Darren Watts

Dr Darren Watts is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Teaching Fellow in CAD & CAE at the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University. He serves as Director of Professional Training and IMechE Academic Liaison Officer. His expertise spans Additive Manufacturing, CAD/CAE software development, and design optimization.

Education: BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering and MSc(Eng) Product Design & Management from the University of Liverpool, followed by a PhD in Topology Optimization for Rapid Manufacturing at Loughborough University.

Research interests include Bespoke CAE software, Genetic Algorithms, Virtual Assembly Methods, and Medical Applications of Additive Manufacturing. He has led projects such as the EPSRC-funded 'Topologically Optimised Street Furniture for Concrete Printing' and 'Exploitation of Sinus Surgery Simulation Phantoms'.

Awards include the Loughborough University Enterprise Award for Cultural Impact (2013) and a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Secondement Award (2013-2014). He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Key roles: Co-Investigator on multiple EPSRC grants, Principal Investigator for surgical simulation projects, and industrial collaboration through Majenta PLM Ltd secondment.

Labs/Teams: Core academic member of the Additive Manufacturing Research Group (AMRG), contributing to customized assembly and medical device prototyping advancements.