I am a Lecturer and Rolls-Royce Research Fellow at the Department of Materials and Henry Royce Institute. I completed my PhD in Coatings and Ceramics from the University of Manchester in November 2015. Before my PhD study in Manchester, I completed my master’s degree in Shanghai Jiao Tong University (March 2011) and undergraduate degree in Zhengzhou University (June 2008), both in Materials Science and Engineering. My PhD focused on developing fundamental understanding on degradation of NiCoCrAlY and platinum aluminide coatings. After completing my PhD, I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Manchester from November 2015 to October 2018. I joined OxMet Technologies in October 2018 as an alloy development engineer and coating programme lead working on design of additively manufactured alloys and coatings by computational modelling. After a short industry career, I was awarded a Rolls-Royce research fellowship and re-joined the University of Manchester as a Rolls-Royce Research Fellow (academic) in September 2019 and became a lecturer in December 2023.

I have published 70+ peer-reviewed papers (Google Scholar) and most of them were published in the top journals in my field. I was awarded the 2020/2021 Faculty's Best Research Staff of Year (only 1 per year). I am a frequent invited panel discussant for Rolls-Royce strategical workshops in surface engineering. I have authored an invited feature article for IOM3’s flagship magazine "Materials World" and delivered multiple invited talks in international conferences. My research in micromechanics of ceramic coatings was highlighted twice in IOM3 surface engineering conferences. I am currently a principal investigator of a £14m consortia “Digital Qualification Platform for Advanced Alloy Components” funded by Innovate UK and a principal investigator of an EPSRC funded project on development of ceramic coatings for mitigating attack of environmental deposits. I am an invited reviewer for 20+ peer-reviewed journals, Royal Society of Chemistry, and government funding agencies across the world. I was awarded 2023 Excellent Reviewer for Journal of Thermal Spray Technology.

My research group develops innovative surface engineering and coating solutions for demanding environments. Areas of interest include

1. Microstructural design for durable ceramic coatings. It seeks to leverage thermodynamic design and non-equilibrium processing to create new microstructures with exceptional resistance to fracture and environmental degradation.
2. Multiscale failure behaviour and fracture properties of engineering ceramics and coatings. It focuses on utilising cutting-edge in-situ micromechanical testing, high-resolution electron microscopy, and atomistic modelling to investigate crack propagation, fracture toughness, and fracture behaviour from the atomic scale to the microstructural scale. The materials of interest include, but are not limited to, thermal barrier coatings, high-entropy ceramics, metastable ceramics, and grain boundaries.
3. Degradation of engineering alloys and coatings in demanding environments. The materials of interest include, but are not limited to, additively manufactured high temperature alloys, refractory alloys/coatings, and high entropy alloys/coatings.

Funded PhD opportunities are available for candidates with strong background in material science, mechanical engineering, chemistry or physics. Please contact me for more details.

A couple of PhD projects in my group are available for applciations

• Microstructural Design for Tough Ceramic Coatings
• High Entropy Alloy Coatings for Strong Degradation Resistance

There are many PhD opportunities in my group all year round. Home students can apply for UKRI funded PhD programmes such as DTA and CDT. Outstanding international candidates can apply for full scholarships (e.g. President’s Doctoral Scholarship, Dean's Doctoral Scholarship or The University of Manchester-China Scholarship Council (UoM-CSC) Joint Scholarship) to support PhD study. 

Visiting researchers and students with interest in surface engineering are also welcomed.

Coatings and ceramics

Physics of Materials for 1st year undergraduate students

Advanced Metal Processing for postgraduate students