Material guy tackling a tough task

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK: Dr Paul Butler, senior research and development consultant, UL

I cycle into work when the weather's good, arriving at about 8.45 a.m. for a read of The Irish Times online. Then I check my voice- and e-mails, cursing the amount of junk I have to sift through. Whoever invents an effective way to screen junk mail will make a fortune. UL's research department might come up with something yet.

I get mail from all over the world. Materials Ireland in UL tests rugby gear for the International Rugby Board, so we're in contact with sportswear manufacturers worldwide. We make sure that the safety and padding regulations are met - we formulated these standards at Materials Ireland in 1998 and developed a Sports Testing Lab here in 2001. We're developing safety gear for hurling and racing, as well as for women's rugby, the fastest growing sport in the world.

I'm a huge rugby fan and used to play for Dolphin in Cork until I cracked my sternum and two ribs. I guess my gear could have done with a little testing - the tailor patched.

I work at the interface between business and the university so much of my time is spent overseeing research projects with students and academics in the lab. I lecture on tribology in UL and around the country. I have a PhD in tribology. I'd never heard of the word until a week into my PhD. It's the study of surface wear and erosion. I learned my craft working on satellites and Harrier jump jets in Britain.

My day is punctuated by trips to the C-Scan, where I carry out ultrasonic testing of composites. Each test takes two hours so my day is broken up babysitting the scanner.

There's a lot going on in Materials Ireland - we've got €1.6 million of work on our books and a staff of 14. We're always looking for funding for new projects.

I'm working on the development of smart materials. Smart materials can provide information about themselves through embedded optical fibres. Imagine a bridge that can count the amount of cars that go over it, or a plane that can change shape to stabilise itself in adverse conditions. That's the potential of smart materials.

I often catch up with colleagues and friends in the canteen and find out what's going on in the other research centres. After a quick visit to my C-Scan it's back to the office to talk business with a local company. We have a lot of local companies and people with ideas coming to us for advice.

In the late afternoon, I return to my biggest project of the moment, the development of a new material for wind-energy turbines. This is a €500,000 Government-funded project and has huge potential for the Irish wind-power industry. Wind turbine blades are enormous, up to 95 meters in length. Right now, they're impossible to dispose of when they wear out. We're working on developing a material strong enough to do the job, but one that can be reused.

At 5 p.m. I update the Materials Ireland website with all of the day's developments and head off to an UL alumni board meeting. We're developing a privilege card for graduates.

I go home to relax with a book. I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings - again - and Tom Crean, Antarctic Explorer. What an amazing life - Tom Crean's, that is.

In conversation with Louise Holden