Paihau—Robinson Research Institute

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Logan Morgan Ward

Logan Morgan Ward first spent a summer at Robinson during his Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) studies at the University of Canterbury.

Logan's time fulfilled the practical requirements of his degree. He returned for a second summer after he had completed his degree in 2010 and then worked in the team for a further six months.

“I was part of the high temperature superconductivity (HTS) team, investigating heat transfer in liquid nitrogen. This was part of the HTS transformer project, with a goal to work out the conditions required to cool the superconducting coils when they were under load.”

Logan says that although his project used some of the skills and techniques he had learned in his studies, they were applied in a completely different environment, at extremely low temperatures.

“I really enjoyed my time working in a professional research environment. There was a lot of autonomy, but there was always someone around with the expertise I needed. I also enjoyed the good mix of ages and the social contact outside work.”

Logan credits his time at Robinson as one of the motivating factors in a decision to continue studying to PhD level. “I saw that it was possible to have a rewarding and interesting career in industry with an advanced qualification, rather than be resigned to academia. I think the transition from basic science to a product in the marketplace is much more interesting.”

Now based in Denmark at Aalborg University, Logan’s PhD research is aimed at improving the performance of a medical decision support system for treating severe acute infections.