Phil Spiers is Head of Structural integrity at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing at Sheffield University. After gaining a mechanical engineering degree at the Hatfield Polytechnic, Phil has spent the past 27 years working in product validation and manufacture in the aerospace industry for Rolls Royce, Martin Baker and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty. Since joining the AMRC 5 years ago he has developed the Laboratory capability to a certified structural test facility – the only such university facility to have UKAS accreditation for in house developed methods. Phil is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is Chairman of the Sheffield Branch of the Society and a member of the RAeS Structures and Materials group.