Dan Ridley-Ellis
Dan Ridley Ellis

Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis BEng MRes PhD FIMMM

Associate Professor

 0131 455 2449

  D.Ridley-Ellis@napier.ac.uk

   

Biography

Dan Ridley-Ellis is head of the Centre Wood Science and Technology at Edinburgh Napier University. He is one of the UK’s technical experts on guessing the strength of wood and can talk for hours on the topic – which he frequently does if nobody stops him.

His main area of research is understanding the properties of wood, and how they are influenced by tree growth, forest management, and climate. He represents the UK at European Standards Committees for grading of construction timber, and the majority of structural sawn timber produced in the UK is now graded with settings he developed. He was named “woodland hero” for 2016 by Grown in Britain, and is also active in online learning, public engagement and science communication. He was the lead organiser of Bright Club Edinburgh from 2011 to 2023.

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Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Expert witness (materials)
  • Timber in Construction Working Group (DEFRA etc)
  • Invited speaker at All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Forestry and Tree Planting
  • CSIC Innovation Champion
  • Judge, Structural Timber Awards 2019
  • Judge, Structural Timber Awards 2018
  • Leader, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 TG1 (Task Group for grading and strength properties)
  • Member - Scottish Forestry and Timber Technologies Skills Group
  • Advisory Board Member of TRADA
  • Secretary, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 TG1 (Task Group for grading and strength properties)
  • Member, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 TG1 (Task Group for grading and strength properties)
  • Member, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 (Solid Timber)
  • Member, British Standards Committee B/518
  • Member of the Board of the Wood Technology Society (IOM3)
  • Member, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 1 (Test methods)
  • Northern UK representative for the Northern European Network for Wood Science & Engineering
  • Member, UK Timber Grading Committee

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Local organising committee member for 2DCOS-11
  • COST Actions

 

Editorial Activity

  • Editorial board member of the European Journal of Wood and Wood Products
  • Editorial board member of the International Wood Products Journal

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External validator for Technological University Dublin
  • External validator for London Metropolitan University

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Scottish Forestry, Sir George Campbell Memorial Trophy
  • Edinburgh Beltane Public Engagement Fellow
  • FIMMM
  • Grown in Britain Woodland Hero
  • Queens Anniversary Prize 2015

 

Invited Speaker

  • Scottish Association for Metals
  • Invited speaker at ICF Innovation for Change Webinar
  • Guest lecturing at Hooke Park
  • Guest lecturing at Ecole Supérieure du Bois (France)
  • Royal Forestry Society's Lawrence Pilling Memorial Lecture

 

Media Activity

  • Quoted in Chemistry World news article
  • Interviewed on 2ser radio (Sydney, Australia) about Ethiopian tree planting
  • Quoted in news articles worldwide about Ethiopian tree planting
  • Guest on rialtalk podcast
  • Quoted in Chemistry World news article
  • Contributor on BBC World Service programme “The Forum” broadcast on 19 January 2015.
  • have discussed Bright Club live on BBC Radio Scotland’s Comedy Café (29 July 2011) and in pre-recorded interview on BBC Radio Scotland's "Good Morning Scotland" (14 November 2012). Performed live on BBC Radio Scotland's MacAulay and Co (25 May 2012).
  • BBC Bang Goes The Theory “Ask Yan” expert 2009/10

 

Public/Community Engagement

  • Invited speaker at Lantra VirtRural careers event
  • Engineering Showoff Performer
  • STEM ambassador
  • Main organiser/trainer of Bright Club Edinburgh and Bright Club Scotland (in which academics do stand-up comedy).

 

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Date


171 results

TG1 202005 14rev1: Derivation of MTG grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes)

Report
Gil-Moreno, D., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2020)
TG1 202005 14rev1: Derivation of MTG grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes). NUI Galway and Edinburgh Napier University

TG1 / 202005 / 07rev1: Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes)

Report
Gil-Moreno, D., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2020)
TG1 / 202005 / 07rev1: Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes). NUI Galway and Edinburgh Napier University

TG1 201810 16 Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens

Report
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201810 16 Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte

)
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201810 16 Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte
In this report, settings for ‘British Spruce’ (WPCS: Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis] and Norway spruce [Picea abies]) are derived for the United Kingdom (GB) and Ireland (IE) ...

TG1 201807 01rev Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens

Report
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201807 01rev Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte

)
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201807 01rev Derivation of Goldeneye 702 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte
In this report, settings for ‘British Spruce’ (WPCS: Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis] and Norway spruce [Picea abies]) are derived for the United Kingdom (GB) and Ireland (IE) ...

TG1 201804 15rev1 Derivation of Viscan Plus machine settings for Douglas fir (IE & GB, C classes)

Report
Ridley-Ellis, D., & Gil-Moreno, D. TG1 201804 15rev1 Derivation of Viscan Plus machine settings for Douglas fir (IE & GB, C classes)
NUI Galway
In this report, settings for Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), PSMN, are derived for the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom for the following strengt...

TG1 202005 08rev1: Derivation of Goldeneye 706 grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes)

Report
Gil-Moreno, D., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2020)
TG1 202005 08rev1: Derivation of Goldeneye 706 grading machine settings for Larch (IE & GB, C classes). NUI Galway and Edinburgh Napier University

TG1 201807 02rev Derivation of MTG 960 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens

Report
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201807 02rev Derivation of MTG 960 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte

)
Ridley-Ellis, D. TG1 201807 02rev Derivation of MTG 960 grading machine settings for British Spruce tiling battens. Coillte
In this report, settings for ‘British Spruce’ (WPCS: Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis] and Norway spruce [Picea abies]) are derived for the United Kingdom (GB) and Ireland (IE) ...

3D lattice model for post-yield and fracture behaviour of timber.

Journal Article
Reichert, T. & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2008)
3D lattice model for post-yield and fracture behaviour of timber. Timber Engineering
The paper describes the development of a bespoke Finite Element program to model timber with a three dimensional lattice of single spring elements. These springs mimic meso-sc...

Promoting the science and engineering of timber to children.

Journal Article
Ridley-Ellis, D. (2008)
Promoting the science and engineering of timber to children. Timber Engineering
The UK’s young people are generally very poorly informed about the opportunities that exist for them in wood science and timber engineering, and commonly perceive the sector t...

Comparison of acoustic NDT for assessment of small stiffness changes during low temperature thermal treatment.

Conference Proceeding
Ridley-Ellis, D., Keating, B. A. & Popescu, C. (2013)
Comparison of acoustic NDT for assessment of small stiffness changes during low temperature thermal treatment. In Popescu, C. & Popescu, M. (Eds.). FP0904 conference ‘Evaluation, processing and prediction of THM treated wood behaviour by experimental and numerical methods’ISBN 978-973-702-990-4

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