Microstructures and deformation mechanisms of superalloys in next-generation aero-engines

Career overview

Dr. Minh-Son Pham is an Associate Professor in Engineering Alloys and Physical Metallurgy at Imperial College London, where he has been since December 2015. He initially joined as a Research Fellow to establish an independent research group, later being promoted to Lecturer in 2018, Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer level) in 2021, and Associate Professor (Reader level) in 2025. Prior to his tenure at Imperial, Dr. Pham worked as a Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon University under Prof. Tony Rollett and served as a Guest Researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 2013 to 2015. He earned a Doctor of Science degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich in 2013, receiving the ETH Medal for his outstanding doctoral thesis. Dr. Pham''s research focuses on high-performing materials and advanced manufacturing, particularly in the areas of metal 3D printing, material design, and mechanical degradation. He has published significant findings in prestigious journals such as Nature and Nature Communications and has been recognised with the TMS''s Young Innovator Award for Materials Science of Additive Manufacturing in 2024. Throughout his career, he has delivered over 15 keynote and invited lectures at international conferences. In terms of academic mentorship, Dr. Pham has supervised ten PhD students, with seven successfully graduating, three of whom received best thesis prizes. He has also supervised three postdoctoral researchers, one of whom is now an assistant professor at Concordia University in Canada. Dr. Pham actively collaborates with various industries, including aerospace, energy, and medical devices, to address challenges related to reliability, performance, sustainability, and environmental issues. In addition to his research, Dr. Pham teaches multiple subjects at Imperial, including Fracture Mechanics, Additive Manufacturing, Microstructure of Steels, and Partial Differential Equations. He serves as the careers adviser in the Department of Materials and coordinates international exchange programmes in Materials and Nuclear Engineering with leading universities such as MIT, Purdue, EPFL, and ETH Zurich. Dr. Pham is also an active reviewer for numerous scientific journals and funding bodies, holds two patents, and is a co-founder of a spin-off company.

Research interests

Dr. Minh-Son Pham''s research focuses on high performing materials and advanced manufacturing, particularly in the areas of materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing engineering. He leads a research group that conducts fundamental research in advanced manufacturing, including metal 3D printing, material design, material/mechanical degradation, and meta-materials. Dr. Pham has established strong collaborations with industries across various sectors such as aerospace, energy, and medical devices, addressing challenges related to reliability, performance, sustainability, and environmental issues. His groundbreaking research has been published in prestigious journals, including Nature and Nature Communications. He is also an active reviewer for numerous scientific journals and funding bodies. Dr. Pham holds two patents and is a co-founder of a spin-off.