Supervisor: Dr Lewis Owen (Co-supervisor: Dr Helen Playford [ISIS Neutron and Muon Source], Professor Eric Palmiere)

Tom graduated with an MEng in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Sheffield in 2023. Working in conjunction with ISIS Neutron Muon Source, his work is now focused on the influence of Short-Range order on the mechanical properties of alloys and measuring effects using Total Scattering Techniques. Development of an in-situ tensile rig, on the beam at ISIS, is hoped to further our understanding of local structure and it’s influence on various metallurgical phenomena.

Supervisor: Dr Lewis Owen (Co-supervisor: Dr Phil Chater (Diamond Light Source; Professor Iain Todd)

Niels began his academic journey with a focus on chemistry at Maastricht University (Netherlands). Upon completion of his bachelor's degree, he joined the group in Sheffield as a CDT student in 2022. His research is focused on the high temperature total scattering analysis of metallic systems. 

Outside of work, Niels enjoys playing squash and golf as well as cooking big meals that take forever.

Supervisor: Dr Lewis Owen (Co-supervisor: Professor Eleni Vasilaki)

Joe graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2021 with an MSci in Natural Sciences, specialising in Materials Science. His PhD project focuses on creating interatomic potentials for systems with chemical short range order, in order to be able to design compositionally complex alloys more efficiently.

Joe's research interests include computational simulation of atomistic systems and physics-informed machine learning to accelerate scientific discovery. Outside of the lab (his laptop), he enjoys playing badminton, cycling and camping in the peak district.

Supervisor: Dr Lewis Owen (Co-supervisor: Dr Kathy Christofidou)

Matt graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2022, obtaining an MEng in Materials Science and Engineering. Matt developed an interest in advanced alloys during his undergraduate and is now working on a PhD titled “Exploration of local structural environment in radiation damage tolerant materials”. 

This PhD aims to explore material properties in high entropy alloys through the use of total scattering techniques to look at the local structure of these materials, which will provide significant impacts in the nuclear industry. 

Supervisor: Professor Derek Sinclair (Co-supervisor: Dr Julian Dean, Dr Lewis Owen)

Erin graduated from the university of Sheffield with an MEng in Materials Science and Engineering (Research) in 2023. She is now studying for her PhD which investigates the local structure of A-site deficient perovskites. This project aims to increase understanding of how local structure can affect the electrical properties of materials used in functional materials devices. 

Outside of the lab, Erin enjoys playing dodgeball, reading and doing embroidery.

Supervisor: Prof. Martin Sahlberg          (Co-supervisor: Prof Paul F. Henry)

Home institution : Uppsala University, Sweden

Veronica is a PhD student in Inorganic Chemistry at Uppsala University, with a background in materials chemistry and a strong interest in crystallography and functional materials. Her research explores how chemical and structural disorder in high-entropy alloys influences hydrogen absorption. During her visit, Veronica is modelling deuterium ordering in multimetallic systems and applying Reverse Monte Carlo methods to X-ray and neutron total scattering data to understand local structural changes and their implications for hydrogen-driven phase transitions.

Outside of work, Veronica enjoys running, hiking, and climbing, as well as experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.

Visited – Summer 2025

Supervisor: Professor Kathy Christofidou (Co-supervisor: Dr Lewis Owen)

Narcisa Pinzariu has been working within Integrated Manufacturing Group (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre) since October 2017 after graduating from the University of Sheffield with a Master's in Chemical and Biological Engineering. 

During her time at AMRC, she established a transmission Laue X-ray diffraction method to detect internally presenting grain defects in single-crystal aerospace components. Her PhD thesis focuses on expanding the Laue diffraction method already created to include a qualitative determination of spatially resolved stress concentrations.  

Supervisor: Professor Kathy Christofidou (Co-supervisor: Dr Matt Brown, Dr Lewis Owen)

Jonah began studying Metallurgy at the University of Sheffield in 2018, graduating with a Master’s degree before joining the group as a PhD student in 2022.

His research aims to develop non-destructive evaluation methods to characterise surface deformation of high-performance Ni-based superalloys following machining. Jonah is working in collaboration with Sandvik, Seco Tools and Rolls-Royce plc, with the expectation that greater insight into deformation will enable more reliable predications for component life. 

Supervisor: Professor Howard Stone (Co-supervisor: Dr Helen Playford, Dr Lewis Owen)

Having studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Greg achieved an MEng in Materials Science Engineering.

Greg is now pursuing a PhD in Materials Science Engineering at Pembroke College, Cambridge University. His research is focussed on the effects of short-range ordering on the magnetic, electrical, and mechanical properties of FeCo magnetic alloys with applications in electric flight. This research utilises neutron total scattering at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory, as is funded by Rolls Royce plc and the STFC.