Joe Robson graduated in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1993, and obtained his PhD from the same institution in 1996. Since then he has worked at Cambridge, Swansea, and Manchester universities, and in 2003 was appointed to a Lectureship. Joe is a member of the Light Alloy Processing group with research interests that are focussed on microstructural evolution and control in industrial alloys, with an emphasis on modelling.

Current work involves the coupling of thermodynamic models, based on Calphad methods, to novel kinetic models, enabling the time and temperature dependence of the microstructure (particularly second phase particles) to be determined for complex industrial alloys and processes. Such an approach is being used to predict microstructure evolution and subsequent effect on properties for a range of aluminium, magnesium, and zirconium alloys during processes such as hot rolling and welding. Applications for these materials include the automotive, aerospace, and nuclear industries.

Joe also has an active interest in developing a better understanding of the effects of processing and service on the microstructure of metals through the use of electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. Ongoing work includes investigating microstructure evolution during processing of zirconium alloys and the study of novel wrought magnesium alloys.

• Modelling Heterogeneous Precipitate Distributions in Complex Industrial Alloys
• Modelling Microstructural Evolution During Friction Stir Welding of Aerospace Aluminium Alloys 
• Designed Microstructures for Wrought Magnesium Alloys (with Magnesium Elektron)
• Control of Microstructure and Properties of Advanced 7xxx Aerospace Aluminium Alloys
• Thermomechanical Processing of Zirconium Alloys (with Prof M. Preuss and Westinghouse)
• Texture and microstructure control in wrought magnesium alloys (Magnesium Elektron/EPSRC)

• Engineering and Process Metallurgy
• Materials Performance Centre

Light Metals Division board member, Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IoM3)

Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining