Professor Alessandro Mottura MEng, PhD, SFHEA, FIMMM

• PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, 2010
• MEng in Materials Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, 2006

Alessandro Mottura is Professor of Physical Metallurgy and Head of the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham.

He studied Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, graduating with a first-class MEng in 2006, before completing a PhD in Metallurgy under the supervision of Professors Mike Finnis and Roger Reed. His doctoral research combined atomistic modelling and advanced characterisation to understand the role of rhenium in nickel-based superalloys and contributed to wider efforts to develop more systematic approaches to alloy design.

Following his PhD, Alessandro joined Professor Tresa Pollock's group at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he worked on the design of new cobalt-based superalloys and the development of novel three-dimensional materials characterisation techniques.

Alessandro joined the University of Birmingham in 2012, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2016 and Professor in 2019. His research focuses on the physical metallurgy of high-temperature structural materials, particularly the relationship between alloy chemistry, atomic-scale behaviour and material properties. His work combines computational approaches with advanced experimental characterisation and has strong links with the aerospace and high-value manufacturing sectors.
Alongside his research and teaching, Alessandro has held a range of academic leadership roles at Birmingham, including Deputy Head and Interim Head of the School of Metallurgy and Materials, before becoming Head of School. The School encompasses both Materials Science and Engineering and Aerospace Engineering and has substantial research, education and industrial activities.

Beyond Birmingham, Alessandro contributes to the leadership and promotion of materials science and engineering nationally. He has been closely involved with the Association of Heads of UK Materials Departments, Discover Materials and outreach activities associated with the Henry Royce Institute. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

His wider interests include academic leadership, research and education strategy, and strengthening the links between universities, industry and the materials community.

• LC Mathematics and Computing for Engineers
• LI Physical Materials Science
• LH Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Elements Analysis for Aerospace

Research themes

• Effect of chemistry on phase stability, formation and transformations
• Effect of chemistry on mechanical properties
• Point, line and planar defects
• Evolution of microstructure during creep
• Solute partitioning in microstructure
• Multi-scale, multi-modal 3-dimensional material analysis
• Femtosecond laser tomography

Research activity

• Stability of the γ’ phase in Co-based superalloys 
• Solute additions and high temperature properties in Ti alloys 
• Solute effects on creep properties in Ni-based superalloys