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Research group

Engineering Materials and Surface Engineering Group

Material held in hands.

We’re working to enable surface interactions to occur with minimal energy loss and impact on the environment through enhanced materials performance and improved designs.

Part of Engineering

About

We will provide the next generation of technology in: 

  • microsystems 
  • biomedical engineering 
  • engineering 
  • engineering chemistry 
     

Our research areas stretch across many topics including: 

  • aerospace and automotive materials 
  • energy materials 
  • corrosion 
  • artificial hips 
  • Microsystems 
  • 3D printing 

 
Our current research areas include: 

  • functional materials 
  • future manufacturing & processing 
  • advanced characterisation of structural materials 
  • advanced prosthetics and orthotics 

People, projects and publications

People

Dr Andrew Hamilton

Associate Professor

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Andrew

Email: A.R.Hamilton@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 8697

ORCID

Professor Bo Chen

Professor of Materials

Research interests

  • Creep, fatigue as well as oxidation
  • Residual stresses at different length-scales
  • High-temperature structural integrity assessment

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Bo

Email: B.Chen@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 2380598769

ORCID

Dr Dikai Guan BEng, MEng, PhD, FHEA, CEng, MIMMM, FIMMM

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Design low-cost high performance alloys
  • Develop novel manufacturing and thermomechanical processing
  • 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing of light alloys

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Dikai

Email: Dikai.Guan@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 7638

ORCID
LinkedIn

Dr Elena Sitnikova PhD

Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

Research interests

  • Development of computational characterisation and design tools for advanced materials
  • Mechanics of composite materials
  • Materials responses and characterisation at high loading rates

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Elena

Email: Elena.Sitnikova@soton.ac.uk

ORCID

Dr Fernando Alvarez Borges

Senior Research Fellow

Research interests

  • X-ray and neutron computed tomography applications for geomaterials, particulates and porous media research
  • Development and deployment of image processing and analysis solutions, including Deep Learning methods
  • Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, with emphasis on offshore renewable energy infrastructure

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Fernando

Email: F.J.Alvarez-Borges@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 2380599267

Google Scholar
ORCID
LinkedIn

Professor Ian Sinclair

Professor of Engineering Materials
Connect with Ian

Email: I.Sinclair@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 5095

Dr Jinghua Tang BEng, MSc, PhD

Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

Research interests

  • Biomedical Sensors
  • Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
  • Interface Materials

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Jinghua

Email: Jinghua.Tang@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 9550

ORCID

Dr Kirstie Devin MEng, PhD

EPSRC Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Smart interfaces for prosthetics and orthotics
Connect with Kirstie

Email: Kirstie.Devin@soton.ac.uk

Google Scholar
ORCID
LinkedIn

Professor Liudi Jiang BSc MSc PhD CEng CPhys FIET

Professor of Materials & Electromec Syst

Research interests

  • Wearable sensors
  • Healthcare technologies
  • Musculoskeletal biomechanics

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Liudi

Email: L.Jiang@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 8748

ORCID

Dr Nong Gao

Lecturer
Connect with Nong

Email: N.Gao@soton.ac.uk

Tel: +44 23 8059 3396

ORCID

Facilities

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Liudi Jiang
Professor of Materials & Electromec Syst
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It’s important for research to have a broad view, for me the excitement comes from engineering advanced materials, devices and intelligent systems for new sciences and technologies which address unmet application needs.