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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/L015552/1
Title: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Computational Methods for Materials Science
Principal Investigator: Elliott, Professor JA
Other Investigators:
Nikiforakis, Professor N
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
AstraZeneca AWE BP
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre Dassault Systemes Granta Design Ltd
Infochem Computer Services Ltd Janssen Pharmaceutica NV NSG Group (UK)
Orica Australia Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Schlumberger
Shell SKF Group (UK) Tata Steel
Unilever
Department: Materials Science & Metallurgy
Organisation: University of Cambridge
Scheme: Centre for Doctoral Training
Starts: 01 April 2014 Ends: 31 March 2023 Value (£): 4,544,989
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Condensed Matter Physics Materials Characterisation
Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Chemicals Construction
Electronics Environment
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
23 Oct 2013 EPSRC CDT 2013 Interviews Panel N Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Moore's Law states that the number of active components on an microchip doubles every 18 months. Variants of this Law can be applied to many measures of computer performance, such as memory and hard disk capacity, and to reductions in the cost of computations. Remarkably, Moore's Law has applied for over 50 years during which time computer speeds have increased by a factor of more than 1 billion!

This remarkable rise of computational power has affected all of our lives in profound ways, through the widespread usage of computers, the internet and portable electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, Moore's Law is not a fundamental law of nature, and sustaining this extraordinary rate of progress requires continuous hard work and investment in new technologies most of which relate to advances in our understanding and ability to control the properties of materials.

Computer software plays an important role in enhancing computational performance and in many cases it has been found that for every factor of 10 increase in computational performance achieved by faster hardware, improved software has further increased computational performance by a factor of 100. Furthermore, improved software is also essential for extending the range of physical properties and processes which can be studied computationally. Our EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Computational Methods for Materials Science aims to provide training in numerical methods and modern software development techniques so that the students in the CDT are capable of developing innovative new software which can be used, for instance, to help design new materials and understand the complex processes that occur in materials. The UK, and in particular Cambridge, has been a pioneer in both software and hardware since the earliest programmable computers, and through this strategic investment we aim to ensure that this lead is sustained well into the future.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website: http://www.cam.ac.uk