Dr Harry Wright
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Research Fellow, Polyurethane, growing media, polymers
Sustainable Foods Institute
+44 114 222 9456
Full contact details
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Dainton Building
13 Brook Hill
Sheffield
S3 7HF
- Profile
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I am a Research Fellow and Co-Investigator at the University of Sheffield (2024–Present), following my previous role as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the same institution. My academic background includes BEng and MEng degrees in Chemical Engineering and a PhD completed as a Grantham Scholar, all awarded by the University of Sheffield. My primary research interests include biobased polymers, horticulture, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA). As co-lead of the CEA cluster at the Institute for Sustainable Food, I coordinate interdisciplinary research into future farming systems. My current work centers on the BBSRC-funded "WHyGrow-in-Me" project, where I develop biobased adhesives to bind waste materials together into sustainable, hybrid growing media, with the goal of directly addressing the peat crisis in UK horticulture.
- Research interests
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Biobased & Biodegradable Polymers, Polyurethane Chemistry & Formulation, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), Hydroponics & Soilless Growing Media, Peat Alternatives & Circular Horticulture, Design of Experiments (DoE) & Machine Learning for Polymers, Open-Source Scientific Hardware & Plant Phenotyping Software
Summary of Research Project(s)
WHyGrow-in-Me (BBSRC): As Co-Investigator on this £1.66M grant, I am leading the development of waste-based hybrid growing media for Protected and Controlled Environment (PACE) horticulture by utilizing bio-based polyurethane binders and biowaste fillers.
Disease Suppressive Microbes (BBSRC Bacterial Plant Diseases Programme): Working as a Research Associate, I designed and optimized synthetic polyurethane foams for hydroponic systems. These substrates were engineered to limit the growth of bacterial plant pathogens while integrating beneficial microbes to enhance crop resilience.
Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People (H3 Consortium): I contributed to the Hybrid Hydroponic Horticulture work package within this UKRI-funded project, researching how novel foam-based growing media and synthetic microbiomes can be combined to transform the sustainability and production capacity of UK agriculture.
Recycled Polyurethane for Green Infrastructure (Innovate UK KTP): Serving as Deputy Knowledge Base Supervisor on a £280K Knowledge Transfer Partnership with The Vita Group, I successfully translated academic polymer research into commercial prototypes, focusing on recycling polyurethane foam into functional substrates for green roofs and walls.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Minute rebond: a simple method for making lab-scale rebonded foam and its application as a novel soilless growing media. Polymers, 17(20). View this article in WRRO
- Polyurethane foam as a soilless growing media: demonstrating the importance of physical property optimisation. Frontiers in Horticulture, 4. View this article in WRRO
- Free and open-source software for object detection, size, and colour determination for use in plant phenotyping. Plant Methods, 19(1). View this article in WRRO
- Rational design of a polyurethane foam. Polymers, 14(23).
- FoamPi: An open-source Raspberry Pi based apparatus for monitoring polyurethane foam reactions. HardwareX, 12.
- How scientists and refugees brought green to the Desert Garden. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(9). View this article in WRRO
- Heat stabilising flexible PVC with layered double hydroxide derivatives. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 113, 46-54.
- Space controlled environment agriculture offers pathways to improve the sustainability of controlled environmental agriculture on Earth. Nature Food, 4(8), 648-653.
Conference proceedings
- Sustainable crop cultivation in space analogs: A BRIDGES methodology perspective through SpaCEA cabinets. 53rd International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES). Louiseville, KY, USA, 21 July 2024 - 21 July 2024. View this article in WRRO
- Design of low cost, open-source prototype plant growth chambers for evaluating crop suitability for space environments. Acta Horticulturae(1369) (pp 141-148). Angers, France, 14 August 2022 - 14 August 2022. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental design as a framework for optimising polyurethane foam as a soilless growing media. Acta Horticulturae, Vol. 1317 (pp 125-132). Ghent, Belgium, 22 August 2021 - 27 August 2021.
- Flexible polyurethane foam with sodium bentonite : improving the properties of foams for use as a synthetic growing media. Acta Horticulturae(1305) (pp 47-54). Milan, Italy, 24 June 2019 - 24 June 2019.
Datasets
- PU Rational Design Data.
- Free and open-source plant phenotyping.
- Polyurethane as a model growing media data.
Other
Preprints
- Polyurethane Foam as a model platform for evaluating properties of soilless growing media, Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
- Minute Rebond: A simple method for making lab scale rebonded foam and its application as a novel soilless growing media, American Chemical Society (ACS).
- Minute Rebond: A simple method for making lab scale rebonded foam and its application as a novel soilless growing media, American Chemical Society (ACS).
- Free and open-source software for object detection, size, and colour determination for use in plant phenotyping, Research Square Platform LLC.
- Minute rebond: a simple method for making lab-scale rebonded foam and its application as a novel soilless growing media. Polymers, 17(20). View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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RyMyk
- Grants
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• University of Sheffield, Festival of the Mind, April 2024, PI, Sci-Art collaboration with artist Anthony Bennett “Tar-Dish” (£5000).
• BBSRC (BB/Z514433/1), 2024, Research Co-I on the project “WHyGro-in-Me: Waste-based Hybrid Growing Media for PACE Horticulture using bio-based polyurethane binders and biowaste filler” (£1.66M).
• University of Sheffield, February 2024, WUN travel grant for collaboration with UCT (£2000).
• Innovate Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Innovate – 10028726) 2022, Deputy Knowledge Base Supervisor, KTP project with The Vita Group on recycling polyurethane foam into growing media for green roofs and walls (£280K).
• University of Sheffield – Institute for Sustainable Food, April 2021, PI, Pump Priming Grant “SpaCEA cabinets for crop growth” (£4000).
• BBSRC (BB/T010789/1) 2020, named research associate on the project “Harnessing and integrating disease suppressive microbes and synthetic soils for sustainable, low input horticulture” (£1.57M).
• RHS Coke Trust Bursary Fund, July 2019, bursary for the attendance of the International Symposium on Growing Media, Composting and Substrate Analysis (£542).
• University of Sheffield, Festival of the Mind, April 2018, Co-I, Sci-Art collaboration with artist Anthony Bennett “Refugerminate” (£5000).
• Fully funded PhD studentship with the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures (2016-2020) at the University of Sheffield.
• NRF Masters Extension Scholarship 2015, received for extension of MEng (Chemical) research to the value of ZAR 18000 (± £ 950). Grant No: 97726
• NRF S&F – Innovation Masters Scholarships 2014, competitive scholarship received for MEng (Chemical) research to the value of ZAR 70000 (± £ 3700). Grant No: 89014Prizes and awards
- The University of Sheffield Faculty of Science Post Doc Prize 2025 (£500)
- The University of Sheffield Open Research Prize 2023 – Individual Staff Winner (£500)
- SCI Agrifood Early Careers Twitter competition 2021 – Runner Up (£5