Dr Catalina Taltavull

Dr. Catalina Taltavull is a Research Associate in the Composites and Coatings Group.

She has a Technical Aeronautical Engineering in Aerospace Materials and Equipments Degree from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, and an MSc in structural materials for new technologies from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Universidad Carlos III, Spain, both of them supported by Spanish Education Grants.

Catalina then joined EDAG Engineering as an Aeronautical Designer in fluids and electrical systems where she worked on projects with Airbus Defense and Altran.

She joined the Materials Science and Engineering department of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain, in 2010 where she developed her PhD, funded by a Spanish Government Grant (Science and Innovation Department). During her PhD, Catalina studied the wear and corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloys as well as surface treatments (with high power diode laser) and coatings (thermal spray coatings) to improve the above-mentioned properties.

Catalina joined the Composite and Coatings Group in 2014 and, as a post-doctoral research associate, she is focused on the development of new thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) deposited during the vacuum plasma spray process. Her main aim is to create new TBCs in gas turbine aeroengines to protect them against degradation caused by Calcia-Magnesia-Alumina-Silicate (CMAS) particles and volcanic ash.