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Iron & Steel Group

Representing the iron and steel community, we provide technical expertise and advice related to all aspects of the manufacture, use and reuse of iron and steel based metals and alloys

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  • Overview

The IOM3 Iron & Steel Group (formerly the Iron & Steel Society) brings representatives from across the iron and steel community, including academic and business experts from all key institutions in the industry and associated supply chain. Our aim is to provide technical expertise and advice to our members and the wider stakeholders of IOM3. The group organises conferences and other events on all aspects of steel production and use to enable sharing, learning and networking across the community and support the future success of the iron and steel industry.

 

Latest iron & steel news & resources

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22 March 2023

Science and Technology of Welding and Joining, Vol. 28, No. 4, out now

With papers on the Natural aging of heterogeneous arc-welded AA6061-AA7075 joints with nanocomposite filler, a Study of laser directed energy deposition of Inconel 625 and austenitic steel, and Rapid in situ wetting measurement for nanosolder by electron beam irradiation.

News
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14 March 2023

Cutting construction raw materials by more than a third

The Green Alliance has launched a report on how to achieve a more circular construction sector.

News
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11 March 2023

Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology, Vol. 58, No. 2, out now

Including papers on Corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in Beibu Gulf tidal zone, Smart corrosion inhibitors for controlled release: a review, and Evaluation of corrosion behaviour of turmeric-coated AZ51 alloy in simulated body fluid for biomedical applications.

News
See more resources

 

Meet the Iron & Steel Leadership Team

Dr Laura Baker

Dr Laura Baker

Chair, Iron & Steel Group & Head - Product Management & Development, Tata Steel UK

Sarah Connolly

Sarah Connolly

Innovation Technologist, Innovate UK

Chris McDonald

Chris McDonald

Chief Executive Officer, Materials Processing Institute

Chris Melvin

Chris Melvin

Transformation Manager – Heavy End Cost Optimisation , TATA Steel UK

Dr Jitendra Patel

Dr Jitendra Patel

Managing Director, International Metallurgy Ltd

Claire Davis

Claire Davis

Royal Academy of Engineering / Tata Steel Professor of Low Energy Steel Processing, Advanced Steel Research Centre, Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick

Richard Thackray

Richard Thackray

Lecturer in Steelmaking, Sheffield University

Brian Edy FIMMM, CEng

Brian Edy FIMMM, CEng

Director of Industrial Deployment, Steel and Metals Institute

Gill Thornton

Gill Thornton

R&D Manager, Liberty Powder Metals Ltd

Martin Brunnock

Martin Brunnock

Hub Director, Tata Steel UK

Dr Laura Baker

Dr Laura Baker

Chair, Iron & Steel Group & Head - Product Management & Development, Tata Steel UK

Dr Laura Baker has over 20 years’ experience in the Steel Industry including senior leadership roles within Technical, Supply Chain and Manufacturing functions.  

Laura has represented the industry at many international events and has an excellent understanding of the challenges facing manufacturing and the steel industry supply chain in particular.  She is an advisor to the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council where she helps shape the direction of research funding.

Laura is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals, a Chartered Engineer and holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and an Engineering Doctorate in Steel Technology from Swansea University.

Laura is a keen STEM ambassador and is passionate about engaging youngsters, particularly young women, in STEM subjects.

“I’m delighted and very proud to be appointed as Chair of the Iron & Steel Group.  I hope to use the time in this role to continue the great work of the group in providing technical events and conferences to the Iron and Steel community.  I also hope to embrace the new digital world we find ourselves in to reach a wider, more diverse audience for these events and make the fascinating world of iron and steel more accessible to all!”

Sarah Connolly

Sarah Connolly

Innovation Technologist, Innovate UK

Sarah is an Innovation Technologist at Innovate UK, supporting the Foundation Industries to be sustainable and internationally competitive. 
She studied her for her MEng in Materials Science at Mansfield College, Oxford and DPhil at Wolfson College, Oxford. Her research focused on novel alloy development for the Nuclear Industry working closely with Rolls Royce and the National Nuclear Laboratory. 

Sarah has been in the Materials Processing Industry for the past 7 years, initially conducting research at both the University of Oxford and WMG, University of Warwick, before joining Innovate UK. In 2020, she was awarded the Frank Fitzgerald Medal and Travel Award for excellence in professional development and breadth of technical knowledge.  

She has continued to be a strong supporter of Education & Skills; being an active STEM ambassador since 2012; running the Focus on Materials Science Residential Headstart Course at the University of Oxford between 2012 to 2017; being a founding member of the Making Materials Matter Outreach Project in 2017, developing the Investigating Chocolate programme; and being a Governor of a local Academy from 2020. 

She continues to represent Early Career Professionals on the IOM3 Advisory Council, the Iron and Steel Board, and is the Chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Materials Society. She has recently founded the Foundation Industries Future Leaders Group, with ED&I and the future skills requirements for the processing industries high on the agenda. 

In her spare time, she is a keen runner, cyclist and baker.

Chris McDonald

Chris McDonald

Chief Executive Officer, Materials Processing Institute

Chris McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer of the Materials Processing Institute.  The Institute is a not-for-profit, industrial research institute, which has develops new technologies, primarily for the steel and metals sector in the areas of advanced materials, digital technologies, industrial decarbonisation and the circular economy.  Chris led the divestment of the 75yr old Institute in 2014 from its then parent company, returning the organisation to independent ownership.

Chris’s background is in industrial research and manufacturing, where he has worked internationally.  A graduate of Cambridge University, Chris is a Fellow the Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He is Chair of the UK Metals Council, a member of the North East Council of the CBI and policy chair for Innovation & Enterprise at the Federation of Small Businesses.

Chris is often called on to commentate in the media and speak on topics such as industrial strategy, digital technologies, steel and decarbonisation.  He provides expert opinion and support to companies, government and non-governmental organisations in these areas, to support policy development, growth and inward investment.  He has a strong interest in the wider social impact of business, including issues such as employee participation, community involvement and environmental sustainability, all of which are covered on his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/chrismcdonald
 

Chris Melvin

Chris Melvin

Transformation Manager – Heavy End Cost Optimisation , TATA Steel UK

Chris has over 10 years experience in the Steel Industry working mainly within transformation and process/cost optimisation roles within technical and manufacturing functions.

Chris has represented the industry and IOM3 within the CAETS Energy Committee and has an excellent understanding of the decarbonisation challenge and potential pathways and their associated risks.

Chris studied for a Material Science undergraduate degree at Swansea University then pursued a Steel Technology Masters working on Galvanising Steel Dewetting with TATA Steel in Shotton.  

Chris completed an Engineering Doctorate in Material Science at Swansea University sponsored by TATA Steel Packaging, Crown Packaging and Akzo Nobel Coatings with a thesis entitled the “Fundamentals of Adhesion for Steel Packaging Materials.”

Chris is part of the IOM3 Assessors group, mentors a range of professionals working towards accreditation for Chartered Scientist and Engineers and was the South Wales Materials Association President from 2018-2021.

Dr Jitendra Patel

Dr Jitendra Patel

Managing Director, International Metallurgy Ltd

Jit is a steel technology and business professional with 25 years of international experience.  In 2008 he founded International Metallurgy, a consultancy and advisory service provider to the steel and allied industry sectors. He is an internationally recognised expert in the area of microalloyed steel and its physical metallurgy and processing. He has a proven industry track record in steel product development and value chain application to end-user.  Jit has a strong drive and passion for the industry, with established strong links with international steelmakers, science base, RTOs,  associations and policy makers. 

Claire Davis

Claire Davis

Royal Academy of Engineering / Tata Steel Professor of Low Energy Steel Processing, Advanced Steel Research Centre, Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick

Claire Davis is the Royal Academy of Engineering / Tata Steel Professor of Low Energy Steel Processing and she leads the Advanced Steel Research Centre (ASRC) at WMG, University of Warwick. The ASRC  comprises over forty people carrying on research on steel where the focus is to develop new and improved steels and understand new processing technologies. The work tackles both fundamental and applied research from steelmaking, through to production.  Claire’s personal research interests are on the development of microstructure during processing and the relationships between microstructure and properties (both physical and mechanical) in steels. She also works on the non-destructive evaluation of steel microstructure using electromagnetic sensors

Richard Thackray

Richard Thackray

Lecturer in Steelmaking, Sheffield University

Richard Thackray is an academic at the University of Sheffield. He holds a degree in Materials Science and a PhD in Metallurgy from Imperial College London. His current research interests are related to the production of steel, including development of mould powders for continuous casting, and the role of thermomechanical processing on inclusion behaviour. Richard is also involved in a number of projects focussing on aspects of sustainability in steelmaking. These include initiatives to reduce energy consumption, reuse and recycling of by products and waste material, and life cycle assessment of steelmaking operations. He is also a key member of the University of Sheffield’s team for SUSTAIN, the EPSRC funded Future Steel Manufacturing Hub. Richard is past chair (2010-2015) of the Iron and Steel Society of IOM3, and a current member of the Sustainable Development Group.

Brian Edy FIMMM, CEng

Brian Edy FIMMM, CEng

Director of Industrial Deployment, Steel and Metals Institute

Brian studied Metallurgy at Swansea University before joining the British Steel Corporation as a graduate trainee. Brian has worked in a range of Industries including the aerospace, electronics and steel sectors where he has held technical, operations and other senior managerial roles. 

Brian re-joined Swansea University in 2013 where he became the Founding Director of the “Steel and Metals Institute”

Brian is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IoM3) and a past president of the South Wales Materials Association. 

Gill Thornton

Gill Thornton

R&D Manager, Liberty Powder Metals Ltd

Gill Thornton has a degree in Material Science and an MBA from Warwick Business School.  She has worked in the steel industry for 35 years in technical roles including R&D and on plants across the UK. Her most recent work was leading a 4 year multi partner UK government project on creating an advanced manufacturing supply chain for net shape and additive manufactured parts which address the demands of end-users. This has led to Liberty Steel starting a new business; Liberty Powder Metals to vacuum atomise a broad spectrum of high quality steel and nickel-based alloy powders, with bespoke chemistries to enhance properties where required, where her current role is the R&D Manager. Gill is a past president of the Cleveland Institution of Engineers.

Martin Brunnock

Martin Brunnock

Hub Director, Tata Steel UK

Martin has worked in many different parts of the steel industry in a career spanning over 20 years, and is currently Hub Director for the Strip Products UK hub of Tata Steel in Europe. 

As a fellow of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals and a Chartered Engineer, Martin has an MBA from Warwick University and a Doctorate in Galvanising Technology from Swansea University. 

Martin’s hobbies are rugby refereeing, staying fit, travelling and spending time with the family.

I had an immense advantage over many others dealing with the problem inasmuch as I had no fixed ideas derived from long-established practice to control and bias my mind, and did not suffer from the general belief that whatever is, is right

Sir Henry Bessemer

(1813-1898)

 

 

Join the IOM3 iron & steel community (logged in members only) and receive updates about the latest relevant news, technical content and events.

RT @iom3: Were you aware we have new membership grade changes taking effect from today? Read more: bit.ly/3QlCkDy https://t.co/aS…

@Iron & Steel Group
Friday, 9 September 2022

RT @UKSteel__: Everyone involved in the UK steel sector will be deeply saddened at the death of Her Majesty the Queen. We all owe her an im…

@Iron & Steel Group
Thursday, 8 September 2022

HRM Queen Elizabeth had a long history with the Iron and Steel Group. She was the Bessemer Gold Medallist in 1969 and attended sites across the country during her reign seeing huge changes across our industry. Our thoughts go out to the Royal Family at this difficult time. twitter.com/iom3/status/15…

@Iron & Steel Group
Thursday, 8 September 2022

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The Iron & Steel Society at 150 Years

View the Iron & Steel Society's collection of web pages on the IOM3 archive site showing a legacy of 150 years of the iron & steel industry, with a wide array of presentations, videos, photographs and commentary about the past, the present, and indeed potential future opportunities. 

View now

Forthcoming events

  • Free
  • Webinar
  • 29 March 2023

Transition Talks: Materials Challenges and Opportunities for Fusion Reactors

From superconducting magnets to breeding blankets. Join us explore the materials challenges and opportunities for fusion reactors.

  • Free
  • Webinar
  • 13 April 2023

Quantification of organic additives in battery materials

Exploring the use of thermogravimetric analysis with mass spectroscopy for carbon characterisation in Li-ion battery cathodes

  • Free
  • Webinar
  • 18 April 2023

Machine learning in biomaterials

Join us to hear more about machine learning in biomaterials.

See more events

 

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Sustainable Development Group

The network helping to develop sustainable practices across the materials cycle as the centre of expertise on sustainability and the environment within IOM3

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Construction Materials Group

The technical network covering the application, use and reuse of all construction materials and systems

See all our communities

 

 

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