Cardiff University Student Awarded Scholarship at World Leading Gas Turbine Institute

Cardiff University PhD student, Jon Runyon, has been awarded a scholarship place from the prestigious ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI). There were only twenty scholarships awarded globally and Jon secured one of only two granted to UK based students.

Jon will receive a financial award to support him in his research studies from IGTI which has a long and proud history of providing scholarships to students who show promise for their future profession in the turbomachinery field. The aim is to attract young talent to the profession and reward their commitment, favouring their upcoming enrolment and active participation.

Jon explained how it was an “honour and a privilege to receive this scholarship and recognition from ASME IGTI” he also went on to explain the positive impact his supervisors had. “My supervisors, Dr. Richard Marsh and Professor Phil Bowen have encouraged and supported my interaction with ASME IGTI throughout my PhD, including attendance at their annual Turbo Expo conference in 2014 in Dusseldorf and 2015 in Montreal which was an incredible experience and learning opportunity. While I appreciate the personal impact this award has, I hope that it also reflects the quality of research we’re conducting at the GTRC with support from the School of Engineering as well as the Flex-E-Plant EPSRC project.”

The other awardees for the scholarship were from highly acclaimed institutions who specialise in the gas turbine field including Tsinghua, Georgia Tech, IIT Madras, and Penn State thus further reinforcing this fantastic achievement for Jon.

GTRC Director Phil Bowen described how ‘Jon is a researcher of outstanding calibre and potential, who has made a marked impression on our academic and industrial collaborators alike. He relocated from Southern California to come and work with us at GTRC – despite the difference in weather! This is indicative of his attitude and initiative and he is well worthy of this notable accolade.