Rhys Thomas
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Area of Specialisation: Deformation behaviour of Zr alloys investigated by digital image correlation (DIC) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)
Working across Key Challenge 1, Key Challenge 2.
Rhys Thomas completed a degree in Physics at The University of Manchester in 2014, specialising in applied nuclear physics. Following summer internships at Wylfa nuclear power station and Sellafield, he embarked on a PhD in nuclear materials at Manchester, as part of the Advanced Metallic Systems CDT and Rolls-Royce Nuclear UTC. Using a combination of high-resolution digital image correlation and electron backscatter diffraction, the deformation behaviour of zirconium alloys subject to simulated in-reactor conditions were investigated and presented in a thesis titled 'Effect of proton irradiation and hydriding on strain localisation in zirconium alloys’. The work from Rhys’ thesis was presented at a number of international conferences, and he has won awards for best poster, best talk, and one of his research images was selected to appear on the cover of Journal of Nuclear Materials 60th anniversary special edition in 2019.
As part of the MIDAS programme grant, Rhys hopes to expand his expertise to include x-ray line broadening analysis and small-scale testing, in order to further improve the understanding of degradation mechanisms in neutron-irradiated zirconium alloys.