معرفی
Philipp Frankel is a Senior Lecturer in Metallurgy and Irradiation Damage at the University of Manchester's Department of Materials. He leads the Manchester Zirconium Group, a global leader in zirconium alloy research, and is Principal Investigator (PI) of the £9m EPSRC MIDAS Programme Grant. His research focuses on understanding materials degradation in nuclear reactors, particularly zirconium alloys' microstructural evolution under irradiation and corrosion. He is affiliated with the Henry Royce Institute's Nuclear Theme and collaborates with international consortia and industrial partners.
Frankel holds an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) from the University of Birmingham, completed in collaboration with Rolls-Royce Plc, where he studied residual stresses in aerospace materials. His career includes postdoctoral roles on the MUZIC consortium and an EPSRC Fellowship investigating irradiation effects in zirconium alloys.
Research interests include corrosion mechanisms, hydride behavior in zirconium alloys, irradiation-induced microstructural changes, and advanced characterization techniques such as synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, and 3D imaging. His work supports safer and more efficient nuclear energy production through fundamental materials science insights.
Frankel oversees the Materials Performance Centre (MPC), a collaborative project with 40+ researchers. He advises numerous PhD students and has supervised over 15 graduate projects. His research also explores friction welding in aeroengine materials and surface treatments like laser shock peening.
He actively promotes interdisciplinary and industrial partnerships, utilizing facilities like the Dalton Cumbrian Facility, Diamond Light Source, and National Nuclear Users Facility. His contributions align with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to affordable and clean energy and industry innovation.
