Wesley Richards

What inspired you to pursue this project and join the DAMC CDT?  

Materials form the fabric of our man-made reality, which makes materials science one of the most influential tools in reshaping it. I aim to improve your life by advancing automated materials discovery. The DAMC CDT gives me access to the tools, problems, and people necessary to succeed in this ambition.

What is your research project about, and what impact do you hope it will have?     

I am developing methods to automate Rietveld refinements, a critical step in crystallographic data analysis that is traditionally time-consuming and requires expert supervision. Automating this process will enable high-throughput analysis, accelerate materials discovery, and allow experts to focus on greater challenges.

What has been the most exciting or rewarding part of your PhD journey so far? How does your project benefit from being part of an interdisciplinary CDT like DAMC?  

Being surrounded by talented, driven people who know things that I don’t is by far the most rewarding part of the CDT.