Dr Peter Martin is a chemical engineer in the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford and Principal Investigator, engaging cogs. He has a First Class Honours degree in Engineering from Oxford, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. His research has contributed new knowledge in fields ranging from the flow of soft solids to the production of biosurfactants, contributing to solving industrial problems such as controlling the bubbles in bread and efficiently transporting coal in pipelines.

Aside from his academic research and teaching activities, Peter has a keen interest in public engagement in both educational and engineering affairs. He held a Royal Academy of Engineering grant to research health and safety in Ghanaian industry; he has worked as Researcher in Residence (1999-2000) at the Perse School, Cambridge, organised ‘Feminising Knowledge’ at Culture Wars: Dumbing Down, Wising Up? in 1999, and ‘What does sustainability mean for the developing world?’ at the Battle of Ideas in 2006.