Advanced Metals Processing Steering Group

Imperial College London

University of Birmingham

University of Liverpool

Prof Kate Black is a businesswoman, multidisciplinary researcher, and Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Liverpool. She co-founded Meta Additive, now part of Desktop Metal, where she revolutionised 3D printing for metals and ceramics. As the founder and CEO of Atomik AM, Kate is now leading efforts in developing agile solutions for advanced manufacturing. A strong advocate for diversity in STEM, she also founded LivWISE and was recognised as one of the "Top 50 Women in Engineering" in 2018, contributing to both industry innovation and the education of future leaders

University of Cambridge

Dave Collins is the Mike Ashby Associate Professor of Materials Science, based in the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge having recently moved here from the University of Birmingham. Here he leads the Multiscale Behaviour of Engineering Alloys research group, and supports the Rolls-Royce UTC activities. His background is in materials science and he has expertise covering the micromechanics of materials and microstructural development, with an emphasis on advanced X-ray diffraction methods to elucidate alloy phenomena. He has a broad interest in ferrous and non-ferrous alloys used for various structural applications, spanning aerospace, automotive, defence, nuclear energy and healthcare sectors.

University of Leicester

Gebril El-Fallah is a Lecturer in Mechanical and Materials Engineering and the PGR Admissions Tutor at the School of Engineering, University of Leicester. He specialises in designing new alloys, including steels, high entropy alloys, and nickel-based superalloys, for energy-efficient automotive, aerospace, and fusion applications. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of structural evolution leading to failure in advanced materials.

University of Oxford

Manufacturing Technology Centre

Brunel University

University of Swansea

University of Hull

Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

Prof Pete Osborne is the Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, where he plays a leading role in developing the AMRC's technology strategy.

Pete has worked at the AMRC for more than 18 years, working on a wide range of industrially focussed research programmes for companies such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Siemens Gamesa. He is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and is the Principal Investigator and Director of the Innovation Launchpad Network+; a £6.75m network established in 2022 to connect academics across the UK with the Catapult network.

University of Warwick

University of Surrey

Tan Sui is an Associate Professor (Reader) at the University of Surrey. Her research efforts have been devoted to characterising, modelling and understanding the intricate links between structure and mechanical behaviour, property degradation and failure mechanisms in complex material systems. A particular focus of her research has centred on advancing methods for evaluating residual stress in the metallic joints within nuclear fusion reactors, in collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the National Physical Laboratory, aimed at enhancing structural integrity, maintenance strategies, and safety.

ATI

Matthew Bailey is a Lead Technologist at the ATI in the Structures, Materials & Manufacturing team. Matthew is primarily focussed on supporting metallic and assembly technologies in the ATI portfolio. Matthew co-ordinates the ATI’s Advisory Network and formerly chaired the CC-TAG. Before joining the ATI, Matthew worked at Airbus for nearly 10 years in various roles including Lead Engineer in R&T and latterly in cost engineering as Composite Manufacturing Cost Architect.

ITP Aero UK

Boeing Research and Technology

Reaction Engines

McLaren Racing Ltd

FormAlloy Technologies, Inc.

Melanie Lang, FormAlloy Co-Founder and CEO, is motivated by developing a disruptive technology to deliver high-value metal components with superior performance. Her passion has manifested into making wave(length)s in metal additive manufacturing since co-founding FormAlloy Technologies, Inc. in 2016.

Prior to FormAlloy, Melanie began her engineering career at Boeing and later spent 14 years in engineering and program management at Lockheed Martin. In 2020, she was named as one of SME’s 20 Exceptional Women in Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing for her focus on opening the design space for multi-material components. She holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Systems Architecture & Engineering from the University of Southern California. In addition to her role at FormAlloy, Melanie currently serves on the Association of Manufacturing Technology (AMT) Board, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) Board, America Makes Executive Committee, as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Navy League San Diego and is the Women in 3D-Printing Ambassador for San Diego.

Aluminium Federation

Jaguar Land Rover

Ehsan Rahimi leads the materials laboratory at Jaguar Land Rover. He is a metallurgist by trade, with 9 years of experience in additive manufacturing, materials characterisation, and corrosion.

Ehsan enjoys finding key solutions to engineering problems, and most recently has been more focused on services, repair and maintenance rather than remanufacturing. His main responsibility is to accurately predict life expectancy of tools, machines and instruments. 

TWI

Thales UK

Carpenter Additive

Atomising Systems Limited

Sulzer

Dr. Yogiraj Pardhi is the global lead for Additive Manufacturing at Sulzer Services. As a senior expert in additive manufacturing and materials, he spearheads the implementation of the global strategy for additive manufacturing within Sulzer. Dr. Pardhi has a successful track record in qualifying and industrializing advance manufacturing technologies for both manufacturing and repairing industrial gas turbines and turbomachinery parts. Previously, he served as the AM Lead for materials at Rolls-Royce Plc, where he successfully industrialized additive manufacturing for the production of aeroengine hot section parts. He holds a first degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Materials Science. Dr. Pardhi brings over 12 years of industry experience in aerospace and turbomachinery equipment manufacturing and repair, and he is a fellow of The Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining.

Research Area Lead, University of Sheffield

Katerina (Kathy) Christofidou joined the department in 2019, and was appointed Chair in Digital and Sustainable Metallurgy in April 2024. She is currently the Director of Recruitment for the department and leads the Advanced Metals Processing research area for the Henry Royce Institute. 

Prior to this, she held roles at the University of Cambridge, as part of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre, and the University of Manchester, where she also worked in close collaboration with the Henry Royce Institute.

She holds a PhD in Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge and an MEng in Aerospace Materials Engineering from Imperial College London.

Kathy's research focuses on bridging high performance alloy design and advanced manufacturing following two key strands; a) accelerated. digitalised methods of alloy development with emphasis on manufacturing performance and b) advanced diffraction methods for non-destructive alloy evaluation applied to high performance components. 

Research Area Lead, University of Manchester

Ed Pickering was appointed as Lecturer in Metallurgy at the Department of Materials in late 2015, and was made Senior Lecturer in 2019. Before arriving in Manchester, Ed completed his undergraduate degree at University of Cambridge (2011) followed by a PhD at the same institution (2014), where he worked in the Phase Transformations and Complex Properties research group. He was a Research Associate in Cambridge’s Rolls-Royce UTC for one year following his PhD.

Ed is Academic Lead for Outreach for Materials Science and Engineering. He sits on the Management Boards of the Advanced Metallics System CDT and the Fusion CDT, and is a member of the IOM3’s Materials Chemistry Committee. In 2017, he won the IOM3’s Frank Fitzgerald Medal for his work on steels.

Research and Business Engagement Manager, University of Sheffield

Dr Richard Dawidek is the Research and Business Engagement Lead for the Advanced Metals Processing theme in the Henry Royce Institute based out of the University of Sheffield. 

Richard brings a variety of industrial experience to the role, having worked in R&D and Operations for multinational Magnesium and Aluminium alloy manufacturing companies. His academic experience ranges from materials systems such as functional nanomaterials to traditional ferrous alloys, aligning well with the range of equipment sited in the Royce Discovery Centre at The University of Sheffield.

A resident of Sheffield for 11 years, Richard is keen to leverage his academic and industrial experience to accelerate materials translation in the region and beyond, as well as widening access to top-level research from large industries to SMEs.