Sir Harry Bhadeshia on the choreography of metals

The Life Scientific

BBC

Technology, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 December 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Life Scientific zooms in to explore the intricate atomic make-up of metal alloys, with complex crystalline arrangements that can literally make or break structures integral to our everyday lives.

Professor Sir Harry Bhadeshia is Professor of Metallurgy at Queen Mary University of London and Emeritus Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. He’s been described as a ‘steel innovator’ – developing multiple new alloys with a host of real-world applications, from rail tracks to military armour.

Harry’s prolific work in the field has earned him widespread recognition and a Knighthood; but it's not always been an easy ride... From his childhood in Kenya and an enforced move to the UK as a teenager, to the years standing up to those seeking to discredit the new path he was forging in steel research - Jim Al-Khalili discovers that Harry's achievements have required significant determination, as well as hard work.

Produced by Lucy Taylor.

Transcript

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0:44.5	Hello and welcome to the podcast edition of the Life Scientific.
0:47.9	I'm Jim Alkalelei and this is the show where I get to talk with some of the world's
0:51.5	leading scientists and you get to find out what drives
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0:55.7	So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy the episode.
0:58.5	Today we're zooming in to explore the intricate atomic makeup of metal alloys that have complex crystalline
1:05.4	arrangements and which can literally make or break structures that are
1:09.2	integral to our everyday lives. Harry Bedacia is professor of metallurgy at Queen Mary University of
1:15.2	London and Emeritus Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge.
1:21.3	He's been described as a steel innovator, researching the untapped
1:24.8	possibilities of alloys and developing new ones to deliver a whole host of useful real-world
1:30.6	applications from rail tracks to military armor.
	...

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