Prof. MA, Kan
Assistant Professor
- Ph.D., Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, 2021
- M.S., Sun Yat-sen University, 2017
- B.S., Sun Yat-sen University, 2015
Research Interests
- Materials for Extreme Environments
- Novel alloy Design & Advanced Characterisation
- Radiation Damage
- Electron Microscopy
- Thermodynamics
Professional Experience
- 2024-2025, Visiting Fellow, Chair of Metals and Alloys II, University of Bayreuth (DE)
- 2023-2024, Visiting scientist, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL)
- 2021-2024, Research Fellow, Materials for Extremes group, University of Birmingham (UK)
Honors and Awards
- 2026, ICCES Outstanding Young Researcher Award
- 2024, NuMART Image Competition Winner, NuMAT Conference 2024
- 2024, Junior Fellow, Centre of International Excellence “Alexander von Humboldt”, University of Bayreuth (DE)
- 2024, Associate Fellow of Advanced HE (UK)
Publications
- Zhenyu Wang, Kan Ma*, Bowen Shi, Yuanfei Su, Tongzhao Gong, Xianbo Shi, Quanqiang Shi, Wei Wang, Wei Yan* (2026). Harnessing the role of cobalt (Co) on austenite reversion for ultrafine-grained maraging steels. Scripta Materialia, 276, 117193. 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117193
- J. P. Magnussen, Í. Carneiro, Kan Ma, C. Coleman, A. Wisbey, H. Swan, A. J. Knowles* (2026). High temperature zirconium alloys Zr-Al-Sn-(Si,Cr,V) by near-α titanium analogy. Acta Materialia, 306, 121891. 10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121891
- Thomas Blackburn, Michael Kerbstadt, Mary Taylor, Katharina Beck, Anke Silvia Ulrich, Mathias C. Galetz, Kan Ma*, Alexander J. Knowles* (2026). Oxidation behaviour of chromium-based Cr(Fe)-NiAl bcc-superalloys between 900 and 1200 °C. Corrosion Science, 270, 114008. 10.1016/j.corsci.2026.114008
- Mikko Tahkola, Lassi Linnala, Tom Blackburn, Simon Savukoski, Vincent Gagneur, Joni Kaipainen, Kan Ma*, Alexander Knowles*, Anssi Laukkanen, Tatu Pinomaa* (2026). Accelerated discovery of Cr-based A2+B2 superalloys across 11 elements with a deep-learning CALPHAD surrogate. npj Computational Materials, Online publication. 10.1038/s41524-026-02113-x
- Kan Ma*, Long Guo, Antoine Dartois, Estelle Meslin, Colin Ophus, Brigitte Décamps, Anna Fraczkiewicz, Alexander J. Knowles, Lumin Wang, Olivier Tissot, Frédéric Prima, Fei Gao, Huiqiu Deng*, Marie Loyer-Prost* (2025). Decoding the interstitial/vacancy nature of dislocation loops with their morphological fingerprints in face-centered cubic structure. Science Advances, 11(15), eadq4070. 10.1126/sciadv.adq4070
- Kan Ma*, Pedro A. Ferreirós, Thomas W. Pfeifer, Robert G. Abernethy, Sophia von Tiedemann, Nianhua Peng, Graeme Greaves, Colin Ophus, Kai Sun, Anamul H. Mir, Lumin Wang, Shasha Huang, Shijun Zhao, Patrick E. Hopkins, Christopher D. Hardie, Alexander J. Knowles* (2025). Intermetallic dispersion-strengthened ferritic superalloys with exceptional resistance to radiation-induced hardening. Acta Materialia, 293, 121095. 10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121095
- Kan Ma*, Sibo Cheng, Xianfeng Ma, Thomas Blackburn, Alexander J. Knowles, Ke An, Javier Santisteban, Fan Sun, Christopher H. Zenk, Pedro A. Ferreirós (2025). Lattice misfit design and characterisation in BCC superalloys. Scripta Materialia, 267, 116802. 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116802
- Cameron B. Yousefian, Jóhan P. Magnussen, Matthew J. Lloyd, Kan Ma, Hannah Wilcox, Alexandra J. Cackett, Alexander J. Knowles* (2025). Zr₃₅Ti₃₅Nb₂₀V₅Al₅ refractory high entropy alloy designed for low-density, high specific strength and ductility. Scripta Materialia, 265, 116733. 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116733
- Kan Ma, Thomas Blackburn, Johan P. Magnussen, Michael Kerbstadt, Pedro A. Ferreirós, Tatu Pinomaa, Christina Hofer, David G. Hopkinson, Sarah J. Day, Paul A. J. Bagot, Michael P. Moody, Mathias C. Galetz, Alexander J. Knowles* (2023). Chromium-based bcc-superalloys strengthened by iron supplements. Acta Materialia, 257, 119183. 10.1016/j.actamat.2023.119183
- Kan Ma, Brigitte Décamps, Liangzhao Huang, Robin E. Schäublin, Jörg F. Löffler, Anna Fraczkiewicz, Maylise Nastar, Frédéric Prima, Marie Loyer-Prost* (2023). Impact of micro-alloying in ion-irradiated nickel: From the inhibition of point-defect cluster diffusion by thermal segregation to the change of dislocation loop nature. Acta Materialia, 246, 118656. 10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118656
- Alexandra M. Goryaeva*, Christophe Domain, Alain Chartier, Alexandre Dézaphie, Thomas D. Swinburne, Kan Ma, Marie Loyer-Prost, Jérôme Creuze, Mihai-Cosmin Marinica* (2023). Compact A15 Frank-Kasper nano-phases at the origin of dislocation loops in face-centred cubic metals. Nature Communications, 14, 3003. 10.1038/s41467-023-38729-6
- Kan Ma, Brigitte Décamps, Anna Fraczkiewicz, Frédéric Prima, Marie Loyer-Prost* (2022). Inversion of dislocation loop nature driven by cluster migration in self-ion irradiated nickel. Scripta Materialia, 208, 114338. 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2021.114338
- Liangzhao Huang*, Kan Ma*, Lisa T. Belkacemi*, Marie Loyer-Prost, Estelle Meslin, Elin Toijer, Luca Messina, Christophe Domain, Julien Vidal, Maylise Nastar* (2022). Impact of the local microstructure fluctuations on radiation-induced segregation in dilute Fe-Ni and Ni-Ti model alloys: A combined modeling and experimental analysis. Acta Materialia, 225, 117531. 10.1016/j.actamat.2021.117531
- Kan Ma, Brigitte Décamps, Anna Fraczkiewicz, Thomas Jourdan, Frédéric Prima, Marie Loyer-Prost* (2021). Free surface impact on radiation damage in pure nickel by in-situ self-ion irradiation: can it be avoided?. Acta Materialia, 212, 116874. 10.1016/j.actamat.2021.116874
- Kan Ma, Brigitte Décamps, Anna Fraczkiewicz, Frédéric Prima, Marie Loyer-Prost* (2020). Drastic influence of micro-alloying on Frank loop nature in Ni and Ni-based model alloys. Materials Research Letters, 8(5), 201–207. 10.1080/21663831.2020.1741042
Position Available
Positions for PhD students, Research Assistant, and Postdoctoral Fellows are available. Visiting students and scholars are also welcome. Please feel free to contact me at kan.ma@cityu.edu.hk.