Background:
Dr Rebecca Higginson graduated from The University College Swansea in 1992 winning the British Steel Travel Award for her practical work. She went on to study for her PhD at Birmingham University on the ‘The Effect of Small Second Phase Particles on the Recrystallisation and Grain Growth in Aluminium’ sponsored by Alcan. In 1995 she became a Post Doctoral Research Associate at Sheffield University working on the thermomechanical processing of stainless steels and aluminium alloys. Whilst at Sheffield she took a part time Postgraduate Diploma in Education. In 2001 she became a Lecturer in Metallurgy at Loughborough University, promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2007, Reader in 2015 and became Head of the Department of Materials in July 2020-2023.
Qualifications:
- BEng 1992
- PhD 1995
- FRMS 2002, CSci 2005, CEng 2005, FIMMM 2006, MInstP 2008
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Key awards:
- Awarded the IOM3 Cook/Ablett Award 2008
- Awarded the SAGA Best Paper Award 2011
- IoM3 Stokowiec Medal and Prize “in recognition of distinguished work related to the technical, manufacturing, processing or engineering application of alloy steels, including stainless steels” 2018
Outline of main research interests:
- Metals for extreme environments in green power generation
- Oxide Scale Formation and Characterisation
- Texture Development
- Precipitation effects in steels, stainless steels and aluminium alloys
- Strain Path
- Microscopy including: SEM, EBSD, TEM
- Laser material deposition
Grants and contracts:
- Prediction of Microstructural Evolution During Long Term Thermal Ageing of Type 321 - Type 347 Weldments, EDF, 2013 - 2016
- Inter-granular Stress Corrosion Cracking in Nickel Base Alloys, Rolls-Royce, 2015 - 2016
- Colouring of Stainless Steel, Rimex Metals, 2013 - 2016
- WHISKERMIT - Manufacturing and in-service tin whisker mitigation strategies for high value electronics, EPSRC, 2011 - 2013
- Prediction of Microstructural Evolution during Long Term Thermal Ageing of Austenitic Steels in Both Parent and Weld Metal, EDF, 2010 - 2013
Current teaching responsibilities:
- MPA201 - Structure and Properties of Materials (RE)
- MPA321 - Introduction to Materials Processing (RE)
- MPA220 - Introduction to Materials (RE)
- MPB313 - Materials in Action (RE)
- WSC910 - Laser Materials Processing
- MPC014 - Materials in Service
- MPP560 - Group Design Project
Current administrative responsibilities:
- School Academic Integrity Lead
- Under 18s Coordinator
- Chair of the University Disability and Inclusion Staff Network
Please see full link of publications:
External collaborators:
- Cadent Gas Ltd
- EDF Energy
- Tata Steel
- Rolls-Royce
External roles and appointments:
- EPSRC Peer Review Panel 2004-present;
- Member of the IOM3 Professional Standards Committee
- Member of the IOM3 Accreditation Team
- External Examiner (UG and PGT) Swansea University
- External Examiner PGT The University of Manchester
- Member of the RMS In-Focus Editorial Board
Previous external roles:
- Member of the Royal Miscroscopical Society Physical Sciences Committee formerly Chair Materials Science Section 2008-2013
- Council Member of Royal Microscopical Society 2013-2015
- Member of the IOM3 Bulk Metal Forming Committee