TED Community » Julian Vincent
About Me
Julian Vincent MA (Cantab), PhD, DSc (Sheffield), FRES, MIM3, CEng, FIMechE is a biologist, Professor of Biomimetics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath and the Director of the Centre for Biomimetic and Natural Technologies. He has published nearly 300 papers, articles and books and has been invited to give conference lectures (mostly plenary) and research seminars around the World. His interests cover TRIZ (the Russian system for creative solution of problems) which he is developing as the main tool of biomimetics, aspects of mechanical design of plants and animals, complex fracture mechanics, texture of food, design of composite materials, use of natural materials in technology, advanced textiles, smart systems and structures. In 1990 he won the Prince of Wales Environmental Innovation Award. He is Associate Chief Editor of The Journal of Bionic Engineering (Elsevier) and on the Editorial Board of journals in Biomimetics, Smart Materials, Medical Biomechanics, Zoology and Food Texture. He has supervised 21 research students, all of whom were awarded the degree of PhD. He currently has 4 research students.
- Location:
- United Kingdom, bath
- Current organization:
- University of Bath
- Current role:
- Professor of Biomimetcs; Director, Centre for Biomimetic and Nat
- Gender:
- Male
- Areas of expertise:
- Biomimetics, Texture of Food, Mechanical properties of biological materials
- Associations:
- Institute of Materials, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Royal Entomological Society
- Universities:
- Cambridge, UK, Sheffield University, UK, Reading University
More About Me
I'm passionate about
The banjo and other fretted instruments. I publish a magazine (The Banjoists' Broadsheet), organise the BBC (Bath Banjo Club) and the Bath Banjo Festival. Available for concerts.
An idea worth spreading
The selective advantage of art. Art (all varieties) is a safe method of allowing people to rehearse alternative futures. The engagement is to guess what will happen next, which relies on pattern recognition (well known) but demands projection of the pattern into the future (commonly not appreciated). The person who 'knows' what will happen next is the most likely to survive. Therefore art, apparently totally useless in terms of evolutionary advantage and so strangely persistent, appears to have a central role in our survival mechanisms.
Talk to me about
Selective advantage of art; Interface between biomimetics and nanotechnology (basically biomimetic materials processing); techniques for invention and creativity.
People don't know that I'm good at
Playing the banjo (ragtime, novelty, Mozart, Beethoven, Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton . . . )
My TED Story
What Donald Rumsfeld DIDN'T say - "There are unknown knowns - there are things you don't know you know"
It's very easy to have creative ideas and solve problems creatively if you learn how to access such things. Briefly, you do it by removing context from everything you remember, and thinking in terms of functions and not objects. This can change the way you think in 5 minutes, and you become permanently empowered.
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