Meet the brilliant minds in the fellowship

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Meet the brilliant minds in the fellowship

Geographically disparate, fellows work across all Rolls-Royce sites and disciplines and have spent years honing their knowledge in specialist areas. Here we meet the brilliant minds who are shaping the future at Rolls-Royce.

The word fellowship conjures up images of Lord of the Rings or, as the dictionary defines it, traditions that bind us together. Neither are motifs our fellowship is keen to promote. “We’re definitely not old school mavens sat behind desks keeping all our knowledge to ourselves,” says Michael Martin, Associate Fellow in Structural Integrity. “We’re specialists with a drive to make sure we’re investing and developing the right technology so our business can have a viable future.”

With more than two millennia of experience between them, our fellowship is a support network of highly specialist engineers. “There is a strong technical aspect. We use that strength and apply it across all parts of our business by networking,” says Michael. “I’m based in the Nuclear division but spent all last year working on the Trent 1000 engine,” says Michael. “We want to do more of that. We bring an independent informed perspective and a level of technical scrutiny.”

"I became immersed in my specialism"

Ann Bolcavage, Associate Fellow in Indianapolis, shares the path that led her to the fellowship.

“After getting my PhD in Metallurgical Engineering, I spent a brief postdoctoral assignment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. I then spent 10 years working for companies that manufacture alloys and coatings, where I became immersed in my coatings specialism.

“Often, I had to go and look the customer in the eye and understand how our products impacted their business. I learned a lot about the voice of the customer and how engineering decisions can be very consequential.

“Starting in Materials Engineering at Rolls-Royce was interesting. There’s nothing like having a 50lb gear dropped on your desk with the question, ‘why has the coating fallen off?’.

“I’ve worked on secondment in Derby, UK which gave me a wider insight into our large engines – there’s quite a size difference between engines in Indianapolis and Derby. It gave me the chance to expand my network and global presence. As you progress your career you understand it’s not just about depth, it’s about breadth.

“I became an Associate Fellow in 2014 where I learned how important it is to share your specialism across the entire business. I currently lead development of next generation coatings for our Ceramic Matrix Composite Programme, so these critical materials can function as designed for our engines.

“I’d love to see the fellowship become even more involved throughout the technology spectrum. Regardless of where we’re based geographically, we have a broader view of technology. We’ve been exposed to different ideas, seeing many successes and failures along the way.

“We have a robust network inside and out of the company that we can point to and I get a lot of satisfaction from linking and supporting the right people.”

In her element

In her element

Donka Novovic, Associate Fellow, on how she gets a kick out of being part of the fellowship.

“The fellowship is a creative, inspirational and supportive environment. Working with highly committed world-class technical experts and specialists who I can learn from helps me thrive.

“I don’t just focus on fixing the issues of today. A huge part of my role as a fellow is proactively supporting and enhancing our competitive advantage in global manufacturing-machining. That includes leading the development of innovative emerging technologies across the advanced research network and with our industrial partners. In other words, a huge future focus.

“The fellowship is a powerful group of people with diverse skills and knowledge. We’re there to support the business: more than half of us have been involved in supporting the resolution of the Trent 1000 issues.

“We can have a massive impact in the early stages of product or systems design.  Our knowledge of the business, external risks, breadth of influence and technical strength help us make the right decisions. We’ve been actively involved in the UltraFan® power gearbox technical deep dives, for example.

“Part of our role is to lift the Rolls-Royce brand as world-class specialists and technical thought leaders externally, influencing and driving improvements in our areas of expertise. We represent the company on technical advisory boards, professional bodies and with businesses and academia. We drive innovation, write technical papers and standards, and protect our intellectual property.

“And we all actively mentor technical specialists who have the potential to become Fellows in the future. So we’re always looking to develop our talent.”

Pioneering the IntelligentEngine

The making of a vision. Our IntelligentEngine takes form.

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Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land.







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