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- Lecturer in Materials Science and Engineering
- Dept of Mechanical Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering Science
Enrique is a Lecturer and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at University College London. He was awarded this fellowship in recognition for his early leadership in the Theory and Simulation of Metals with real-world applications. Before joining UCL, he established a large research group at Cambridge University in 20117, where he was also a Research Associate between 2014 and 2016. Enrique obtained his PhD in Materials Science from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) in 2013 and he has two degrees, one in Mathematics by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and another in Mechanical Engineering by the Panamerican University (Mexico).
Enrique has published 53 peer-reviewed papers concerning different aspects of the process-microstructure-property paradigm in advanced materials. He was awarded the “2019 Metals Young Investigator Award” in recognition for his outstanding contribution to research in Metals. He has been invited as Keynote speaker at several top international conferences in Materials and Deformation, as well as presenting at more than 15 international conferences in the field.
Enrique is the principal supervisor of several post-docs, PhDs and Masters students. The build of his large team has been due to his early success in attracting funding as principal investigator from UK research councils and through multiple collaborations with industry.


Advanced Material Processing: The Achilles heel of any new material is its capacity to be made outside laboratory conditions. Advanced materials are designed with greater microstructural complexity demanding new predictive computational tools to optimise in-service performance and prevent process-related issues, e.g. cracks during rapid solidification or during non-isothermal forging. I endeavour in understanding the origins of defects and damage during advanced material processing using data science, physics-based modelling and correlative characterisation to design better material processing routes and ensure that new materials can be produced under industrial conditions.
Towards a Hydrogen-based Economy: From H embrittlement to material design for H generation: Realising a “Hydrogen economy” is seen as a definite solution to tackle climate change and future energy demands. However, significant challenges remain in place. For instance, preventing Hydrogen related degradation is a grand challenge in Materials Science and anticipating its behaviour is critical to the viability of many materials used in safety-critical industries such as aerospace, energy, nuclear and automotive. We develop novel modelling strategies -based on combining atomistic, mesoscale and macroscale methods- that predict how H diffuses and interacts with microstructure to anticipate material’s response to H embrittlement. Similarly, we work on novel computational approaches based on atomistic and Machine Learning methods tackling the challenge of designing stable and resource-efficient material catalysts for H generation. Our approach is based on identifying key composition-structure-property links to provide new understanding on what are key material features controlling their electrochemical efficiency and improved stability.
Computational Material Design: Advanced materials are designed to be more resilient but the trade-off and bottle-neck is that they are inherently more difficult to manufacture into components. They often require the use of tailored manufacturing routes involving as much effort as the material design process itself. I combine machine learning, physics-based modelling and material characterisation to design materials with improved mechanical and environmental performance whilst ensuring their appropriate manufacturability. For instance, we have been using mesoscale modelling, deep learning and nano-characterisation to design better and more resource-efficient steels and superalloys for aerospace and automotive applications.;
Engineering shear transformations in Advanced Structural and Functional Materials: Materials using shear transformations are widely used in high-strength/multifunctional structures, e.g. steels and shape memory alloys, and they are becoming more important in emerging manufacturing technologies, e.g. additive manufacturing. However, despite the importance of these transformations, our understanding remains mostly material-specific and very few predictive models are currently available, mostly due to the resulting microstructure being very complex. I work on deriving new physically-based models that predict such microstructural complexities in order to improve mechanical/functional properties of new materials using these transformations.
I am interested in teaching a range of subjects related to Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Manufacturing, Computational Materials Science, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties. I have lectured several undergraduate and postgraduate modules in Materials Science and Metallurgy at various institutions. Modules include Advanced Metals Processing (MSc), Solidification Processing and Composite Materials. My goals in teaching are that that students learn and understand how Scientists and Engineers are important in society and industry, by presenting case studies where new Materials and Materials Engineering principles have been used to solve technological problems in real life.
Apart from teaching, I have been very active in outreach with the aim of advocating strongly for diversity, inclusion and equity at all levels. I was coordinator of the Cambridge Science Festival for the Department of Materials for 5 years, where we organised science demonstrations to motivate young people a career in science, engineering or mathematics.
02-AUG-2021 | Lecturer | Mechanical Engineering | UCL, United Kingdom |
01-JAN-2017 – 01-AUG-2021 | RAEng Research Fellow | Materials Science and Metallurgy | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom |
01-NOV-2013 – 31-DEC-2016 | Research Associate | Materials Science and Metallurgy | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom |