Orán Magan 

What is your current job / programme of study? 

I am a PhD student at Imperial College London in the Engineering Alloys theme of the Department of Materials.

What A-Levels (or equivalent) did you do? 

I completed the Leaving Certificate in Ireland, in which you take minimum 6 exams. As a result of this, I had the opportunity to dip my feet into many subjects (Physics being my favourite) but, of course, I ended up pursuing science despite all the choice I had!

Why did you choose a career in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)? 

I have always been interested in the sciences, especially Physics and Applied Mathematics during my Leaving Certificate, and more specifically in the context of applying what I learn to the world around me. I find MSE to be a perfect blend of my interests in Physics, how things work, and how to apply concepts to a complex world.

What did you enjoy most about your MSE course? (If you didn’t do a MSE course, which course did you do and what led to you MSE?) 

I pursued an undergraduate degree in Physics with Astrophysics at Trinity College Dublin which solidified my interest in applied sciences. I really enjoyed the theory and the computational approach to research in Astrophysics but… it was all just a bit too far away. This is what led me to MSE, I wanted to apply what I’ve learned about how the world works to OUR world, not Proxima Centauri b!

What is your research about?  

I am using various electron microscopy techniques to analyse crack surfaces in aerospace-grade titanium alloys to determine the reason for material failure and, hopefully, to enable us to predict failure in future before the crack forms. More specifically, I am investigating the role hydrogen has in embrittling titanium by looking at the plastic wake field along the crack path, and the effect frequency change has on the sample during Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) testing (which simulates the stresses induced during aeroplane take-off and landing).

What is the coolest thing you have done in your career so far?  

In the few months leading up to the final exams of my Junior Sophister year at Trinity College, I set myself the goal of building my first web-app, writing and producing a professional grade album, and keeping up with my studies for my exams in Physics with Astrophysics. Through time management and an obsession with creative problem-solving, I achieved a first in my studies, I built my web-app ‘Retrofy’ (bit.ly/myretrofy) which utilises Spotify’s web API to detail certain unseen analytics of a user’s listening patterns, and the album I made during this time now has over 100,000 listens on Spotify. Cool!

What do you see yourself doing in the future? 

If all goes to plan, I would like to stay true to my childhood dreams and become an inventor! Or was it an astronaut… or… some kind of dinosaur…. Going with the inventor idea, I believe my career path so far is nicely in line with this plan, since, what is an inventor if not a researcher of applied science and engineering! 

What is your favourite material (and why)?  

I have a lot of respect for ferromagnetic materials, but that is mostly due to the fact that I don’t understand them. I love all metals though since, depending on their own unique microstructures, they exhibit countless interesting and applicable properties!

What advice would you give your 16-year-old self? 

I would say to stay curious, question everything, and trust nothing until the facts are straight! The beauty of materials science is that the answer is right in front of you, you just have to know what to look for!

Other links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/or%C3%A1n-magan-b6b364217/