Supervisor: Professor Kathy Christofidou

Fran graduated from the University of Galway, Ireland, where she obtained her BSc in Applied Physics and MSc in Key Enabling Technologies. She developed an interest in materials science during her undergraduate degree after studying modules such as solid-state physics and properties of materials. During her master's, she decided to pursue a career in research and development in materials science, which led her to the Advanced Metallics Systems CDT, where she is a PhD student in the 2020 cohort. 

During her PhD, Fran studied the effects of Ti and Ta additions on the microstructure, deformation, and oxidation behaviour of powder-processed polycrystalline Ni-based superalloys in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc. She has presented her work at several international conferences and collaborated with teams at the University of Cambridge and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology on synchrotron X-ray diffraction and atom probe tomography.

As a research associate with the IDEA group, Fran was developing metallic components for electric propulsion and electron beam additive manufacturing, fully funded by the UK Space Agency and in partnership with Mars Space Ltd., Wayland Additive, and the University of Southampton with a focus on optimising tungsten blank manufacturing for hollow cathodes. She also supervised MSc final year projects and continues collaborating with Rolls-Royce on alloy development.