Every year, the Department of Mechanical Engineering awards prizes to recognise the achievements of our PhD students.

The Unwin Postgraduate Prize in Mechanical Engineering is awarded to one PhD student and one MSc student at the end of their studies. One of the four academic founders of the City & Guilds College in 1884, Professor Unwin was Head of Engineering for over twenty years. 

The current holder of the PhD Unwin prize is Wei Wang, let’s get to know him better:

Can you say a few words on the award you’ve received?

I am truly honoured to receive this Unwin Prize at the end of my PhD. It is also a great ending to this three-year journey.

Why did you decide to study for a PhD?

Having a PhD is a requirement for career advancement in certain professions. It opens up opportunities for positions in academia and research institutions.

What is your research about, in a nutshell?

My work aims to introduce a revolutionary solid welding technology addressing weldability and scalability issues in manufacturing large-scale components. This technology has led to the 1st prize award in the Fusion Manufacturing Challenge 2023 at the TechConnect Conference in Washington. The technique is considered one of the most promising future manufacturing techniques for welding dissimilar metals for fusion reactors.

How would you describe your experience during your PhD in the department? What would you say about the supervision you received?

I received invaluable support and collaboration during my time in the department. I received unlimited support and guidance from Jun [Jiang], my thesis supervisor, who truly encouraged me in more ways than one. His unwavering support and knowledge have been instrumental and provided me with a warm group to grow.

What were the most difficult challenges?

Discovering meaningful and worthwhile scientific questions is the most challenging aspect. Only by identifying a significant research topic does the effort invested in the research become truly meaningful. In this regard, Jun provided me with much encouragement and assistance. It took approximately a year to pinpoint the research topic, but subsequent progress on the project has been remarkably smooth, yielding results that are both gratifying and exciting.

What did you enjoy most about the experience?

I relish the opportunity to delve deeply into a scientific problem, exploring uncharted mechanisms in the metal forming and manufacturing field. My work consists in large part of experiments. Preparing samples and getting a “clear” image under SEM and EBSD is a joy.

What are you planning to do in the future?

I will continue my academic career by starting a post-doc position and preparing to apply for potential academic positions in the future.

What are your interests beyond Mechanical Engineering?

My life in the UK is quite simple, as my family are in China. In my spare time, I enjoy watching TV series or anime. In the last three years, I managed to catch up on nearly every anime that I had wanted to watch for the past twenty-five years but never had the time to do so.