Tegwen Malik

What Faculty do you work in?
Humanities and Social Sciences

What is your main area of research?
There are currently several areas of research I am focusing on. One is around innovative water management that draws upon nature to harness its evolutionary wisdom to develop and inform airborne moisture harvesters. This area of biomimicry could help with climate change strategies to harness and deploy bioinspired products in the field in arid and semi-arid regions. Furthermore, I conduct research with artificial intelligence and its varied application and adoption within different sectors.

Why is your research important?
This area of biomimicry research could help with climate change strategies to harness and deploy bioinspired products in the field in arid and semi-arid regions.

What SDG is your research most closely aligned with?
SDG13 is the most aligned with my research as it focuses on climate change action to reduce the negative impacts around water management

What do you hope to accomplish with your research?
The findings of my research could assist in maximizing the efficiency of passive water collection surfaces when it comes to dew, fog and rainwater. This would then feed into the potential of enhancing active water harvesters (for example where the surface is artificially cooled).

Is there a cross-disciplinary element to your research?  If so, who else at the University is involved?
Yes, this involves water management strategies that make use of fabricated surfaces that replicate the surface structures found on the species of cacti known as Copiapoa cinerea (that dwells in arid and semi-arid regions). These surfaces are then tested in the field and in the laboratory under controlled environmental conditions. Thus a cross-disciplinary element has been taken to this work with colleagues from management, medicine and engineering (both at the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating and at the Centre for Nanohealth).

Are there any external collaborators involved?
Yes, there have been a number of external collaborators on this project over the years – namely at a private company called Lifescaped, Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Ecole Superieure De Physique et De Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI).

What is next for your research?
I am currently looking into the microstructures on the surface of cacti to assess if they enhance the directional collection of airborne moisture.

Dr Tegwen Malik