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Megan owen

Megan Owen completed her degree in Electronic Engineering (BEng) at Bangor University before starting her PhD at Bangor University with the Materials in Extreme Environments research group. Her PhD project focuses on the corrosion of zirconium alloys used within the nuclear industry and the possible role of alloying elements on grain boundary complexions, with the main dopant of choice being iron. The project is supported by Westinghouse Sweden and KESS 2, and is also a part of the MUZIC-3 project (Mechanistic Understanding of ZIrconium Corrosion). Through participation in this project, a further understanding of zirconium corrosion can be obtained to try and develop materials for improved performance.

Alongside her studies, Megan is a keen STEM ambassador for the Bangor University, for both the Electronic Engineering department and the Nuclear Futures group. She is an active member of the University, organising events that aim to encourage and enthuse students into STEM subjects by showing them the vast opportunities within the STEM subject fields. Megan is also a part of the Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team for the Electronic Engineering and Computer Science department to try and promote gender equality among the subject areas.

Next Steps: Following completion of her PhD, Megan is now working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Robin Grimes’ group at Imperial College London, where her work focuses on atomic scale modelling of actinide oxides. You can read Megan’s recent MIDAS-related work in her Journal of Nuclear Materials paper on Diffusion in undoped and Cr-doped amorphous UO2.