Ava Sjoberg

Profile

Ava completed her undergraduate degree at Northumbria University, Newcastle, and graduated with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering (BEng) (2018 - 2021). During her undergraduate degree, she was awarded the Cundall Prize for the best undergraduate thesis titled "The Effect of Capillary Pressure on Shrinkage Cracking in Young-Age Concrete", igniting her research interests into cement chemistry.

In 2021/22 academic year, Ava took a year out of education as a sabbatical officer after having been successfully elected to the role of Vice President (Education) at Northumbria Students' Union in a campus-wide vote. As part of this role, Ava sat on the Board of Trustees at the Union, the Board of Governors at the University, and held many other student-facing representative duties such as overseeing academic societies and the academic rep cohort.

Ava joined the University of Sheffield in 2026 to undertake her PhD in the Sustainable Materials at Sheffield (SMASH) research group in the School of Chemical, Materials & Biological Engineering, and focussed on cement-superplasticiser interactions in blended Portland cement and ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) wasteforms. This project was sponsored by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) with industrial support from Sellafield Ltd. and UKNNL. During her PhD, she was awarded the prestigious Roy G Post Scholarship for her contributions to extra-curricular activities and to the radioactive waste management industry as an early career researcher. She continued roles in student representation throughout this time, notably spending 4 years on the University's Senate Academic Assurance Committee, and 3 years as a Trustee at Sheffield Students' Union.

Upon completion of her PhD in the Autumn of 2026, Ava was appointed as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Research Associate at the University of Leeds. This project is a joint venture between the University and a local quarrying company based in Yorkshire called Mone Bros. The research focusses on transforming filter cake clay (FCC), that is produced as a by-product of processing recycled aggregates and soil, into a commercially viable, low-carbon supplementary cementitious material, valuing circular economy, repurposing of waste materials, and sustainable construction materials.

Research interests

Ava’s research interests focus on sustainable cementitious materials, low-carbon construction, and the valorisation of industrial by-products. Her research spans cement chemistry, hydration mechanisms, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and the development of alternative binders to support the decarbonisation of the construction industry. Her PhD investigated blended cement wasteforms for the encapsulation of intermediate-level radioactive waste, exploring how material composition and chemical admixtures influence hydration and performance. Her current Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) research at the University of Leeds, in collaboration with Mone Brothers, explores the potential of Filter Cake Clay as a low-carbon SCM through material characterisation, activation, performance evaluation and life-cycle assessment. More broadly, Ava is interested in circular economy approaches, resource efficiency, supply-chain resilience and translating fundamental materials science into practical, commercially viable solutions for sustainable construction.

Qualifications

• BEng (Civil Engineering), Northumbria University (2018 - 2021)
• PhD (Chemical Engineering), University of Sheffield (2022-2026) (Viva Pending)
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy, FHEA