EngD PhD in Manufacturing and High Temperature Mechanical Evaluation of Novel Reduced Activation W Heavy Alloys (RA-WHA), with UKAEA

A funded 4-year UK EngD / PhD studentship is available in the group of Prof Sandy Knowles within the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham, with a tax-free stipend of £20,780 per year, and includes a 3-month fusion engineering CDT training programme as part of the 2025 Cohort. This project is co-supervised by Dr Chris Hardie from UKAEA.

The UoB Materials for eXtremes (M4X - https://more.bham.ac.uk/M4X/) research group investigates new alloys for extreme environments from fusion/fission reactors, to aerospace gas turbines and concentrated solar power. This involves the design of fundamentally new alloys by computational methods; production through arc melting, powder metallurgy or additive manufacturing; characterisation using advanced electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction techniques; mechanical testing using macro/micro-mechanical methods and failure investigation; and environmental behaviour under oxidation/corrosion and irradiation damage.

Tungsten is the leading candidate for the fusion first wall, however, it has significant challenges with toughness due a high ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT) that is above room temperature, which is further worsened by irradiation and thermal cycling potentially leading to cracking & failure.

In this project novel Reduced Activation W Heavy Alloys (RA-WHAs), will be manufactured that can provide vastly improved ductility, whilst maintaining high temperature capability, as well as offering excellent mechanical & bonding compatibility with plasma facing pure W components. This work builds upon prior EUROfusion work on novel nano-structured tungsten alloys for fusion (W-Cr https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2024.102430 and W-Ti-Fe https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2021.101014).

This EngD/PhD project is set within the Fusion Engineering CDT at the University of Birmingham. Students will receive a 3-month training programme in fusion engineering at the start of the course, delivered across the CDT partner universities. For further information about the CDT, please visit the website or send an email to hello@fusion-engineering-cdt.ac.uk.

The candidate should have a 1st / 2.1 class Undergraduate or Masters degree (or equivalent) in Materials Science, or a related discipline.

To Apply please provide: (1) CV, (2) Cover Letter summarising your research interests and suitability for the position, and (3) The contact details of two Referees. Please send to Prof Sandy Knowles - a.j.knowles@bham.ac.uk via the above 'Apply' button.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/ajknowles

https://more.bham.ac.uk/M4X