Joha
Shamsujjoha

Sustainable Materials Design

I develop materials strategies that increase the use of recycled feedstocks while maintaining the properties required for demanding applications. A central focus is scrap-tolerant aluminum and steel alloys, where residual elements such as copper, sulfur, and phosphorus can alter segregation, precipitation, deformation behavior, and ultimately formability and mechanical performance.

Our work combines computational thermodynamics with EPMA, XRD, TEM, and mechanical characterization to connect alloy chemistry with microstructure and properties. We then use thermomechanical processing to control grain size, precipitate distributions, and dislocation structures so that higher recycled content can be accommodated without sacrificing performance.

Future work will extend this framework through high-throughput experimentation and machine learning to explore larger composition–processing spaces, reduce dependence on critical alloying elements, and design alloys specifically for additive manufacturing by controlling solidification pathways, hot-cracking susceptibility, porosity, and post-processing response.

Advanced Manufacturing & Materials Processing

I investigate how advanced manufacturing and post-processing routes control microstructure, residual stress, defects, and mechanical performance in metallic materials. My work includes additive and hybrid manufacturing, laser processing, surface modification, and repair/remanufacturing of high-value components using technologies such as high-speed laser cladding, directed-energy deposition, and ultrasonic impact treatment.

A central goal is to connect processing conditions with the evolving material state and component performance, then use that understanding to develop more reliable and scalable manufacturing and repair processes. Future work will increasingly integrate in-situ sensing, data-driven models, and adaptive process control.

Circular Manufacturing

My circular manufacturing research focuses on recovering and upgrading materials from end-of-life products and industrial waste streams so they can return to productive use. Current interests include critical-material recovery, rare-earth magnet recycling, powder preparation for direct recycling, selective separation, and reuse of industrial materials.

A key objective is to develop lower-energy, lower-infrastructure processes that preserve material value and produce useful secondary feedstocks rather than low-value intermediates. This includes understanding how liberation, contamination, separation, and subsequent processing affect the quality and reuse potential of recovered materials.