EW BrightSparks 2022 profile: Arturas Matusevicius

Author: EIS Release Date: Aug 18, 2022

Now in its fifth year of awards, EW BrightSparks sees Electronics Weekly partner with RS Grass Roots to highlight the brightest and most talented young engineers in the UK today.

 

EW BrightSparks 2022 profile: Arturas Matusevicius

 

Here, in our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2022, we highlight Arturas Matusevicius, an MSc Electronic Power Engineering Student at the University of Northumbria Newcastle upon Tyne.

 

Achievement

Arturas has a strong aptitude for electronic engineering, having started at a young age spending much of his time working on disassembling consumer electronics. Furthermore, he has applied his electronics know-how in the field of sustainability and the environment, and he has also participated in STEM activities to help spread knowledge and information.

 

His nominator, a Professor at the University of Northumbria, described Arturas as one of “the most talented and motivated engineering students” they had known. Specifically, “showing a “high level of aptitude and diligence in the subject of electronic power engineering”.

 

We learned that Arturas has the ability to master engineering design and think creatively. He can also write very clearly about abstract engineering concepts for a wider audience.

 

Described as a top 5% student, consistently achieving strong firsts in the majority of his modules on his course, he has also displayed excellent research skills and a clear ability for independent thinking.

 

His specialism is in the future of battery technology and the potential for greater energy sustainability and his work has been published in a number of media outlets.

 

British Volt

Specifically, rechargeable lithium ion batteries have emerged as the dominant energy storage source for consumer electronics, automotive, and stationary storage applications. And, at his university, Arturas has carried out a comprehensive review of the current state of battery technology which has directly strengthened the growing collaborative R&D activity of research staff at Northumbria University and battery giant British Volt, who are planning to extend their manufacturing capabilities into the North East of England in the future.

 

For six months he worked at Titontec, in Newcastle Upon Tyne, as an electromechanical engineer. Here, he was responsible for the development of schematics for battery, black-body and wireless charging circuitry; for the simulation of heat transfer (CFD) and electrical circuit behaviour (SPICE); and also in house custom PCB fabrication and SMD soldering

 

Arturas also worked as a freelance mechanical designer: designing and manufacturing chemical safety equipment, Covid-19 PE and conforming structures for 3D scanned models.

 

While at university, we learned that Arturas became a distinctive circuit designer and built strong relationships with many of the Faculty of Engineering and Environment Professors at his university, often discussing design concepts and novel approaches to increasing the efficiency of energy storage devices.

 

This resulted in him being given an employment opportunity as a Senior technician in the Department of Mathematics Physics and Electrical Engineering labs at Northumbria, before the completion of his MSc at Northumbria, at the very young age of 22.

 

As an example of his work, there is an excellent public engagement piece in The Conversation, summarising his review of the future of battery technology.