Aled Roberts

Aled obtained a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool before undertaking a PhD in Materials Engineering with a two year placement in Singapore. He then undertook several postdoctoral research associate positions at the University of Manchester, where he specialised at the interface of Materials Engineering and Biotechnology. Whilst developing a bio-based adhesive made from synthetic spider silk, Aled serendipitously discovered that a common protein from blood also acted as an effective binder. He further explored this concept, eventually developing “AstroCrete” – a concrete-like biomaterial made from Lunar or Martian regolith combined with a protein obtained from human blood, which elegantly solved several problems associated with producing construction materials off-world. He later discovered and developed “STARcrete”, a similar biomaterial that uses starch as the binder rather than human blood – making the concept far more feasible and less creepy. STARcrete displayed ultimate compressive strengths in excess of 90 MPa, which is significantly higher than ordinary concrete (25-42 MPa).