Professor Jill Stewart, PhD

In her current role, Jill has overarching responsibility for the strategic and academic leadership within the Institute of Engineering, Computing and Advanced Manufacturing (IoECAM) at the University of Cumbria. The Institute, which is based in Barrow-in-Furness was founded in 2023 in partnership with BAES. Our shared mission is to establish Barrow as a University town and the UK Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing. Our campus will deliver education, training, and research programmes, to raise higher level skills to match employer needs, and done with an emphasis on access and opportunity.   

MEng Mechanical Engineering

PhD Mechanical Engineering

FHEA

CEng

FIMechE

Jill’s research interests centre around systems modelling and optimisation. Most recently, she has been involved in several fully funded research project to develop algorithms and hardware that improve the health outcomes of patients receiving kidney dialysis. These projects continue at the University of Cumbria in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Royal Derby Hospital.

 More broadly, Jill’s research interests are related to systems modelling, model reduction and meta modelling; in particular the implementation of heuristics for multi-objective optimisation using standard analytical modelling codes (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis) as the evaluation phase.  This approach has found diverse applications such as optimising fuel-air mixing process in gas-turbine and dual-fuel reciprocating engines, the reduction of vibrations in complex drivetrains and the optimisation of propulsion systems for novel aircraft. These techniques have also been used as part of an international investigation to probe the consequences of climate change within semi-arid ecosystems.

Jill has attracted over £1.8M in research funding and is the author of more than 70 publications and has delivered numerous invited lectures.  She has won prestigious awards including the Charles Sharpe Beecher Prize for aerospace research and the THE award for Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiatives.

PhD, MPhil, MRes and EngDoc in mechanical engieering, systems engineering, modelling, engineering applications of AI, and digital twins

Selected Recent Publications

• P. Stewart, J. Stewart, T Walker, V R L Gullapudi, N M Selby, M W Taal, SP541 “Measuring pressure waves in dialysis lines to derive continuous arterial blood pressure: pilot work in an in vitro and in silico model” Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, vol 34, Issue Supplement_1, June 2019, gfz103.SP541, https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfz103.SP541
• P Stewart, J Stewart, T Walker, V R L Gullapudi, M W Taal, N M Selby, “Development of an in vitro simulation model to investigate haemodynamic responses during haemodialysis” Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, vol 34, Issue Supplement_1, June 2019, gfz106.FP630, https://doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfz106.FP630
• J. Stewart, P. Stewart, T.Walker, T. Eldehini, D. V. Horner, B. Lucas, K. White, A. Muggleton, N. M. Selby, M. W. Taal “A Feasibility Study of Non-Invasive Continuous Estimation of Brachial Pressure Derived from Arterial and Venous Lines During Dialysis” EEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine, vol. 9, pp. 1-9, 2021, Art no. 2700209, https://doi: 10.1109/JTEHM.2020.303598 (2020)
• Stewart, Jill; Stewart, Paul; Walker, Thomas; Gullapudi, Latha; Eldehni, Tarek; Selby, Nicholas; et al. (2020): An Application of The Lomb-Scargle Periodogram To Investigate Heart Rate Variability During Haemodialysis. Journal of Healthcare Engineering. Dec 8;2020:8862074. doi: 10.1155/2020/8862074 PMID: 33376586; PMCID: PMC7738214.
• Jill Stewart, Paul Stewart, Tom Walker, Daniela Viramontes-Hörner, Bethany Lucas, Kelly White, Maarten W. Taal, Nicholas M. Selby, Mel Morris (2021), ‘An iterative run-to-run learning model to derive continuous brachial pressure estimates from arterial and venous lines during dialysis treatment’, Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, Volume 65, 2021, 102346, ISSN 1746-8094, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2020.102346.-
• Paul Stewart and Jill Stewart, ‘Noninvasive continuous intradialytic blood pressure monitoring: the key to improving haemodynamic stability’ Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. 30(6):559-562, November 2021, doi: 10.1097/MNH.0000000000000738
• Venkata R Latha Gullapudi, Kelly White, Jill Stewart, Paul Stewart, Mohamed T. Eldehni, Maarten W Taal, Nicholas M Selby (2022), ‘An analysis of frequency of continuous blood pressure variation and haemodynamic responses during haemodialysis’, Journal of Blood Purification 2022;51(5):435-449. doi: 10.1159/000516935. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Visiting Professor at Canterbury Christ Church University

Director, National College for Nuclear

Governor, Lakes College