Professor Kit Windows-Yule
Director of Innovation at the University of Birmingham
Astronomy and physics · Engineering
Nothing is simple or mundane in the eyes of Kit Windows-Yule. Through his research, he explores how even the most ordinary objects can have surprisingly complex science, systems and engineering behind them.
Soap, for example, is one of the most familiar products in our homes. It is also one of the most challenging materials Kit has encountered in his research. Constantly changing as it is made and notoriously difficult to measure because it is slippery, it reveals a truth that runs through much of his work: everyday products are often far more complex than they first appear.
Kit embraces this complexity, challenging common misconceptions about materials and sustainability. Plastics, for example, are not inherently bad; the real challenge is how we produce, use and recycle them.
He believes that productivity and sustainability are "two sides of the same coin", and that the real question is not what we make but how we make it. Working closely with industry, he helps businesses rethink their processes, reducing waste and emissions while improving efficiency and finding better ways to create the products we rely on every day.
Underpinning all of his work is a desire to do good, looking beyond the products themselves to the systems that shape how they are made and used, and finding ways to make those systems work better for both people and the planet.
