ICMSN Speakers

Biography: Alexander Korsunsky received his degree of Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) from Merton College, Oxford, following undergraduate education in theoretical physics. His current appointment is Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and Trinity College. He has given keynote plenaries at major international conferences on engineering and materials. He has developed numerous international links, including visiting professorships at Universitá Roma Tre (Italy), ENSICAEN (France) and National University of Singapore. Prof Korsunsky’s research interests concern developing improved understanding of integrity and reliability of engineered and natural structures and systems, from high- performance metallic alloys to polycrystalline ceramics to natural hard tissue such as human dentin and seashell nacre. Prof Korsunsky co-authored books on fracture mechanics (Springer) and elasticity (CUP), and published over 200 papers in scholarly periodicals on the subjects ranging from neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis and the prediction of fatigue strength to micro-cantilever bio-sensors, size effects and scaling transitions in systems and structures. Support for Prof Korsunsky’s research has come from EPSRC and STFC, two major Research Councils in the UK, as well as also from the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), NRF (South Africa), DFG (Germany), CNRS (France) and other international and national research foundations. Prof Korsunsky is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Strain Analysis published by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK (IMechE). Prof Korsunsky is consultant to Rolls-Royce plc, the global aeroengine manufacturer, whom he advises on company design procedures for reliability and consistency. He spent a period of industrial secondment at their headquarters in Derby, UK (supported by RAEng), and made recommendations on R&D in structural integrity. Prof Korsunsky plays a leading role in the development of large scale research facilities in the UK and Europe. He is Chair of the Science Advisory Committee at Diamond Light Source (DLS) near Oxford, UK, and Chair of the User Working Group for JEEP (Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing) beamline at DLS. These activities expand the range of applications of large scale science to problems in real engineering practice. Prof Korsunsky’s research team at Oxford has involved members from almost every part of the globe (UK, FR, DE, IT, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, South Africa).

Biography: Kwang Leong Choy [D.Phil. (Oxon), DSc] is the Professor of Materials Science at Duke Kunshan University (DKU). Prior to this, she was a Professor of Materials Discovery and the founding Director of the UCL Institute for Materials Discovery at University College London (UCL). She also held a Chair in Materials, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham (2002-2014), where she was the Research Director of the University Innovation Centre and University’s Knowledge Exchange Board. Professor Choy earned her D.Phil. in Materials Science from the University of Oxford, where she was awarded the Hetherington Prize and Oxford Metallurgical Society Award. Additionally, she has received accolades such as the Grunfeld Medal Prize and Kroll Medal & Prize. She has been awarded the Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals (FIMMM) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). She has authored over 300 publications, including 4 books and 20 patents, given over 150 keynote papers/invited lectures and conference session Chairman. She also helped to establish two university spin-out companies. Her expertise has been recognized through Guest Professorships at the University of Uppsala (2001/03), Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE, 2010/2012), and a Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientist (2011/2013). She is leading a multidisciplinary research team and collaborating closely with material engineers, chemists, physicists, bioengineers, nanobiotechnologists, and engineers to create new opportunities in materials creation, discovery and utilization. Her team focuses on developing high-performance, eco-friendly, and cost-effective processes for the production of new nanostructured materials, nanocomposites, thin films, and coatings. These materials find applications in various fields, including solar cells, clean energy generation, energy storage, electrical systems, optoelectronics, environmental sustainability, healthcare, and biomedicine. Professor Choy has successfully obtained and managed numerous multimillion-pound national and European flagship research programs, fostering extensive collaboration between academia and industry. In addition, she has established state-of-the-art nanomaterials, innovative thin/thick film processing, and characterization facilities, representing a significant investment in cutting-edge infrastructure.

Biography: Prof. Anja Pfennig was born in Büdelsdorf, Germany in 1970. She studied Minerology at the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University Bonn, Germany, where she graduated in 1997. Her Ph.-D. in the field of ceramic moulds for liquid metal casting was earned in 2001 from the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen, Germany. She then worked for Siemens Energy in charge of ceramic shields for stationary gas turbines and transferred to Berlin in 2008 where she conducted scientific research on the oxidation of high temperature materials and corrosion behavior of steels used in Carbon Capture Techniques. 2009 she became full professor at the Applied University Berlin, HTW where she currently teaches material science for engineering students. Anja Pfennigs research interest and expertise is in the field of corrosion fatigue of materials at high temperature and high pressure simulating geothermal environments.

Biography: Edward M. Sabolsky received the Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering from Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA, in 2001. He joined NexTech Materials, Ltd. (now, Nexceris LLC), Lewis Center, OH, USA, in 2001, and later the Saint-Gobain High-Performance Research and Development Center, Northboro, MA, USA, as a Senior Research Scientist in 2007. He became a Professor at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA, in 2008, where he continues his work in advanced processing and manufacturing of nanomaterials and ceramics for sensor and energy conversion/storage applications. His research interests include the synthesis of complex powders, thin films, and novel ceramic monolithic structures at the macro- to micro-levels to produce enhanced performance and multifunctional activity. He has authored more than a hundred articles in technical literature and received four patents. Dr. Sabolsky served as a principal editor of the Journal of Materials Research from 2013-2019, and now serves as an associate editor for the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology and an editorial board member for Sensors.

Biography: Professor (Dr.) Ankur Jain is currently heading the Centre for Renewable Energy & Storage, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, India. He is also associated with Hiroshima University, Japan as visiting Professor. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2007 from University of Rajasthan-Jaipur, India. He has 15 years of teaching / research experience at various Universities including University of Rajasthan, Jaipur (2007-2011), Hiroshima University, Japan (2011-2020). His research interest focuses on the development of energy storage materials with a particular attention on Hydrogen Energy, Ammonia, and anode/electrolytes material for all solid-state Li-ion battery. He has published more than 100 research papers in reputed Journals and authored more than 15 books/book chapters. He has delivered more than 30 invited lectures/talks at various platforms. He has been recipient of several prestigious fellowships and awards including ICTP-TRIL fellowship, Italy; Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow, UGC, India; Young Scientist Award, DST, India; Visiting Scientist Award under Indo-Swiss Joint research programme; JSPS-Postdoctoral fellowship, Japan; Young Scientist Award from young division of International Association of Hydrogen Energy, Canada; DST-INSPIRE Award, India.

Biography: Siti Norasmah Surip is an Associate Professor of the Eco-Technology Program, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia. She obtained her Ph.D in material science majoring in polymer nanocomposite from National University of Malaysia. She formerly worked as a visiting researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Portsmouth United Kingdom, a postdoctoral fellow at IBM Almaden Lab, San Jose, United States of America and received an APEC-Australia Women in Research fellowship to pursue a collaborative work at La Trobe University, Australia. She also served as Visiting Professor at the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Indonesia. Her research interest are in nano materials and nanocomposites, polymer bio-composites and eco based advanced materials. She has published about 50 publications in reputable journals, books and proceedings.