Dr Robert Crapnell

Biography

Dr Robert D Crapnell CSci MRSC is a research technical professional (RTP) whose work focuses on the development, fabrication, and characterisation of advanced materials and devices, primarily for additive manufacturing electrochemistry. His technical expertise supports a broad range of interdisciplinary research spanning analytical chemistry, energy storage, materials science, sustainability, and wearable sensing technologies.
 
Robert undertook his MChem and PhD at the University of Hull, graduating in 2018. He moved to Manchester Metropolitan University in June 2018, where he has worked as a PDRA, technical specialist, and technical facility manager, before becoming RTP for electrochemistry and polymer science in November 2025.
 
Robert is widely recognised for his innovative approaches to electrode and material design, including the development of bespoke conductive and functional materials and the use of additive manufacturing. He works closely with academic staff, students, and external collaborators, providing technical guidance across all stages of the research lifecycle while ensuring best practice in safety, reliability, and experimental design. He is also strongly committed to mentoring and training early career researchers, undergraduate placement students, and interns.

Ultimately, good research culture matters because it supports not only high quality science, but also the people who make that science possible.

Robert Crapnell

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your work?

I work as a research technical professional (RTP) at Manchester Metropolitan University, where I manage and support specialist laboratory facilities. A key part of my role is helping researchers turn their ideas into practical experiments by guiding them through technical challenges, training them on equipment, and ensuring work is carried out safely and effectively. I collaborate closely with academic staff, students, and external partners, providing technical expertise throughout the full research lifecycle, from initial concept through to published results. By combining hands‑on technical support with research development, my role helps enable high quality, impactful science and ensures that research outcomes are both reliable and relevant to the wider world.
 
 My research and labs focus on developing new materials and methods that allow useful devices, such as sensors or functional components, to be made using additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing. By carefully designing the materials used in printing, particularly those that can conduct electricity or perform specific functions, it becomes possible to create components that are lighter, more efficient, and produce far less waste than traditional manufacturing methods. These advances have potential applications in areas such as healthcare monitoring, environmental sensing, and sustainable technologies, helping address real‑world challenges beyond the laboratory.

What future directions or opportunities do you see for your work? 

I am excited to continue developing new conductive and functional materials specifically tailored for additive manufacturing, with the aim of expanding the available materials palette across a wide range of additive manufacturing technologies. Additive manufacturing offers unprecedented design freedom and enables ultra-low waste production, opening up opportunities that simply are not possible with conventional fabrication routes. By advancing material formulations alongside manufacturing methods, there is significant scope to unlock new device architectures, improved performance, and enhanced functionality.

A key opportunity lies in bridging the gap between materials development and real-world application, creating robust, scalable materials that can be readily adopted by researchers and industry alike. The integration of functionality directly into printed components has the potential to accelerate innovation across sensing, energy, healthcare, and environmental monitoring.

Overall, I see enormous potential for additive manufacturing to drive sustainable and impactful technological advancements, and I am motivated to contribute by developing materials that maximise this potential and translate fundamental research into practical solutions.

What does good research culture mean to you, and why does it matter? 

Good research culture, to me, is rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and shared learning. The best research environments are those where people work together openly, recognising that everyone brings their own perspectives, skills, and ideas, and that these differences strengthen outcomes rather than limit them. While clear frameworks, such as robust health and safety practices, are essential, they should underpin, rather than restrict, creativity and individual contribution.

An inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome and supported allows individuals to flourish, develop confidence, and contribute meaningfully, while ensuring that success is never achieved at the expense of others. I strongly believe that hard work, dedication, and technical excellence should be recognised and rewarded, but not at the cost of wellbeing.

Respecting boundaries and maintaining a healthy work–life balance is critical to sustaining motivation, creativity, and long-term productivity. Ultimately, good research culture matters because it supports not only high quality science, but also the people who make that science possible.

How important would you say collaboration is for producing high quality science? How has collaboration influenced your work? 

Collaboration is more important than ever for producing high quality, impactful science. The days of meaningful research relying on a single technique or a single area of expertise are largely gone. In fields such as new materials development, it is unrealistic for one individual to master all the fabrication, characterisation, and application specific techniques required to fully understand and implement new technologies.

To produce research that is both rigorous and relevant, particularly when developing materials for specific manufacturing techniques, a broad range of expertise is essential. Collaboration allows complex challenges to be addressed holistically, from fundamental material design through to real world application.

Throughout my work, collaboration has been central to success. Bringing together experts from different disciplines consistently opens new possibilities, whether that is finding innovative solutions to technical problems, improving experimental design, or identifying new directions for research. Working closely with researchers across different specialisms has not only strengthened the quality of the science produced, but has also expanded my own technical knowledge and perspective.

Ultimately, collaboration is everything: it drives innovation, improves outcomes, and enables research that no individual or isolated group could achieve alone.

What is your favourite element and why? 

Without hesitation, my favourite element is carbon. It underpins so much of what we do, from polymer backbones to the conductive fillers and functional materials central to my work. Carbon truly is the bedrock of modern materials science.

What fascinates me most is the sheer diversity of forms carbon can take, and how dramatically its properties change depending on structure and source. From graphite and carbon black to carbon nanotubes, each morphology brings unique mechanical, electrical, and chemical characteristics. Comparing scanning electron micrographs of these different forms is always mesmerising, each one visually striking and scientifically rich, revealing how structure and function are inseparably linked.

This versatility gives carbon an unmatched role in enabling innovation, particularly in additive manufacturing and advanced functional materials. It can be structural or conductive, rigid or flexible, simple or exceptionally complex, often within the same system.

In many ways, carbon really is everything: fundamental, adaptable, and endlessly inspiring as both a scientist and a technologist.