Professor Joseph Robson, University of Manchester

Professor Robson’s research is on resilient alloys for defence applications in extreme environments. These high-performance metal alloys must withstand impacts from projectiles travelling at over 2km/s and function in both hot and cold temperatures and in highly corrosive environments, maintaining their effectiveness over lifetimes that can exceed 50 years. The traditional method of developing alloys for defence involves trial and error experiments, coupled with full-scale tests, that can take decades to perform and incur multi-million-pound costs. A different approach is needed, based on metallurgical understanding, digital simulation and rapid low-cost testing.

This award will support the development of advanced computer modelling techniques and rapid testing methods to design new materials that will also be of value beyond the defence sector for products such as lightweight energy-efficient cars and aircraft.