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.

School

Research Groups

Themes

Research Areas

News

Events

Esteem

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
  • Judge, Structural Timber Awards 2019
  • CSIC Innovation Champion
  • Leader, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 TG1 (Task Group for grading and strength properties)
  • Judge, Structural Timber Awards 2018
  • 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, UK Timber Grading Committee
  • Member, CEN TC124 (Timber Structures) WG 2 (Solid Timber)
  • 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, British Standards Committee B/518

 

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 London Metropolitan University
  • External validator for Technological University Dublin

 

Fellowships and Awards

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

 

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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193 results

A decade review on hardwood composites and their research developments

Journal Article
Blanchet, P., Cabral, M. R., Silva, J. V. F., García-Jaca, J., Ridley-Ellis, D., McGetrick, P. J., Nocetti, M., & Pommier, R. (2025)
A decade review on hardwood composites and their research developments. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, 83, Article 65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-025-02216-0
Composite materials, such as engineered wood products (EWPs), are favored for their stability, durability, and uniform mechanical properties, making them a potential way to va...

Timber properties of species with potential for wider planting in Great Britain

Report
Price, A., Ridley-Ellis, D., Adams, S., Lehneke, S., Ash, A., & Macdonald, E. (2024)
Timber properties of species with potential for wider planting in Great Britain. Forest Research
Diversifying the range of tree species planted in Great Britain is an important goal in adapting to climate change and increasing the resilience of British forests. The wood p...

Local resources inform design mid-point results from the Building from England's Woodlands project

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Tamagnone, G., Charleson, F., Cramer, M., Seminara, P., Plowas, W., Ridley-Ellis, D., & Hairstans, R. (2024, August)
Local resources inform design mid-point results from the Building from England's Woodlands project. Presented at International SEEDS Conference 2024, Leeds Beckett University, UK
Considering the energy consumption and carbon equivalent emission of the construction industry, a massive shift towards more sustainable and less carbon intensive materials an...

The Presidents of the Institute of Wood Science

Journal Article
True, A., Ridley-Ellis, D., Spear, M., & Ansell, M. P. (2024)
The Presidents of the Institute of Wood Science. International Wood Products Journal, 15(2-4), 139-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/20426445241246844
The Institute of Wood Science (IWSc) represented the interests and knowledge of wood scientists and wood technologists in the UK and beyond between 1955 and 2009 when it merge...

BM TRADA Webinar Part 2: Machine Strength Grading

Presentation / Conference
Ridley-Ellis, D. (2024, April)
BM TRADA Webinar Part 2: Machine Strength Grading. Presented at BM TRADA Technical Timber Webinars 2024, Online
Strength grading of solid timber – overcoming some common misconceptions. Slides covering machine strength grading, stamps, and EN1912 revision

Wood properties and uses of larch in Great Britain

Report
McLean, P., Ridley-Ellis, D., Price, A., & Macdonald, E. (2024)
Wood properties and uses of larch in Great Britain. Surrey: Forest Research
This report collates and synthesises research into the production and use of larch timber in Great Britain, drawing on information from a range of published and unpublished st...

Models to predict the radial variation of stiffness, strength, and density in planted noble fir, Norway spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar in Great Britain

Journal Article
Gil-Moreno, D., MClean, J. P., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2023)
Models to predict the radial variation of stiffness, strength, and density in planted noble fir, Norway spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar in Great Britain. Annals of Forest Science, 80, Article 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-023-01214-7
Key message: This study compares the measured radial variation in wood stiffness, strength, and density of noble fir, Norway spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar by ...

A horizon scan of issues affecting UK forest management within 50 years

Journal Article
Tew, E. R., Ambrose-Oji, B., Beatty, M., Büntgen, U., Butterworth, H., Clover, G., …Sutherland, W. J. (in press)
A horizon scan of issues affecting UK forest management within 50 years. Forestry, https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpad047
Forests are in the spotlight: they are expected to play a pivotal role in our response to society’s greatest challenges, such as the climate and biodiversity crises. Yet, the ...

Strength grading options for unusual resources

Presentation / Conference
Cramer, M., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2023, October)
Strength grading options for unusual resources. Paper presented at WSE: 19th Annual Meeting of the Northern European Network for Wood Science and Engineering, Oslo, Norway

Transforming Timber

Digital Artefact
Hairstans, R., Plowas, W., Livingstone, A., Connell-Skinner, K., Cramer, M., Ridley-Ellis, D., & Seminara, P. Transforming Timber. [Website content]

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Hairstans, R., Plowas, W., Livingstone, A., Connell-Skinner, K., Cramer, M., Ridley-Ellis, D., & Seminara, P. Transforming Timber. [Website content]
The construction materials used since the industrial revolution now dominate the sector. This is one of the leading causes of our current climate crisis. We need alternative s...

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