My research focuses on understanding how radiation affects the mechanical performance of zirconium alloys used in light water reactors. This work, undertaken as part of the MIDAS programme at the University of Oxford, aims to support the development of long-lived structural materials for nuclear energy, a key low-carbon power source.
I specialise in small-scale mechanical testing and microstructural characterisation, with a particular focus on combining nanoindentation, focused ion beam (FIB) techniques, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study deformation mechanisms in irradiated materials. My current research involves investigating the micromechanics of zirconium alloys that have been neutron- and proton-irradiated to simulate in-reactor conditions.
I completed my PhD at Oxford as part of the Fusion CDT, in collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), where I studied the microstructural evolution and mechanical degradation of tungsten components exposed to fusion plasma in the JET tokamak. Before joining the MIDAS team, I held a postdoctoral position working on superconducting materials for medical imaging applications.