Dr Ed Pickering

Ed was appointed as Lecturer in Metallurgy at the University of Manchester’s Department of Materials in late 2015, and was made Senior Lecturer in 2019 and Reader in 2023.  Before arriving in Manchester, Ed completed his undergraduate (2011) and PhD (2014) University of Cambridge, 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 Research Area Lead for the Advanced Metals Processing theme of the Henry Royce Institute. He sits on the Management Boards of the Advanced Metallics System CDT and the Fusion CDT, and is a member of various industrial technical advisory panels. He has been the recipient of the IOM3’s Frank Fitzgerald Medal (2017) and Grunfeld Memorial Medal (2021), both for his work on steels.

Ed’s research group focuses on phase transformations, microstructural characterisation, alloy development and process-microstructure-property relationships in steels, high-entropy alloys and novel refractory alloys.  Much of this work concerns alloys and manufacturing processes used for nuclear fission and fusion power plant components, as well as aerospace.  A common theme is the tailoring of processing routes to achieve the best properties when components enter into service, which often concurrently results in reduced material wastage during production, as well as an extension of service life (thereby reducing environmental impact).

Most of his work has been in collaboration with industrial partners, including Rolls-Royce plc, UKAEA, Airbus, EDF, and Sheffield Forgemasters.