Dr Samuel J. McMaster

Dr Samuel McMaster is a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on tribology and surface engineering with a particular focus on diamond-like carbon coatings, nanomechanics and length scale effects.

He has led industrial research on selective soldering for the electronics industry and brings manufacturing experience to research and teaching.

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Background

Samuel graduated from the University of Leeds in 2015 with a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics. Following this, he pivoted to engineering and undertook doctoral studies in the fields of tribology and surface engineering, completing his studies in 2020.

In 2021, Samuel joined Coventry University as a KTP Associate, working with Pillarhouse International to innovate on materials used for selective soldering nozzles. Following the project completion, Samuel joined Pillarhouse International as a R&D Specialist to lead industrial research on manufacturing in the electronics industry.

Samuel returned to academia in October 2025 as a Senior Lecturer, bringing his industrial experience and research knowledge to teaching. He additionally contributes to running Surface Ventures (a not-for-profit dedicated to providing surface science education for academia and industry) as the Content Manager.

Research interests

• Tribology
• Surface engineering
• Diamond-like carbon
• Fretting wear
• Impact and erosion
• Nanoindentation and nanomechanics of materials
• Length scale effects in tribology and nanomechanics
• Electronics manufacturing and processes
• Soldering and other joining technologies
• Manufacturing and manufacturing data systems
• Additive manufacturing

Areas of research supervision

• Tribology
• Surface engineering
• Design and analysis for manufacturing
• Electronics control systems
• Nanoindentation and nanomechanics of materials
• Instrumentation and metrology

Teaching

MSc (Hons) Mechanical Engineering: Engineering Quality Management (Module Leader)

BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering: Computer Aided Engineering and Manufacturing Project

Qualifications

BSc (Hons), Physics with Astrophysics, University of Leeds

PhD, University of Leeds – Thesis: McMaster, S. J. (2020) 'Nanomechanical Characterisation of Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings for Tribological Performance', University of Leeds. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13315.02083

Memberships, editorial boards

• Member of the Institute of Physics
• Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
• Member of the Institute of Circuit Technology
• Reviewer for Elsevier (Tribology International, Surface and Coatings Technology, Wear, Carbon), MDPI (Coatings, Lubricants, Information, Applied Sciences, Processes, Crystals, Construction Materials) and Taylor & Francis (Tribology – Materials, Surfaces and Interfaces)
• Member of the Technical Program Committee for APEX EXPO (Global Electronics Association)

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Awarded KTP Grant (£240,000, Industrial Supervisor), Pillarhouse International and Coventry University, 2025
• KTP Associate, Pillarhouse International and Coventry University, 2021-2023
• Visiting Academic, Coventry University

Selected recent publications

Journal articles

McMaster, S. J., Kosarieh, S., Liskiewicz, T. W. and Beake, B.D. (2025) 'Fretting wear of lubricated DLC coating systems', Front. Mech. Eng., 11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmech.2025.1584451

McMaster, S. J., Kosarieh, S., Liskiewicz, T. W., Neville, A. and Beake, B. D. (2023) 'Utilising H/E to predict fretting wear performance of DLC coating systems', Tribology International, 108524. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2023.108524

McMaster, S. J., Witham, K. F., Cobley, A., Graves, J. E. and Groves, E. (2023) 'The challenges in selective soldering and meeting training needs', Journal of the Institute of Circuit Technology, 16.

McMaster, S. J., Cobley, A., Graves, J. E. and Monk, N. (2022) 'Selective Soldering: A need for Innovation and Development', Journal of the Institute of Circuit Technology, 15.

Beake, B. D., McMaster, S. J., Liskiewicz, T. W. (2022) 'Contact size effects on the friction and wear of amorphous carbon films', Applied Surface Science Advances, 9, 100248. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2022.100248

Beake, B. D., McMaster, S. J., Liskiewicz, T. W. and Neville, A. (2021) 'Influence of Si- and W- doping on micro-scale reciprocating wear and impact performance of DLC coatings on hardened steel', Tribology International, 107063. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2021.107063

Beake, B. D., Harris, A. J., Liskiewicz, T. W., Wagner, J., McMaster, S. J., Goodes, S. R., Neville, A. and Zhang, L. (2021) 'Friction and electrical contact resistance in reciprocating nano-scale wear testing of metallic materials', Wear, 203866. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2021.203866

McMaster, S. J., Liskiewicz, T. W., Beake, B. D. and Neville, A. (2020) 'Probing Fatigue Resistance in Multi-layer DLC Coatings by Micro-impact: Correlation to Erosion Tests', Surface and Coatings Technology, 402, 126319. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2020.126319

Conference papers

McMaster, S. J., Wol, J. and Monk, N. (2025) 'Thermal Profiling of pre-heater configurations with added convection to determine heating effectiveness for selective soldering'. In: IPC-APEX - Conference Presentations 2025: IPC APEX EXPO 2025 Technical Conference Proceedings. Global Electronics Association. Presented at the IPC APEX Technical Conference, Anaheim.

McMaster, S. J., Witham, K. F., Stephenson, M., Glover, E. and Groves, E. (2024) 'Process Challenges for Selective Soldering: Examining parameters for optimal processing'. In: IPC-APEX - Conference Presentations 2024: IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Technical Conference Proceedings. Global Electronics Association. Presented at the ECWC16 at IPC APEX EXPO 2024, Anaheim.

McMaster, S. J., Cobley, A., Graves, J. E. and Monk, N. (2023) 'Selective soldering nozzles: insights into wear mechanisms and future developments. In: IPC-APEX - Conference Presentations 2023: IPC APEX EXPO 2023 Technical Conference Proceedings. Global Electronics Association.. Presented at the IPC APEX Technical Conference, San Diego.

Textbook chapters

McMaster, S. J. (2025) 'Diamond-like carbon coatings on steel for automotive applications'. In: Beake, B., Liskiewicz, T. (Eds.) (2025) Nanomechanics for Coatings and Engineering Surfaces. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 509–555. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-13334-3.00018-8

Recent presentations and conferences

Presentations

Length scale effects on the fretting wear of DLC coating systems, ISFF11, 2025, Paris, France.

Fretting of DLC coating systems: Analysis of H/E ratio, contact pressure, surface roughness and oil lubrication, ESMC 2025, Lyon, France.

Nano- and micro-scale characterisation to develop innovative wear-resistant coatings for a sustainable future, ICESISSF-2025.

Nanomechanics of DLC coating systems: Insights into impact, scratch and fretting performance, Advanced techniques in nano-mechanical testing – with special sessions on high temperature measurements (2025), Micro Materials User Meeting, Birmingham, UK.

Thermal Profiling of Pre-heater Configurations with Added Convection to Determine Heating Effectiveness for Selective Soldering, IPC APEX Technical Conference 2025, Anaheim, California, USA.

Process Challenges for Selective Soldering: Examining parameters for optimal processing, ECWC16 at IPC APEX EXPO 2024, Anaheim, California, USA.

Analysis of Pre-treatment processes to enable Electroplating on Nitrided Steel, 244th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society, Gothenburg Sweden.

Multi-scale scratch testing for assessing the adhesion and friction components of DLC coating systems, Performance and Properties of Advanced Coatings, NPL, 2023.

Selective soldering nozzles: insights into wear mechanisms and future developments, IPC APEX Technical Conference 2023, San Diego, California, USA.

Utilising H/E to predict fretting wear performance of DLC coating systems, ISFF10, 2022, Leuven, Belgium.

Characterisation of diamond-like carbon coating systems using the nano-scratch technique, Ions, Plasmas and Thin Films: Early Careers Virtual Meeting, 2021.

Nanomechanical Characterisation of Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings for Tribological Performance: Nano-Scratch and Multi-Scale Fretting, University of Oxford Materials Group, 2020.

Predicting the fretting performance of Diamond-Like Carbon coating systems by analysing nanomechanical properties, TriboUK, University of Leeds, 2019.

Conferences

43rd Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology, Leeds, 2016.

50th Anniversary of the Jost Report, IMechE, London, 2016.

European Conference on Nanofilms (ECNF), Cranfield University, 2018.

45th International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF), San Diego, 2018.

45th Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology, Leeds, 2018.

Media experience

Content Manager for Surface Ventures, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide world-class surface science education for academia and industry.

Magazine article

McMaster, S. J. (2025) 'Sustainability and Selective Soldering: New initiatives and process optimisation drive innovation', Global Electronics Association Community Magazine, summer 2025, pp. 66–70.