Prof Michael Shaver

As Director of the Sustainable Materials innovation Hub, Mike has oversight of the organisation’s leadership and strategy, and provides a wealth of materials science knowledge to help identify truly sustainable solutions for plastics.

Michael is passionate about giving accurate, trustworthy advice to those seeking to make sustainable change and has been an impartial advisor to both local and national government on research and innovation strategy for plastics.

His background is in Polymer Chemistry, having graduated from Mt. Allison University in Canada and going on to pursue a PhD from the University of British Columbia. In 2018, Michael moved to Manchester, having previously relocated to Edinburgh from Canada. He took up a role as Professor of Polymer Chemistry at The University of Manchester and became The Henry Royce Institute’s sustainable materials champion. This new position is a departure from the chemical traditions of his training, but recognises the increasingly important real-world applications of this science.

Mike’s initial career aspirations were to become an artist and this creative expression can be seen within his research when developing novel polymers for real-world applications.