Advanced Engineering building officially opens 

The University of Brighton’s new £14 million Advanced Engineering building has officially opened at an event which celebrates the role of women in engineering.

The Advanced Engineering Building is a state-of-the-art facility which supports both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research. It houses the Advanced Engineering Centre which has an international reputation for producing innovative, future-facing research into complex engine combustion processes and laser-based measurement techniques, fundamental modelling and computational simulation

More recently the centre has also focused on the development of a novel hybrid heat pipe system that could revolutionise the way that heat transfer is managed in everything from satellites to electric cars and which is scheduled to be tested on board the International Space Station



The building was developed with financial support from Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and the Higher Education Funding Council and in partnership with Shoreham-based Ricardo UK, the Shoreham-based global engineering, strategic and environmental consultancy and specialist manufacturer.

The Wolfson Foundation have also supported the building with a £500k grant for equipment.

University of Brighton Vice-Chancellor, Professor Debra Humphris said: “The Advanced Engineering Building is opening in our 25th year as a university. It is a great addition to our facilities and an inspiring environment for the next generation of engineering students and researchers. The University is extremely grateful to all of those bodies whose generous support has made all of this possible.”

The building will be officially opened by Benita Mehra, President of the Women’s Engineering Society who also delivering a distinguished lecture Women in Engineering from the early twentieth century until the present day, who said: “Investment in such a fantastic building only aides the development of individuals and the UK as being an innovator for the future”.

Jonathan Sharrock, Chief Executive of Coast to Capital said: “We are thrilled to be supporting the Advanced Engineering Building which is an outstanding example of a project that will greatly benefit the future success of the region by giving students in Brighton and the surrounding areas the technical training they need to join an advanced workforce.”

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “Awards from the Wolfson Foundation are made following a rigorous review process and are a mark of excellence. This is certainly the case with the University of Brighton’s Advanced Engineering Centre which will support research of the highest quality. We are delighted to be funding Brighton, and were particularly impressed by the fruitful partnership between the university and industry.

“Urban pollution and the wider effect of high carbon emissions remain some of the greatest societal challenges. Success in creating the next generation of more efficient, low carbon internal combustion engines will benefit us all.”