Rate My Professor Oriol Diaz

Oriol Gavalda Diaz is an Assistant Professor in Ceramics in the Department of Materials within the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial College London. He joined the Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics in this capacity in January 2024. Previously, he was a Transitional Assistant Professor in the Composites Research Group at the University of Nottingham from December 2022 to December 2023. Before that, Gavalda Diaz spent over three years as a Research Associate in the Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics at Imperial College London. His academic journey began with BEng and MEng degrees from the University of Bordeaux, followed by a PhD at the University of Nottingham within the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre. His doctoral research examined the behaviour of ceramic composites after material removal processes.

Gavalda Diaz's research centres on understanding the failure mechanisms of ceramics and composites employed in demanding applications, utilizing micro- and nano-scale mechanical testing alongside advanced characterization techniques such as microscopy. His specializations encompass micromechanics, interfaces, fracture mechanics, ceramics, and composite materials design. Notable contributions include investigations into the environmental degradation of SiC/BN/SiC ceramic matrix composites for aerospace applications and quantification of mixed-mode interfacial fracture toughness in ceramic matrix composites. Key publications feature 'Observing the crack tip behavior at the nanoscale during fracture of ceramics' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024), 'Basal Plane Delamination Energy Measurement in a Ti3SiC2 MAX Phase' (JOM, 2021), 'In situ stable crack growth at the micron scale' (2017, cited over 90 times), 'Mode I and Mode II interfacial fracture energy of SiC/BN/SiC ceramic matrix composites' (2022), and 'Synergistic Effect of Simultaneous Doping of Ceria Particles' (ChemSusChem, 2021). His scholarly output has amassed over 1,740 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 16, underscoring his impact on advanced structural ceramics and materials science for high-performance engineering sectors.