Materials Science

• Manufacture and characterisation of nanostructured lightweight alloy for high industrial impact, in particular Al based alloys.
• Study of the microstructure and phase transformation processes of rapid solidified alloys, mechanical properties and their relationship with the microstructure.
• Development of light weight metal matrix and nanofibrilar composites mainly produced through a powder metallurgy route.
• Study of the microstructure and mechanical behaviour to enhance targeted properties such as stiffness, toughness and strength at elevated temperature.
• Scaling up of manufacturing techniques for metal matrix composites development.

Dr Galano’s group works closely with different research institutions in South America and EU and has strong industrial links. Materials developed in her group are within different stages of development. Some of them are currently under work for prototypes development to be used within the automotive industry.

Prizes

• Hetherington Prize 2003
• Niobium Student Research Award 2004
• Young Scientist Award 2008, International Symposium Metastable Amorphous Nanostructured Materials
• Teaching Excellence Award 2008, Department of Materials, University of Oxford

• Control over the interaction between light and matter at the quantum level
• Materials and devices for quantum optics and optoelectronics, primarily involving defects in diamond and semiconductor quantum dots
• Applications in quantum communications and computing
• Optical microsystems for quantum optics, chemical sensing and spectroscopy

• Damage mechanics in ceramic composites for nuclear and aerospace applications
• Effects of temperature and irradiation on deformation mechanisms in MAX-phase ceramics
• Operando observations of failure mechanisms in ceramic electrolytes for energy storage
• Fracture and deformation mechanics in graphite
• Non-destructive evaluation of damage in ceramics for concentrated solar power
• Toughening mechanisms in polymer composites

• Kasemchainan, J., Zekoll, S., Spencer Jolly, D., Ning, Z., Hartley, G. O., Marrow, T. J. & Bruce, P. G. (2019). Critical stripping current leads to dendrite formation on plating in 3 lithium anode solid electrolyte cells. Nature Materials 18, 1105–1111.
• Reid, A., Marshall, M., Kabra, S., Minniti, T., Kockelmann, W., Connolley, T., James, A., Marrow, T. J. & Mostafavi, M. (2019). Application of neutron imaging to detect and quantify fatigue cracking. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences 159, 182–194.
• Wan, F., Pizada, T., Liu, R., Wang, Y., Qi, G., Zhang, C. & Marrow, T. J. (2019). Structure and flexural properties of 3D needled carbon fiber reinforced carbon and silicon carbide (C/C-SiC) composites fabricated by gaseous and liquid silicon infiltration. Ceramics International 45, 17978–17986.
• Jiang, N., Yu, T., Li, Y., Pirzada, T. J. & Marrow, T. J. (2019). Hygrothermal aging and structural damage of a jute/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) composite observed by X-ray tomography. Composites Science and Technology 173, 15–23.
• Boughton, O. R., Ma, S., Cai, X., Yan, L., Peralta, L., Laugier, P., Marrow, J., Giuliani, F., Hansen, U., Abel, R. L., Grimal, Q. & Cobb, J. P. (2019). Computed tomography porosity and spherical indentation for determining cortical bone millimetre-scale mechanical properties. Scientific Reports 9, 7416.

Education:

• DPhil in Aerospace Materials from Linacre College, Oxford, completed in 2021.
• MSc in Mechanical Engineering from University College London.
• B.Eng in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bath.

Current Positions:

• Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Materials.
• Lecturer in Elastic Deformation of Materials at the same department.
• Junior Research Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall.
• Research & Technology Manager at Cross Manufacturing Ltd.

Professional Affiliations:

• Chartered Engineer.
• Fellow at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Research Interests:

• Specializes in Oxide-based Ceramic Matrix Composites.
• Expertise in Aerospace Seals, Nickel, and Cobalt-based Super Alloys.
• Proficient in Fracture Mechanics and Additive Manufacturing of Nickel-based Alloys.

Current Project:

• Leading the Hawk-X project, an industrial-scale initiative aimed at producing Ceramic Matrix Composites in the UK.
• Involves collaboration with 13 organizations including QinetiQ, Reaction Engines, MBDA, and NCC.
• Aims to establish the first UK facility for manufacturing these composites, targeting applications in jet engines, rockets, and defence systems.

Additional Interests:

• Enjoys poetry, flying, and playing tennis alongside his professional pursuits.

Dr. Talha Pirzada’s diverse expertise and leadership roles reflect his significant contributions to both academia and industry, particularly in advancing materials technology for aerospace applications.

• “Low-Density Hydrous Iron Oxide via Conformal Transformation of MIL-53(Fe),” Chemistry Communication Journal.
• “Effects of polymer infiltration processing (PIP) temperature on the mechanical and thermal properties of Nextel 312 Fibre SiOC Ceramic matrix composite” Composites Part A
• “Structure and flexural properties of 3D needled carbon fibre reinforced (C/C-SiC) composites fabricated by gaseous and liquid infiltration” Ceramics International
• “Hydrothermal aging and structural damage of a jute/PLA composites observed by X-ray tomography” Composites Science and Technology
• “Electrochemical decolourization of Methylene blue at  Pt electrode in  KCl solution for environmental remediation,” Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.
• “In situ observation of the deformation and fracture of an alumina-alumina ceramic-matrix composite at elevated temperature using x-ray computed tomography” Journal of the European Ceramic Society
• Full-field characterisation of oxide-oxide ceramic-matrix composites using X-ray computed micro-tomography and digital volume correlation under load at high temperatures, Materials & Design
• Microstructure Characterization by X-Ray Computed Tomography of C/C-SiC Ceramic Composites Fabricated with Different Carbon Fiber Architectures, Applied Composite Materials
• Plastic inhomogeneity and crack initiation in hybrid wrought – additively manufactured Inconel 718, Materials Characterization
• Oxide Based Ceramic Matrix Composites For High Temperature Aerospace Sealing Applications, Oxide Based Ceramic Matrix Composites For High Temperature Aerospace Sealing Application’s University of Oxford