrial emissions and replace fossil-derived carbon across a number of sectors.

A screengrab of the Think Human website, with a graphic of a brain against a dark background

Loughborough’s Think Human exhibit showcased in new website to guide young people through Ergonomics & Human Factors career choices

An exhibition that debuted at Derby’s Museum of Making has launched online to encourage more people to explore how we interact with systems and products, to enhance performance, safety and comfort.

Artist’s impression of silica–gold nanoparticles acting as “light concentrators”, focusing energy into tiny hotspots to boost terahertz emission. The effect was studied using ultrafast laser pulses. Image generated by Dr Vittorio Cecconi using Adobe Firefly.

Tiny ‘light-concentrating’ particles boost terahertz technology, study shows

Scientists have found a way to boost terahertz technology using particles thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand.
a close up of a football in a fire machine in sports tech

New research identifies previously unreported pressure wave energy transfer to the brain from football headers

A new study has identified a previously unreported mechanism of energy transfer to the brain from football headers – a finding that could prove significant in understanding the mechanics of headers and inform future research into long-term player health.
A man in a lab coat standing next to a number of cylinders in a large warehouse

Heat battery that freezes and melts to store energy could help household heating become cheaper and cleaner

A material that freezes and melts in order to store and use heat as an energy source could see household energy usage become cheaper and cleaner, a project from experts at Loughborough University has found.

A group of palm trees being blown about in a storm surrounded by grey skies by the coast

Weakness in Sri Lanka’s planning led to increased damage after Cyclone Ditwah, research finds

New research into Cyclone Ditwah, a catastrophic tropical cyclone that hit Sri Lanka in November and December 2025, has found the extent of the damage and the weaknesses in Sri Lanka’s planning that intensified the destruction.