Wed, 08 October, 2025
Bernadette Craster is TWI’s Technology Fellow for Polymeric Materials and Ageing through Permeation Processes.
Graduating from Trinity College, Dublin with a degree in Applied Physics and Chemistry in 1988, Bernadette was then seconded from Schlumberger Cambridge Research (SCR) to the University of Bristol to complete an MSc in Surface Chemistry and Colloids in 1992. She achieved her PhD in 1997 while working as a Research Scientist at SCR with Professor Chris Breen of the Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University as academic supervisor. Bernadette’s thesis topic was, ‘Studies of the modification of ion and water movement through clays and shales,’ and was concerned with methods to study diffusion processes through the alteration of pressure, temperature and the addition of polymers. Bernadette continued studying diffusion and permeation and ageing processes in inorganic and organic polymeric materials and composites as a research scientist based at SCR and during six years of placement in France and Canada.
Bernadette joined TWI in 2012 as a polymer materials specialist, spearheading the development of a unique experimental facility at TWI to support the understanding of the transport of environments developed in the presence of polymeric materials.
In 2018, Bernadette was promoted to the position of Technology Fellow of Polymeric Materials and Ageing through Permeation Processes and continues to work with an international client base on single client and joint industry projects, as well as mentoring junior colleagues.
A respected leading expert in her field, Bernadette has also been a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining since 2018.
Like all of our Technology Fellows, Bernadette was selected for the position by the TWI Executive Team in recognition of her knowledge and experience. She has made a significant impact through her technical excellence, expertise and knowledge transfer as well as showing a commitment to developing and coaching colleagues, passing her knowledge on to the next generation of TWI experts.
You can find out more about Bernadette’s work on her dedicated webpage, here:
https://www.twi-global.com/who-we-are/technology-fellows/bernadette-craster