Tomas Martin

Dr Tomas Martin is Senior Lecturer in Materials Physics within the School of Physics and Director of the MSc in Nuclear Science and Engineering at the University of Bristol. Following a PhD at Bristol investigating the electronic properties of diamond surfaces, Dr Martin worked in the renewable energy industry as a bank’s engineer on wind and solar power projects around the world, before four years as David Cockayne Junior Research Fellow in Materials at the University of Oxford. Dr Martin is Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Materials Today Communications and is a published science fiction author.

Dr Martin’s research uses advanced microstructural characterisation techniques to understand the structure and chemistry of materials for nuclear power plants, semiconductor devices and aerospace. His work aims to take a holistic approach to materials characterisation using a combination of experimental techniques and computer modelling to understand the mechanisms behind materials behaviour across the length scales, from individual atomic defects to large scale stresses and chemistry changes in engineering components.

Dr Martin is part of the core academic team running the Interface Analysis Centre microscope facility at the University of Bristol. His research group uses techniques including atom probe tomography, focused ion beam and electron microscopy, complemented by computational modelling, to understand materials degradation challenges such as corrosion, creep and radiation damage. Dr Martin works with collaborators in many fields of academic research, as well as with industrial partners including EDF Energy, NNL, Rolls Royce and UKAEA. In 2022 Dr Martin was the recipient of the inaugural Amazon Physical Science Fellowship