Materials Science

Many people ask the question, "What is Materials Science?" One could argue that Materials Science is the science that has had most direct relevance to the development of human civilisation.

The importance of Materials Science has even led to the naming of historical eras after materials, for example stone age, bronze age and iron age. Future historians may come to regard our current time as being the silicon age! Materials Science brings together mathematics, physics, chemistry and increasingly biology in the study of a wide variety of materials and how they can be used.

Corpus Christi usually admits 7 undergraduate students per year into Materials Science. In addition there are a number of graduate students usually studying for Doctor of Philosophy degrees. We have two Tutorial Fellows, Professor Pete Nellist and Professor David Armstrong, and a college lecturer Dr Christopher Patrick. In addition, Professor Nicole Grobert is a Fellow of the College.

Professor Nellist is an expert in the atomic resolution microscopy of materials. His interests include developing new ways of looking at materials and applying those methods to energy storage and conversion materials. Professor Armstrong's research focuses on understanding and developing materials for use in extreme environments – focusing on aerospace and nuclear power generation with side interests in geological and energy storage materials. Dr Patrick works on modelling the physical properties of materials with interests in solar materials and the magnetic properties of engineering materials. Professor Grobert is an expert in the synthesis, characterisation and processing of nanomaterials. Nanomaterials have many unusual properties and are of great interest for use in a large variety of future technological applications

Corpus Christi is a small College, creating a relatively close-knit community. We generally find that students in different years get to know each other well, and can pass on advice and support when needed. Corpus Materials Scientists tend to make their mark in the wider university scene, either through sporting achievements, by taking on positions of responsibility in clubs and societies, or by sitting on committees in the department representing student views.

In Materials Science, much of the teaching is performed in the department. Small group tutorials, however, are College based. Corpus Christi provides all first and second year tutorials in the college with the third year being taught in classes in the department. The fourth year is a full time research projected supervised in the department. This can be in any area of the course. Graduates go on to successful careers in fields such as industry, academia and consultancy.

Former Subject Ambassador Yix writes: "Despite being a small college, there are nine Materials students at Corpus in my year, making Corpus the largest cohort in Materials Science. This means that Corpus has many resources to support materials science students. For example, our college library currently offers all the books on the Materials Science reading lists. This also means that you can always find someone with whom to talk about materials science."