David Miall, Nationwide Oceanography Centre – EW BrightSparks
For the following in our collection on the newest EW BrightSparks of 2025, we profile David Miall, an Electronics Engineer on the UK’s Nationwide Oceanography Centre (NOC). He’s additionally a former UKESF (UK Electronics Expertise Basis) scholar.
Achievements
David was nominated by his supervisor who instructed us how essential David has been as a part of the electronics and software program group.
David joined the Nationwide Oceanography Centre (NOC) in September 2023, having graduated from the College of York with a 1st in Digital Engineering. And he has been strongly contributing to the event of our environmental sensing units since then, we realized.
Shortly after becoming a member of, for instance, David joined the multi-institution MISSION undertaking. That is funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Bodily Sciences Analysis Council) to provide a prototype greenhouse-gas sensor utilizing a mid-IR absorption spectrometer with a silicon-photonic sensing chip.
His supervisor writes:
“His involvement on this undertaking initially concerned designing a DSP-based modulating laser-driver for the tunable diode-laser; this required him to mix precision analogue methods, moderate-speed digital design, and high-performance embedded software program to provide the modulated present waveforms for the laser, demodulator management indicators, and temperature management.”
“As he took extra possession of the work-package, he moved to major Digital Engineer on the undertaking and has offered and defined his work to nationally-recognised silicon-photonics specialists, has represented the place of the NOC on the general undertaking course at a number of nationwide conferences of the undertaking companions, and collaborates with the scientists in Southampton on a day-to-day foundation.”
We additionally heard David has been investigating encapsulation for the envisaged mixed optoelectronic sensing machine. That’s, contemplating the mid-IR properties of various polymers in addition to how they need to behave underneath stress to supply safety to the machine while nonetheless permitting ample mild transmission.
To correctly contribute, his nominator instructed us, David needed to study the basics of silicon-photonics and optoelectronics, a difficult activity at which he actually succeeded.
David has additionally been contributing to the TRIDENT undertaking, we learnt. This was co-designing, and growing the electronics for, a sediment sensor to measure sediment falling out of the water-column from simulated deep-sea mining. The purpose is for researchers to achieve a greater understanding of the results of deep-sea mining on the atmosphere on the ocean ground across the website.
So, the preliminary requirement was to have the ability to sense a layer of sediment up-to 10mm thick. And a regular optical-reflectance sort machine was initially proposed by the lead researcher. It was discovered, nevertheless, that the sensitivity to thick layers was restricted, and it might be troublesome to succeed in 10mm, so one other method was required.
“David proposed {that electrical} impedance could possibly be used for thicker layers and so devised a novel sensing component permitting each optical and electrical measurements of the identical space utilizing patterned conductive glass.”
Extra not too long ago, he has been working with NOC scientists to optimise {the electrical} sensing component by way of experimental lab work. Principally, optimising the manufacturing course of to depart the glass clearer and produce higher-quality electrodes (shifting from a chemical etch to a dry laser course of).
For this, David developed a prototype for a 3-wavelength reflectance measurement plate to sit down under the glass and provides precision measurements of the reflectance in 4 quarters of a sediment plate, permitting the project-lead to provide an indication machine and examine encapsulation methods with glass.
Lastly, one other high quality highlighted by David’s nominator was his willingness to assist when issues come by way of the door.
One instance concerned a pair of digital camera methods, which was designed by one other group and a marketing consultant to seize falling particles (marine snow) within the Labrador Sea. With just some weeks earlier than the ship was to sail, the methods didn’t work. David fastened the preliminary downside and allowed the digital camera to set off then analysed the system’s power-consumption to double-check that it might meet the necessities. He discovered it to fall far quick.
“After completely checking his evaluation he offered, with help from a Senior colleague, the undertaking’s lead scientists with the outcomes and potential choices.”
He defined merely what can be achievable within the remaining time and the choice was taken to rebuild the machine with the NOC’s customary electronics stack and some new industrial elements.
“With robust effort this produced units which far exceeded the necessities in time to be deployed within the Labrador Sea.”
Group
By way of STEM and neighborhood outreach work, we additionally learnt that David is very concerned within the engineering and NOC neighborhood in a wide range of methods. He has been actively taking part in STEM outreach {and professional} our bodies in addition to partaking neighborhood buildings on the NOC.
He’s, for instance, the Occasions Organiser for the IET Solent Native Community. Right here, he co-ordinates the working of talks and varied different occasions for the membership in addition to Native Community outreach occasions. These embrace the IET presence on the Isle of Wight science competition.
David can also be a former UKESF scholar, by way of which he has been a mentor a number of occasions. His mentee for the final 12 months was working for his sponsor firm, which is geographically near the NOC.
In addition to visiting the corporate, David organised a tour of the NOC for the mentee and colleagues to present them an excellent view of the sensors and the autonomous underwater autos developed on the Oceanography Centre. And in addition give the mentee a glance right into a lesser-known space of electronics for analysis.
Additionally, final summer time, he represented the NOC on the Wellington Belief’s Future Maritime Engineers Day, his supervisor shared. This noticed him go to the previous HMS Wellington on the Thames to current the engineering work of the NOC. This concerned the sensors that David’s group develops particularly, but in addition the marine robotics work and analysis ships. He was presenting to teams of Sixth-form college students thinking about Marine Engineering.
Moreover, in 2024, David went to the Isle of Wight Science Competition. He was representing the IET within the morning for the primary Science Competition. This concerned interactive demonstrations of fruit and vegetable batteries and IR communications. After which, within the afternoon, he was representing the NOC for the careers a part of the occasion. This was discussing STEM careers for 5 minutes with totally different teams of 12 months 10 and 12 college students.
In 2025 he was once more going to the Isle of Wight to symbolize the NOC for each classes. For this, he labored with the NOC’s scientists and our outreach group to design a brand new interactive stand to assist symbolize the complete spectrum of the organisation’s analysis and improvement exercise, in addition to the obtainable profession choices.
And he additionally represented the NOC’s on the College of Southampton Engineering Day, in 2025, contributing to the MISSION analysis undertaking’s stand, we realized.
“For this he designed demonstrators of the environmental fuel sensor (an absorption demonstration with LEDs, ‘fuel cell’, and a fog-machine) and medical sensor the undertaking appears to provide in addition to presenting to the general public concerning the undertaking, partaking with a whole lot of youngsters and adults about makes use of of Silicon Photonics.”
Lastly, for the latest NOC open day, he has co-ordinated the MISSION-project’s stand. This concerned making a marine-focused model of the stand which labored nicely on the College Engineering day. For instance, serving to clarify how photonics and opto-electronic sensing can assist monitor the marine atmosphere to the 1900 attendees.
Congratulations to David Miall!
