Professor Alexander (Sandy) Knowles
Sandy Knowles is Professor of Nuclear Materials & UKRI Future Leaders Fellow in the School of Metallurgy & Materials, University of Birmingham. He leads the Materials for Extremes research group.
He is an experimental metallurgist focused on the design & development of new alloys for extreme environments, including nuclear fusion, fission and aerospace gas turbines. He is a forerunner in the development of new “bcc superalloys”. Unlike current γ-γ’ nickel superalloys, β-β’ bcc superalloys make use of a bcc tungsten, titanium or steel matrix, with their higher melting points, for increased operating temperatures. This work, as well as his work on commercial alloys and ‘high entropy alloys’ (HEAs), is supported by industry partnerships with: UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL), UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), TIMET and Roll-Royce plc.
Sandy is actively involved in science policy. He was selected as a Foundation for Science and Technology 2020-21 Foundation Future Leader, a policy action network between academia, industry and policy. He is on the UK Fusion Materials national steering group, and editorial team for the UK Fusion Materials Roadmap 2021-2040.