EnerHy CDT researcher Seif Alwahsh, whose PhD project is sponsored by Caterpillar, has had an abstract accepted for presentation at the 25th European Conference on Fracture (ECF25): Predicting and Preventing Catastrophic Crack Propagation, taking place in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 11 September 2026.
Recognised as one of the world’s premier conferences in fracture mechanics and structural integrity, ECF25 brings together leading researchers and industry experts to share the latest advances in understanding material failure, crack propagation and durability. Seif will present his research on Thursday 10 September.
As part of this achievement, Seif has also been invited to submit a full paper for publication in the conference’s associated Procedia Structural Integrity proceedings.
A member of EnerHy Cohort 2 and former aerospace systems engineer, Seif is investigating how hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels influence the durability and performance of materials used in heavy-duty engine materials. The project is based at the Caterpillar Innovation & Research Centre at Loughborough University and aims to support the development of more sustainable propulsion technologies while ensuring the long-term reliability of critical components.
The conference acceptance comes just one week after Seif presented his research at the EnerHy Research Conference and, alongside fellow Cohort 2 researchers, took part in the EnerHy Design and Build Challenge. Supported by East Midlands Freeport, the challenge brought together multidisciplinary teams to develop and demonstrate a solar farm measurement system and a thermally integrated photovoltaic-electrolyser, providing valuable hands-on experience of collaborative engineering and innovation.
Before joining EnerHy, Seif worked on hydrogen propulsion and test-rig projects with ZeroAvia and Honeywell, contributing to the development of real-world systems for zero-emission flight. This industry experience now informs his doctoral research at the intersection of hydrogen technologies, materials engineering and decarbonised transport.
Congratulations to Seif on this achievement, and we wish him every success with his presentation and publication in Athens.