Dr Mingwen Bai

Profile

I am a UK Chartered Engineer (CEng) with over a decade of experience in surface engineering aimed at protecting metals from environmental degradation such as oxidation, corrosion, and wear. My work has broad applications in power generation, including aerospace gas turbines, biomass-fired power plants, and nuclear reactors. I earned my BEng in Materials Science and Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011 and completed my PhD in Materials at the University of Manchester in 2015. Before assuming my current role, I served as an Assistant Professor at Coventry University from 2020 to 2023. I have also held postdoctoral positions at the University of Sheffield (2018-2020) and the University of Nottingham (2016-2018), contributing to two large EPSRC-funded projects (EP/R001766/1 and EP/M01536X/1).

Responsibilities

• School Deputy International Lead

Research interests

In-situ Mechanical Testing of Materials in a Scanning Electron Microscope: Traditional approaches in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) have been limited in their capacity to analyse dynamic material behaviour, often leading to skewed interpretations that can hinder progress in materials science. However, our recent work transcends these limitations by pioneering in-situ mechanical testing within SEM. This marks a critical advancement in the field, shifting from static, post-mortem examinations to real-time analyses. Our research synergises advanced instrumentation with emerging technologies like Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), forming an integrated analytical framework. This breakthrough allows us to untangle complex material behaviours, providing robust, quantifiable data that is essential for computational modelling and diverse applications.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials, University of Manchester
• BEng in Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Postgraduate Certificate, Academic Practice in Higher Education, Coventry University
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Professional memberships

• Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• Member, The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (MIMMM)
• Early Career Advisory Board Member, Surface and Coatings Technology
• Editorial Board Member, MDPI-Coatings
• Member, UKRI ECR Forum
• Associate Editor, Frontier in Ceramics

Research groups and institutes

• Institute of Functional Surfaces

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>