Dr Joshua Owen

Profile

I am a Lecturer in Thermofluids in the School of Mechanical Engineering with research interests in corrosion science, electrochemistry and computational fluid dynamics. I have expertise in the application of experimental and computational techniques to understand corrosion and erosion-corrosion processes, specialising in the design of bespoke flow systems to understand these processes. My research aims to address many of the key material degradation challenges faced in the transition to renewable energy, working closely with a number of industry partners.

Research interests

My current research interests include: 

• Aqueous corrosion and erosion-corrosion  – I investigate how materials degrade in challenging environments, with a particular focus on extreme conditions found in renewable energy and carbon abatement applications (e.g. geothermal energy, carbon capture) 
• Electrochemistry and analytical techniques – I develop the understanding of corrosion mechanisms through the implementation of electrochemical and surface analystical techniques
• Corrosion modelling – implementation of computational fluid dynamics to simulate corrosive species transport and predict corrosion rates of carbon steel in complex hydrodynamic environments
• Electrochemical flow cell design – design of bespoke flow systems for electrochemical analysis of various corrosion phenomena, including corrosion inhibition 
• Electrochemical biosensing – I design microfluidic flow cells for electrochemical biosensing of nanomaterial toxicity
• Surface layer modification – a number of surface layers (e.g. iron oxides and iron carbonates) form as carbon steel corrodes. I develop techniques to modify the structure of the layers to enhance corrosion protection. 

Qualifications

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds
• MEng Automotive Engineering, University of Leeds

Research groups and institutes

• Institute of Functional Surfaces
• Corrosion and flow assurance

Current postgraduate researchers

• Ryan Abou-Shakra
• Muhammad Hashir Zaheer
• Finlay Spence
• Harry Tookey