Dr Claire Dancer

Next generation, sustainable ceramic processing and metamaterials 

The opportunity to join the University of Birmingham was a big draw for Dr Claire Dancer, Associate Professor and 125th Anniversary Fellow in Ceramic Science and Engineering, who arrived as part of the Anniversary Fellows and Chairs scheme in early 2025, bringing with her a passion for sustainability, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

"I have some long-standing colleagues at Birmingham and even did some of my PhD research in the building where I'm now based. I'm excited to be working in the School of Metallurgy and Materials, which has an exceptional track record in impactful research, often in close collaboration with industry."

Inspired by her experience of interdisciplinary work through the UK Metamaterials Network, of which she is Joint Network Lead, she was excited by the scheme's emphasis on interdisciplinary research and on global challenges. "My work is primarily motivated by the challenge of making more with less," she says, "Whether that's using a metamaterial design for high strength at a low weight, recycling ceramics and reprocessing them at low temperatures rather than mining virgin materials, or making efficient and long-lasting solid-state batteries without high temperatures. My research ultimately impacts on global resource efficiency and climate change, so seeing this as a focus supported my view that Birmingham would be a fantastic place to pursue the next stage of my academic career."

Dr Dancer's research is focused on ceramic materials and how they are processed, particularly how this can be achieved more sustainably and with fewer constraints on geometry.

"I’m particularly interested in next-generation ceramic processing technologies such as flash and cold sintering, which enable us to make dense, robust ceramic components with a fraction of the energy and emissions of the current traditional routes,” she explains, “I also work on metamaterials – structures which are carefully designed to have functionality which go beyond the materials they are made up of."

As Joint Lead of the UK Metamaterials Network, an EPSRC-funded initiative with over 1,000 members, Dr Dancer is investigating scalable manufacturing routes for ceramic and ceramic-composite metamaterials. These intricate structures often require unconventional processing, her team is exploring how advanced sintering techniques can unlock their potential and challenge the perception that ceramics are too complex to process for widespread use.

"Ceramics have an incredible range of properties not possessed by other materials," she explains. "They're extremely durable and can survive environments where other materials would be rapidly destroyed. By controlling defects, properties like mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and even colour can be tailored, making ceramics ideal for future technologies."

Manufacturing requirements continue to be the main barrier to widespread adoption of ceramics in a wide range of applications. Dr Dancer's research is focused on overcoming this; her goal is to make ceramics more accessible and viable for use in advanced devices, contributing to global resource efficiency and climate change mitigation.

Since joining the University of Birmingham, Dr Dancer has hit the ground running. The fellowship's start-up package has enabled her to be ambitious in her research planning, while protected time for research has allowed her to build strong academic and industrial foundations.

"I’ve also had the opportunity to undertake media and leadership training, which is supporting my personal development in these valuable skills. Interacting with other Anniversary Fellows and Chairs has been a real benefit as well, and these highly interdisciplinary discussions have generated some really interesting research avenues to explore in the future,” Dr Dancer reflects.

"Settling into the University has been a pleasure. I have found so many supportive colleagues in both the academic and professional services staff, and I’ve loved exploring the beautiful campus here in Edgbaston."

"My biggest challenge has been managing all the opportunities presented to me – my colleagues work on so many interesting research topics and talking to them has generated a lot of new ideas. Work so far has focused on building links with other academics, particularly those working in Metamaterials, and I’ve been working on research project proposals focused on ceramic processing technologies. It’s been great to get out and talk to industrial partners - both old and new - about the facilities and activities underway at Birmingham; I’m confident that within a couple of years we’ll have some fantastic collaborative projects underway!"