Ahmad Al-Fatly
University of York
Co-hort year: 2025
I completed an MEng in Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath in 2023. During my integrated masters I undertook a project where I simulated ~300,000 metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to determine their suitability for a medical application. MOFs are crystalline materials made of metal ions or clusters coordinated to organic ligands, forming porous structures with high surface areas used for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and more. After graduating, I worked as a technical safety consultant in Aberdeen for 18 months at DNV. Motivated by a growing interest in the sustainable side of the energy industry, I chose to pursue further study through a PhD at the University of Manchester. I am now undertaking my PhD as part of the Fusion Power CDT, supervised by Dr Aneeqa Khan and Professor Paul Mummery.
The development of plasma facing materials that can withstand the associated demanding environment of a fusion reactor, all while having complex geometrical requirements is an immense challenge. Typically, plasma facing components have been produced from materials such as tungsten using traditional manufacturing techniques. However, there are challenges in shaping and joining dissimilar materials associated with this. Recently advances in additive manufacturing technology have made it an attractive option, despite known issues around porosity, cracking and very different material properties in comparison to traditionally manufactured material. My project focuses on the characterisation of additively manufactured tungsten and assessing its suitability for fusion applications. The results of this project will feed into materials selection for a range of fusion devices.
LinkedIn: Ahmad Al-Fatly – PhD in additive manufacturing techniques for tungsten | LinkedIn
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