Dr Lewis Owen

I completed my undergraduate studies in Natural Sciences (focussing on Chemistry) at the University of Cambridge. Subsequently, I carried out my doctoral studies joint between the University of Cambridge and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. In 2018, I began a research fellowship at Gonville and Caius College. In 2021, I moved to the University of Sheffield as a Lecturer in Metallurgy Characterisation and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow.

In addition to my research I am the academic lead of the X-ray laboratory. I work closely with the UK national research facilities (ISIS and Diamond) and sit on review panels at both. I am also incredibly involved with outreach, and have recently started a podcast - Materials Unlocked.

My research focuses on the use of total scattering techniques for the study of local effects in alloy systems. Total scattering is a method where both the diffuse and Bragg scattering are considered simultaneously. This provides insight into the local effects occurring in alloys beyond the average structure that is obtainable from the Bragg data alone.

Using a combination of X-ray and Neutron scattering, we are able to probe the short-range order in metallic compounds, understanding the material on the atomic scale. A combination of small (PDFGui) and large box modelling (RMCProfile) modelling techniques are used to interpret the data.

Of particular interest are the distortions in the local structure, and variations in order that occur prior to phase transitions in the system. The knowledge of the local structure is of key importance to the structure-property relationships of the material. The systems under study range from simple binary alloys, to industrially relevant systems (e.g. Nickel superalloys) and novel materials (e.g. High-entropy alloys) for radiation damage tolerance.