Alan Hywel Jones, usually Hywel Jones professionally, is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

materials scientist, working on ceramic composites and

body armour Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...

tribology Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative Motion (physics), motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on m ...

, metals, including sustainable use of

precious metals Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

and

rare-earth elements The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silve ...

, and decorative alloys, wear-resistant coatings, materials analysis and ballistics, and friction-stir methods (

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Welding is distinct from lower ...

and processing). He has appeared on radio and television to discuss some of his areas of interest.

Early life

Jones was born in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in 1970, and attended school in

Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...

, about north of Cardiff.

Education and career

Academic career

Jones studied at the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

from 1988 to 1997, receiving a BSc in Physics (1991), an MSc in Materials Characterisation (1993), and a PhD titled ''Synthesis and Tribology of Sialon / TiB2 Ceramic Composite'' (1997). He then secured a post as a post-doctoral research fellow and worked over three years on an EU-funded project on ultra-hard composites for tribological applications. Jones moved to a post at Sheffield Hallam University's Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) in 2000, and continues to work there. He became a senior consultant in 2004, then a senior research fellow, and is now a principal research fellow. He coordinates the consultancy activities of the institute, and has been involved in several hundred projects. Jones worked from 2008 to 2012 on UK

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

-funded research into novel light-weight ceramic composite materials for personal armour, which in turn extended into armour-piercing ammunition, as well as kiln surfaces and high-wear industrial fittings. His roles have also included membership in the Education and Skills Working Group of Materials UK, which produced a report on a 20-year strategy for UK materials science, the "What's in my stuff" public outreach and education campaign around recycling, and work as an expert witness in civil and criminal cases.

Recognition

Jones was a joint recipient of the Venture Prize of the

Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Armourers' Guild was established in 1322; it received a royal charter in 1453. Other companies, including the Armour Repairers, merged ...

, one of the ancient livery companies of London, for work on lightweight ceramic body armour, an award linked to the launch of university spin-off venture XeraCarb. He was also a recipient of a

Yorkshire Forward Yorkshire Forward was the regional development agency (RDA) for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supported the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, ...

Award.

Collaborations

Jones has worked closely with several fellow scientists and academics, including Anthony Pick, Karen Vernon-Parry,

Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill is an Irish artist and academic, crafting as a silversmith and also in copper and Japanese-inspired copper alloys, gold and other metals. He lived in Japan and studied Japanese metal crafts for seven years in the national ...

and Maria Hanson.

Consultancy and commercialisation

In 2011, Jones co-founded a university spinoff company, XeraCarb Ltd., with Anthony Pick. With headquarters and factory in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, the company works on silicon carbide composite ceramics, suitable for body armour and kiln linings, among other applications. Following acquisition, the company has since February 2017 operated as part of Capital Refractories, within the CRL Group, with Jones retained as Chief Scientific Officer. In 2016, Jones co-founded, with Cóilín Ó Dubhghaill and others, Mikana Innovations Ltd., a spin-off based on joint work between Sheffield Hallam University and Rotary Engineering Ltd.; he is today a director. This company produces a hybrid alloy, mikana, based on Japanese craft techniques, suitable for volume production for the making of jewellery and other luxury items, and hollowware.

Advanced materials

Jones has worked on a form of "stainless silver" alloy as well as advanced ceramics and the hybrid alloy mikana. The ceramics work has led to material advances in the making of personal armour and kiln lining, while mikana has properties similar to

mokume gane is a Japanese metalworking procedure which produces a mixed-metal laminate with distinctive layered patterns; the term is also used to refer to the resulting laminate itself. The term translates closely to "wood grain metal" or "wood eye metal" ...

while being more manageable and affordable.

Personal life

Jones lives in the Sheffield suburb of

Crookes Crookes is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England, about west of the city centre. It borders Broomhill to the south, Walkley and Crookesmoor to the east and open countryside around the River Rivelin to the north. The population of the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Alan Hywel British materials scientists Ceramic engineering Academics of Sheffield Hallam University Alumni of the University of Warwick People from Ebbw Vale Living people 1970 births Rare earth scientists