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)
  • Northern UK representative for the Northern European Network for Wood Science & Engineering
  • 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)
  • 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
  • Grown in Britain Woodland Hero
  • Queens Anniversary Prize 2015
  • FIMMM
  • Edinburgh Beltane Public Engagement Fellow

 

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
  • Quoted in news articles worldwide about Ethiopian tree planting
  • Guest on rialtalk podcast
  • Quoted in Chemistry World news article
  • Interviewed on 2ser radio (Sydney, Australia) about Ethiopian tree planting
  • 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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169 results

The Educational Needs of the Timber Industries – Report of an Online Survey by the Centre for Timber Engineering.

Report
Ridley-Ellis, D. & Nolte, S. (2005)
The Educational Needs of the Timber Industries – Report of an Online Survey by the Centre for Timber Engineering
This survey was conducted by the Centre for Timber Engineering (CTE) in summer 2005 to investigate the educational needs and preferences of the timber industries. Both employe...

The performance of a new blind bolt for moment-resisting connections.

Conference Proceeding
Tizani, W., & Ridley-Ellis, D. (2003)
The performance of a new blind bolt for moment-resisting connections. In M. A. Jaurrieta, A. Alonso, & J. A. Chica (Eds.), Tubular Structures X: Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium, Madrid, Spain, 18-20 September 2003, 395-401
The paper introduces the principal findings of a testing programme carried out to assess the performance of a newly developed blind-bolt. The blind-bolt, an evolution of the L...

Design of RHS for torsion using simplified thick wall theory.

Journal Article
Ridley-Ellis, D., Owen, J. S. & Davies, G. (2003)
Design of RHS for torsion using simplified thick wall theory. The structural engineer : journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers. 81, 31-36. ISSN 1466-5123
The theory of torsion in Rectangular Hollow Sections (RHS) is reviewed and discussed with reference to design code treatments in the UK, Europe and the USA. The classical theo...

Torsional behaviour of rectangular hollow sections.

Journal Article
Ridley-Ellis, D., Owen, J. S. & Davies, G. (2003)
Torsional behaviour of rectangular hollow sections. Journal of Constructional Steel Research. 59, 641-663. doi:10.1016/S0143-974X(02)00060-3. ISSN 0143-974X
The results of a series of full-scale torsion tests on rectangular hollow sections (RHS) are presented and discussed. The observed torque–twist behaviour is compared to that p...

Theoretical and measured torsional behaviour of rectangular hollow sections.

Conference Proceeding
Ridley-Ellis, D., Owen, J. S. & Davies, G. (2002)
Theoretical and measured torsional behaviour of rectangular hollow sections. ISBN 1-880653-58-3
Theories for torsion of Rectangular Hollow Sections (RHS) are compared and thick wall theory is shown to be a better representation of behaviour. The results of torsion tests ...

Flexural behaviour of Rectangular Hollow Sections with circular side wall openings.

Conference Proceeding
Ridley-Ellis, D. J., Owen, J. S., & Davies, G. (2001)
Flexural behaviour of Rectangular Hollow Sections with circular side wall openings. In R. Puthli, & S. Herion (Eds.), Tubular Structures IX : Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium and Euroconference, Dusseldorf, Germany, 3-5 April 2001:, 339-348
The influence of circular web openings on the flexura behaviour of Rectangular Hollow Sections is introduced. The results of full-scale laboratory tests in three and four-poi...

Rectangular Hollow Sections with circular web openings.

Thesis
Ridley-Ellis, D. Rectangular Hollow Sections with circular web openings. (Thesis)
The University of Nottingham. Retrieved from http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/8229
The primary aim of the project was to develop the basis for a set of rules to be used in the design of RHS slim floor edge beams with web openings. However, since the researc...

Fundamental behaviour of rectangular hollow sections with web openings.

Conference Proceeding
Ridley-Ellis, D., Davies, G., & Owen, J. S. (1998)
Fundamental behaviour of rectangular hollow sections with web openings. In Y. S. Choo, & G. J. van der Vegte (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Tubular Structures (ISTS), 167-175

Rectangular Hollow Sections as Slim Floor edge beams

Conference Proceeding
Ridley-Ellis, D., Davies, G., & Owen, J. S. (1998)
Rectangular Hollow Sections as Slim Floor edge beams. In D. Dubina, I. Vayas, & V. Ungureanu (Eds.), New Technologies and Structures in Civil Engineering – case studies on remarkable constructions, 145-156
Presented at Trends and developments in building, TEMPUS JEP 11297, Iasi (Romania), May 1998

The design of a masonry arch motorway bridge validated by scale model tests.

Thesis
Ridley-Ellis, D. The design of a masonry arch motorway bridge validated by scale model tests. (Thesis)
The University of Nottingham. Retrieved from http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/8231
MRes dissertation

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