Abdulmotaleb Suleiman - PhD and MSc in Corrosion Engineering and Control

I graduated from the department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tripoli in 1994. I worked with the Ministry of Education in my country for two years, teaching chemistry and physics at secondary school level before switching to industry, where I spent four years working as an engineering specialist in a large Libyan oil company.

In 2001, I came to Manchester to do a Masters degree in the Corrosion and Protection Centre at what was then UMIST (now part of The University of Manchester). After I completed my Masters course, I started my PhD degree in the Centre, where the atmosphere is fantastic, and I will, hopefully, complete my studies in September 2005.

With reasonable living costs and a diversity of student nationalities, Manchester is perfect for students. Choosing a place of study is an important issue. Think about the place you are going to study and what you will come out with when you complete your studies. I wanted to do a degree in corrosion science and engineering, and the Corrosion and Protection Centre here is an award-winning world research centre.

I am doing a PhD degree in Corrosion Science and Technology, particularly in the passivity and passive films on electronic materials in various conditions. My area of research is the surface engineering of electronic materials. Oxidation and electrochemical processes on semiconductors surfaces are very interesting to study and very important in device manufacture.

My work includes development of models of anodic oxidation of III-V compound semiconductors, particularly understanding the mechanisms by which thin oxide films grow on these materials.

I chose this course because I found that it is the most appropriate for me. I am very interested in the field of corrosion control engineering and the Corrosion and Protection Centre is a place where you can fulfil your ambitions to learn about corrosion and its control in a great environment. The high quality academic staff, advanced research facilities and helpful technical staff and students play a major role in creating such a unique environment at The University of Manchester and especially in the Corrosion and Protection Centre.

We work as a team and every student takes part in their own particular research area but we help each other and exchange ideas and opinions, supervised by high quality academic and technical staff. The Centre's research and teaching staff are doing an excellent job and this was reflected in the top 5* rating in the last two Research Assessment Exercises (RAE), and the award of a Queen's Anniversary Prize for outstanding performance in the field of corrosion science and engineering, as well as many different prizes for excellence from the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), which is one of the world's  largest and most recognised organisations in the field of corrosion.

The MSc course I studied at the Centre was very beneficial to me and my PhD research project represents an opportunity to experience real, practical research. The advanced research facilities, the vast amount of literature available in books and electronic journals in the University libraries and the guidance and advice of the academic staff are key factors which prepare The University of Manchester's students for future challenges.