Skip to main content

Materials and manufacturing experts

Professor Hamid Bahai Professor Hamid Bahai
Email Professor Hamid Bahai Institute Director Materials & Manufacturing
Hamid Bahai received his PhD degree in 1993 in Computational Mechanics from Queen Mary College, University of London. Between 1993 and 1995 he worked as a Senior Research Engineer at T&N Technology where he was involved in research and development work on a number of projects for the automotive and aerospace industries. This was followed by a period at Halliburton Inc during which time he carried out design and analysis of a number of major offshore structures. In 1996 he moved to the aerospace industry by joining Astrium, an aerospace subsidiary of European Aeronautics Defence and Space company, where as a senior scientist, he played a leading role in conducting design, mathematical modelling and computational analysis of Euro3000 space craft structures and Ariane launcher / spacecraft adapter. It was during this period that he was made a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers for his technical contributions and services to the scientific and engineering communities. In 1998 he returned to academia and joined Brunel University as a lecturer. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2004, Reader in 2005 and Professor in Computational Mechanics in 2009. He has led a number of research projects covering a wide range of topics in the area of Computational Mechanics and has published over 140 papers on various themes in the field. In 2014 Hamid Bahai was appointed as the Head of the newly formed Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at Brunel University London and in 2019 was appointed as the Director of Brunel’s Institute of Materials & Manufacturing. Hamid Bahai’s many theoretical and applied contributions include the development of a new type of non-linear shallow shell strain based finite element and a novel inverse eigenvalue formulation for optimising the vibratory behaviour of structures. His current research interests include development of non-linear finite element formulations and algorithms for fluid-solid interaction and multi-scale continuum-particle numerical simulations. He acted as principal investigator and the chair of government and industrial jointly funded consortiums to work on a high performance computational fluid-solid coupled structural analysis projects. The output of a number of analytical models developed by Hamid Bahai and his co-workers have now become international benchmarks in the scientific community and industry. He has conducted consulting work in the field of structural integrity for many UK and International companies and has given invited talks and courses the world over on various topics in structural computational mechanics. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Computational Mechanics. Hamid's current research interests include computational mechanics, fatigue and fracture mechanics, structural dynamics and development of non-linear finite element formulations and algorithms for fluid-solid interaction and multi-scale continuum-particle numerical simulations. Fundamentals of Solid Body Mechanics Finite Element Analysis Advanced Vibration Theory Numerical Methods Geometric Modelling Control Theory
Dr Giulio Alfano Dr Giulio Alfano
Email Dr Giulio Alfano Reader - Mechanical Engineering PGR Director
I am Reader in Computational Mechanics at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Brunel University London, which I joined in 2006 as a lecturer. Between 2001 and 2006, I was a lecturer in 'Scienza delle Costruzioni' (i.e. Mechanics of Solids and Structures) at the University of University of Naples ‘Federico II’. The latter is also my Alma Mater, where I obtained my 5-year degree in Civil Engineering in 1994 and my PhD in Structural Engineering in 1997. Between 1998 and 2001, I was a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Aeronautics of Imperial College London. In my research I am interested in modelling the behaviour of materials, solids and structures within and, more often, beyond their elastic limit, combining experimental methods with nonlinear numerical modelling. You can find more details here. The mechanics of solids and structures and its numerical modelling via linear and nonlinear finite element analysis are also the subjects of my teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Current interests include: Damage mechanics, fracture mechanics and cohesive-zone models, accounting for friction, plasticity, visco-elasticity, visco-plasticity and fatigue Rate-dependent failure of adhesive joints Composite delamination Nonlinear geomechanics Nonlinear modelling of concrete and reinforced concrete Multi-scale analysis of materials and structures Past interests include: Multi-scale numerical analysis of flexible risers Plastic buckling of metal structures Numerical and experimental analysis of lined pipes I am interested in modelling the behaviour of materials, solids and structures within and, more often, beyond their elastic limit, combining experimental methods with nonlinear numerical modelling. The latter include but is not limited to the development of nonlinear finite-element analysis. The applications have been quite wide-ranging and included the study of plasticity in metals, nonlinear behaviour of concrete and reinforced concrete, buckling of metal structures, composite delamination, debonding of adhesive joints, multi-scale analysis of flexible risers among others. On the other hand, the recurrent theme of my work is the application of fundamental principles and methods to study elastic and inelastic behaviour of solids and structures within a rigorous thermodynamic framework, accounting directly or indirectly for their behaviour and their hierarchical architecture at different scales. In the first decade or so of my research career, I was normally trying to answer the following type of research question: what is the the best way to find the solution of (well-posed) mathematical models that had already been developed by other researchers? At some point though, I realised that I am much more interested in this other type of question: what is the best mathematical model for a given problem? The latter requires interaction with the real world, understanding of the underlying physics, experimental testing and validation. Nevertheless, the former question cannot be avoided, because in order to test and validate a mathematical model one needs to make sure that the model is well posed and a solution can be found. This can be quite challenging and, like many other aspects of my research, it often requires a great amount collaboration with other colleagues. One area where I gained a certain recognition is the development of cohesive-zone models, which are a method to study crack formation and growth in solid or along structural interfaces. I started working in this field as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Imperial College, studying the analysis of delamination of laminated composites under the supervision of late Prof. Mike Crisfield. I started using an existing model, developed by Prof Crisfield and his previous co-workers, which I only slightly modified and recast in the framework of damage mechanics. My main initial challenge was to get the implicit incremental solution procedure to converge. Since then, together with several collaborators I have developed other cohesive models that accounted for elasticity, damage, plasticity, viscoelasticity, viscoplasticity, friction, dilatancy and fatigue. My more recent interests include revisiting the methods of fracture mechanics applied to the case of ductile materials and nonlinear modelling of geomechanics problems. ME2614 - Solid Mechanics and Introduction to FEA (Year 2) ME5671-ME5691 - Advanced Solid Body Mechanics and FEA (Year 4 and MSc)
Dr Rui Ramos Cardoso Dr Rui Ramos Cardoso
Email Dr Rui Ramos Cardoso Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering
Modelling for Manufacturing Modelling for Additive Layer Manufacturing Modelling of Cold Spray Processes Development of Innovative Numerical Methods Computational Mechanics for Structural Analysis Finite Element Method Meshless Methods IsoGeometric Analysis with Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) Modelling of Plasticity Crystal Plasticity and Multi-Scale Modelling Modelling of Metal Forming Processes Fundamentals of Solid Body Mechanics Aerodynamics Aircraft Design Aircraft Structures
Dr Alvin Gatto Dr Alvin Gatto
Email Dr Alvin Gatto Senior Lecturer/UG Course Director
Senior Lecturer in Aerospace 2015-present Teaching Qualifications: Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Experimental and Computational AerodynamicsFlight Physics ME2606 – Aircraft performance and controlME2605/3605 – Principles of Aircraft Design (flight mechanics)ME3602 - FEA, CFD and Design of Engineering Systems (Design)ME3616 – Aircraft flight testing and Analysis
Dr Marius Gintalas Dr Marius Gintalas
Email Dr Marius Gintalas Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering
Dr Marius Gintalas obtained his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering studying fracture toughness measurement methods under impact load. He continued research in fracture mechanics field on crack tip constraint in specimens and large scale pipes as a postdoctoral research associate at Manchester University. Later, Marius joined the University of Cambridge for his second postdoctoral project. He worked on characterisation of heavily plastically deformed martensitic carbon steel using transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron radiation. Also, analysed strengthening mechanisms in non-deformed and deformed quenched and tempered martensite. Marius joined The Welding Institute (TWI) Ltd as a senior project leader after postdoctoral period of five years. In 2020 returned to academia as a lecturer at Brunel University, National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC).
Professor Atanas Ivanov Professor Atanas Ivanov
Email Professor Atanas Ivanov Professor of Advanced Engineering Design
Dr Ivanov world-leading expertise in non-traditional manufacturing spans over a decade of innovating and developing new technologies. In 2007 he was registered by GUINNESS BOOK RECORD for drilling the smallest hole in the world ø22µm 10 aspect ratio. From 2008 Dr Ivanov was the only producer of samples for cryogenic sensors from InSb for the European space programme and NASA. In 2009 he designed of the control of the mirrors for HERCHEL and PLANCK satellites and the sampler (ISOSAMPLER) for NASA for their ‘Medusa’ project for Mars and Jupiter missions. Dr Ivanov registered a world patent for using cutting tools as measuring probes as part of his work fr the Basque government in 2010. After joining Brunel he developed the first in the world micro electrochemical drilling machine for the fuel injection systems for BMW (SONPLAS). In 2013 Dr Ivanov built the first µECM milling machine. In the last 10 years Dr Ivanov acquired 15 grants and an income of over £1m as PI only, and an additional income as a collaborator. In 2018 he received an Innovate UK grant for developing a technology for the identification of airplane fasteners. Dr Ivanov is a world-leading specialist in µECM machining technology. In 2019/20 he developed world-leading µECM technology for sharpening glaucoma needles.
Dr Yohan Noh Dr Yohan Noh
Email Dr Yohan Noh Lecturer in Manufacturing Engineering
He received his first B.Sc. degreefrom the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University of Scienceand Technology, Korea (2002) and his second B.Sc. degree from the Department ofElectrical Engineering from Yonsei University, Korea (2004). He did his M.Sc. and Ph.D. atthe Department of Science and Engineering (robotics), Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in2007 and 2011, respectively. After this, he worked as a research associate in Roboticswithin the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, King's College London.During his PhD and Postdoctoral studies in the UK and Japan, he studied and proposed agreat number of the robotic systems for use in medicine and healthcare in Japan, Korea,and the UK. His work has resulted in more than seventy peer-reviewed papers includingsixteen journal papers and more than seventy papers in top journals and conferences ofrobotics. He has eleven published patents so far.He has been fortunate to have the opportunity of involvement in commercialisationprocess of a number of joint projects between academia and industry. Being ambitious tolay out a research direction which considers commercialisation of the developed system inthe beginning of a project, led to successful commercialisation of the projects and therespective products are now being sold in international market.He has facilitated many collaborative activities between robotics groups in the UK, EU, andJapan through domestic and international joint projects (EU-project STIFF-FLOP, Grant No.287728), (Wellcome Trust IEH project iFIND, Grant No.102431), and (Robotics AdvancedMedical Cluster, Japan), and have been an active member of the robotics community (IEEERAS, EMBS, ASME, RSJ, JSCAS), and helped in the organisation of RSJ, ROMANSY, ICCAS,ROBIO, ICRA, and EMBC conferences since 2008. 1) Design and fabrication for STIFF-FLOP arm (soft manipulators) (Since 2013) and Multi-axial Force/Torque sensors, bending sensors, and palpation instrument (since May 2013) 2) Robot arms, master/slave system, and image compensation algorithm for ultrasound scanning (since June 2014) 3) Medical training robots for airway management and neurologic examination (Since 2006) 4) A new miniaturised Force/Torque and tactile sensing arrays based on optoelectronic technology for medical devices and haptic globes 5) development of a new flexible manipulator integrating contact force sensors and shape sensors for MIS (minimally invasive surgery) (since 2016) 6) Development of a non-contact device for detecting small animal breathing in dedicated whole-body imaging instruments based on fibre optic technology (since 2017) 7) Prototyping a low-cost robot-assisted ultrasound diagnostic robot system (since 2018) 8) Developing a low-cost tactile sensing array for soft prosthetic hands using the light intensity modulation sensing approach (since 2018) His research interests include development of force and tactile sensors, haptics, robot assisted ultrasound diagnostic system, medical training system, medical robots, robot platform software development.
Dr James Tyacke Dr James Tyacke
Email Dr James Tyacke Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering (Aerodynamics)
As Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, I am primarily interested in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of complex flows including Urban Air Mobility Vehicles (Air Taxis), Jet Aeroacoustics, Turbomachinery, Electronics Cooling and Geothermal Energy. Multi-fidelity modelling underpins these areas, both in terms of turbulence modelling and geometry representation. Modern High Performance Computing (HPC) architectures are also being leveraged for both simulation and analysis of large data sets (Big Data), revealing unsteady flow physics. Further interests include increasing CFD automation, including mesh generation and optimisation, solution analysis and feedback into knowledge-based systems using Machine Learning and AI. I am currently looking for students to complete a PhD under EPSRC DTP funding at Brunel University London or those who are self-funded. A range of projects are possible, focusing on multi-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Example projects: DTP funding details: Research degree funding: External funding: My interests lie in tackling challenging (often) complex geometry flows using LES and HPC and the use of hybrid LES-RANS to reduce computational cost. Wider research includes solver technology, utilising both second and higher order numerical methods to enable selective application of the best tools for industrial use and to understand detailed flow physics. Detailed datasets can then also be exploited to improve lower order design modelling. I am currently focused on Urban Air Mobility Vehicle and Geothermal Energy. I have recently investigated installed jet engine aeroacoustics using LES, solving challenges such as the use of the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings method for complex geometry installed ultra-high bypass ratio jets under flight conditions. Previously I have pioneered engine-airframe coupling where an engine with bypass duct internal geometry generates resolved turbulence and is coupled to a jet-pylon-wing-flap geometry. To reveal noise generation mechanisms I am developing parallel analytical tools for 3D unsteady datasets.Previously I investigated LES of turbine zones. Flows studied included internal cooling, labyrinth seals and LPT/HPT blades. This investigation defined where LES is suitable and affordable relative to rig testing. It also provided a flow categorisation and framework for performing LES in industry, identifying future challenges.During my PhD, I studied conjugate heat transfer for an array of heated cubes and convective heat transfer within ribbed ducts and within a large electronics system enclosure. For these I tested a wide range of linear and non-linear RANS models, linear and mixed non-linear LES sub-grid scale models, hybrid LES-RANS and high order central and upwind spatial discretisations. Aerospace MSc Course Director ME5681 (prev. ME5563) Aerospace MSc group design projects (module leader and supervisor) ME3621 Applied Fluid Dynamics (and CFD) ME2619 Aerodynamics ME5500 Mechanical/Aerospace/Automotive Engineering MSc dissertation supervision ME3620 (prev. ME3309/3399) Mechanical/Aerospace/Automotive Engineering final year dissertation supervision BE1707 Statics and Dynamics
Professor Rade Vignjevic Professor Rade Vignjevic
Email Professor Rade Vignjevic Professor - Structural Integrity
Professor Rade Vignjevic joined Brunel from Cranfield University, where he was Head of the Applied Mechanics and Astronautics Department. His area of technical expertise includes nonlinear transient finite element method, SPH, impact mechanics, crashworthiness and structural integrity. Together with his research team, they have achieved international recognition for work on modelling the transient response of materials and structures, specifically meshless methods; impact and crashworthiness of aerospace structures; and shock waves and damage in metals and composites. Professor Vignjevic’s research interests over the last 25 years, have been focused on solids and structures under extreme loading and resulted in the output of over 70 journal papers. This includes the development of first principle-based simulation tools for analysis and the simulation based design (SBD) of structures including structural integrity, safety, crashworthiness and impact resistance. To be precise, Professor Vignjevic has been working on two important modelling aspects: i) development of improved constitutive models; and ii) improved spatial discretisation techniques. These two aspects combined are the key enablers for accurate modelling of progressive damage and failure in solids and structures. His research has contributed to the improvement of simulation tools applicable to range of industrial problems. Rade, his team and students have been working with a number of companies in dealing with challenging engineering problems. For instance bird strike on fan blades with Rolls Royce; aircraft (fixed wing and rotorcraft) ditching and crash worthiness with AIRBUS, Westland Helicopters and EUROCOPTER; modelling of shockwaves in solids with AWE; car crashworthiness with JLR, Aston Martin, Mercedes PETRONAS and Williams F1teams; and high velocity impact on composite structures with BAE Systems and AIRBUS. Finite element and meshless methods Material models for metals and composites Impact mechanics Crashworthiness and structural integrity Shockwaves in solids Professor Vignjevic, Dip.Ing. in Mechanical Engineering, MSc and PhD in Applied Mechanics, is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He was Head of the Department of Applied Mechanics and Head of the Crashworthiness Impact and Structural Mechanics Group at Cranfield University and has over twenty five years of experience in postgraduate teaching, training and supervision of Masters and PhD students. At Cranfield University he delivered a number of modules including: Finite Element Method Impact Dynamics Continuum Mechanics Rade continues to contribute to teaching in the MSc Structural Integrity Course based at NSIRC, Granta Park and his current teaching modules include: Numerical Modelling of Solids and Structures Continuum mechanics (next academic year)
Dr Jan Wissink Dr Jan Wissink
Email Dr Jan Wissink Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering
Dr Qingping Yang Dr Qingping Yang Dr QingPing Yang is currently the Group Leader for Brunel Quality Engineering and Smart Technology (QUEST) Research Group and Robotics and Automation Research Group. Dr Yang joined the Brunel Centre for Manufacturing Metrology (BCMM) in 1988 with a visiting scholarship awarded by the AVIC, after his graduation in Instrumentation and Measurement Technology from Chengdu Aeronautical Polytechnic in 1983 and subsequent 4 years’ research experiences at an Aircraft Structure Research Institute (AVIC, Xi’an) and admission to an MSc Programme in Robot Control and Intelligent Control at Northwestern Polytechnical University. In 1989, he was awarded an ORS Award and a PhD Studentship from British Technology Group to develop a patented smart 3D high precision probe system for CMMs, and he received his PhD degree in October 1992. Since then he has been working as a Research Fellow, Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader (Associate Professor) at Brunel University London. He has actively participated in 15 (11 as Principal Investigator) research projects funded by the UK government, EU and industrial companies, with a total funding of about £2.5 million as Principal Investigator and £888K as Co-Investigator. Through more than 30 years dedicated research, he has developed a unique and coherent research field broadly integrating three research areas of sensor/measurement systems, quality engineering and smart technologies (including AI and robotics) with rigorous theoretical foundation, addressing the core science and technology underpinning these areas. He has published more than 110 journal/conference papers, 5 book chapters and 3 patents (one patent successfully assigned for commercial exploitation in 2004) in these areas. He has supervised (as the 1st supervisor) 20 PhD and 3 MPhil students with successful completion as well as 9 visiting academic staff / PhD students, and he is currently supervising one postdoctoral Research Fellow and 8 PhD students. Dr Yang has received numerous prizes and awards for outstanding academic and work performance in the past (including three performance bonuses in Brunel University). He has been a member of IEEE and IET. He was profiled in the 15th edition of Marquis Who’s Who in the World (1998) and the 5th edition of Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering (2000). Dr Yang has been developing a unique and coherent research field broadly integrating the following three research areas for more than 30 years: Sensor / measurement systems: Advanced sensors and robot sensing (including tactile, force, optical proximity and stereo vision); 3D dimensional metrology (including CMMs, virtual CMMs, AFMs); 3D freeform surface measurement (including fringe projection); Intelligent instrumentation; Advanced data analytics; Measurement science. Quality engineering: Quality engineering (including robust design, TRIZ and intelligent process control); Lean six sigma; Condition monitoring and structural integrity; Safety and risk management; Environment monitoring. Uncertainty quantification; Integrated quality tools and information systems; Quality science. Smart technologies and applications: Robotics and autonomous systems (including Cognitive robots; Collaborative robots; Robots for measurements, inspection and maintenance; Medical robots; Mobile robots); Human-Robot Interaction; VR/AR/MR; IoT; Data science; Machine learning and artificial intelligence; Generalised information theory; Knowledge based systems; Ontology engineering; Semantic web; Cognition and neuroscience; Smart technology applications (e.g. Smart manufacturing; Smart buildings; Smart maintenance; Smart healthcare; Industry 4.0). Dr Yang has taught a number of subjects at both PG/UG levels and his teaching is closely related to his research: PG level (Level 7): Robotics and Manufacturing Automation; Manufacturing Measurement; Optical and Optoelectronic Engineering; Project Management; Computation for Information Processing and Computer-Aided Data Analysis. UG levels (Level 4-6): Computer Integrated Manufacturing (level 6); Quality Engineering and Metrology (level 6); Business for Engineers (level 6); Mechatronics (level 5); Microprocessors (level 5); Electrical Engineering Principles (level 5); Instruments and Applications (level 5); Measurement and Instrumentation (level 5); Introduction to Internet Computing (level 4); Internet Scripting and Computer Architecture (level 4); Project Management (levels 4-5). He is currently teaching: AI Applications in Engineering (Level 6) Quality Management and Reliability (Level 7) Advanced Measurement Systems and Data Analysis (Level 7)
Dr Michael Rustell Dr Michael Rustell
Email Dr Michael Rustell Lecturer in Structural Engineering
Michael is a chartered civil engineer (CEng MICE) who holds an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in artificial intelligence in design automation of civil infrastructure. He has spent the past 8 years in industry working in ports and marine, oil & gas and nuclear industries and was a lead data scientist for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region at AECOM prior to joining Brunel. Michaels interests include: deep learning, machine learning and data science in civil engineering, natural language processing, design automation and stochastic design methods. Design automation Machine learning, Deep Learning and Data Science in civil engineering Stochastic design methods
Dr Mei Yin Dr Mei Yin
Email Dr Mei Yin Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Mei Yin obtained a PhD degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Cambridge University working on the submarine landslides both experimentally and numerically. Her research was funded by BP. She worked as a geotechnical engineer with AECOM in their Bedford Office and was involved in the geotechnical design and construction aspects of a number of projects including Platform, Retaining Wall Designs for Hinckley Point C; Embankments, Cutting slope design, and Bridge foundation designs for transportation projects in Folder Valley Linked Road and A428, etc.. She started her academic career as a lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at Brunel University London. THM coupling analysis of energy infrastructure (geothermal) Offshore deposits and soft marine clays Physical and numerical modelling Subsea pipeline soil interaction assessment, Monitoring of civil engineering infrastructure by using advanced sensors. Dr Mei Yin has a broad research background encompassing a number of areas: (i) geotechnical lab testing; (ii) computational geomechanics; (iii) energy geo-structures. Previous PhD research has focused on new tools for measuring the undrained shear strength of extremely soft marine soils, physial and numerical tools of predicting submarine landslide run-out, and an analytcial model that explains the high mobility of submarine debris flow. Dr Yin has been involved in a series of energy geo-structures research projects, including numerical analysis of (i) the combined open and closed loop GSHP system, (ii) a thermal wall, (iii) a thermal pile loading testing..and (iv) a thermal tunnel. Her research provided the first rigorous examination of the uncertainty in thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of ground/infrastructure and its parallels with ground heat exchangers (GHE) and offered a reliable new technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mei is currently delivering Soil Mechanics (undergradute course), Geoenvironment Engineering (Master course), MEng project.
Professor Hua Zhao Professor Hua Zhao
Email Professor Hua Zhao Pro Vice Chancellor Research
Academic Responsibilities Vice-Provost and Dean, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences Former Vice Dean Research, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences Director, Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels (CAPF) Former Head of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Former Course directors for BEng/MEng Degrees in Motorsport Engineering, MSc in Automotive and Motorsport Engineering Former faculty advisor for Brunel Formula Student and Brunel Master Racing teams Academic Qualification and Honours BEng, Tianjin University, China. PhD, Leeds University, UK. FIMechE, Fellow of Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK). DSc, Brunel University London. FSAE, Fellow of Society of Automotive Engineers (US) FREng, Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Academic Career College Research Fellow, Cambridge University, 1989-1992. Research Fellow, Imperial College of London, 1992-1994. Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Brunel University London, 1994-2001. Professor, Brunel University London, 2002-now. Research Leadership Professor Zhao has published over 400 papers and 6 books on IC engines and laser diagnostics in combustion engines. He has successfully supervised over 40 PhD and postdoctoral researchers. His research covers both spark ignition and compression ignition engines and their fuels. Over the last two decades, he has carried out collaborative research and development projects with a number of international companies in Europe and China and chaired many international conferences. Advanced Spark Igniton engines: DI gasoline engine, CAI/HCCI combustion engine, Alcohol fuelled SI/CAI engines, boosted downsized gasoline engine, 2-stroke/4-stroke switchable gasoline engine, 2-stroke SI/CAI combustion engines, high efficiency gasoline engines for hybrid applications, variable valve actuation(VVT, CPS, mechanical VVL, and camless system, Miller cycle/Atkinson Cycle, water injection. Ethanol-diesel high efficiency and low emission dual fuel combustion engines Gas-diesel dual fuel combustion engines Methanol-diesel dual fuel engines H2-diesel, NH3-diesel dual fuel engines H2/NH3 light duty and heavy duty engine Pre-chamber ignition combustion engines Non-thermal Plasma ignition and combustion uniflow 2-stroke engines Advanced CI engines: combustion chamber design and optimization, fuel injection system and spray characterization, bio-fuel diesel engine combustion and emissions, HCCI diesel combustion, low temperature diluted diesel combustion technologies Hybrid powertrain: patented cost-effective air hybrid technologies for light duty and commercial vehicle applications, life-cycle analysis of electric and hybrid vehicles. In-cylinder optical diagnostics: in-cylinder flow measurements by LDA and PIV; in-cylinder mixture composition and combustion species detection by LIF; simultaneous fuel vapour and liquid measurements in the DI gasoline engine and CR diesel engine by LIEF; multi-species measurement by SRS; in-cylinder soot and combustion temperature measurements by LII and high speed two-colour method; gas temperature measurements by LIF and LIP Engine simulation: development and application of 1-D (GT-Power, WAVE) and 3-D engine simulation(customized KIVA3v, star-CD)
Dr Peter Hewitson Dr Peter Hewitson
Email Dr Peter Hewitson Senior Lecturer
Peter Hewitson is a Process Engineer at Brunel University London in the Department of Chemical Engineering. His research focuses on the scale up of continuous liquid-liquid extraction technology allowing large-scale separations of novel chemicals and bio-molecules for use by the pharmaceuticals industry. His PhD studies centred on the comparison of Intermittent Liquid-Liquid Counter-current Extraction to Isocratic and Continuous Counter-current Extraction and the scale-up of these technologies. He previously worked as a Senior Research Scientist at Kodak Ltd European Research Laboratories. While there he developing novel photographic media, flexible displays and solar cell technology with patent filings across these applications before transferring to Brunel University London. Liquid-Liquid Extraction Counter-current Chromatography and Scaleup Photographic Systems and Media Flexible Conductive Circuits and Flexible Solar Cells Bioprocess Engineering Foundation ME0080 - Material Engineering Laboratories (2015/16 - 2017/18) Level 4 BE1602 - Engineering Practice (2019/20) ME1332 - Introduction to Engineering Design - (2016/17 - 2018/19) - Module Leader 2018/19 ME1334 - Aerospace laboratories (2015/16 - 2018/19) Level 5 CL2555 - Student Placement Coordinator - Module Leader (2020/21 - ongoing) CL2602 - Chemical EngineersToolbox - Process Control Labs (2020/21) ME2555 - Student Placement Supervision (2015/16 - 2017/18) Level 6 CL3606 - Process Design and Safety II - Module Leader (2021/22 - ongoing) CL3605 - Chemical Engineering Design Project Supervision (2021/22 - ongoing) ME3309/3399 - Final Year Project Supervision (2015/16 - 2017/18) Level 7 CL5600 - Bioprocess Design Project (2020/21 - 2021-22) CL5602 - Innovation Toolbox - Leadership, management and research methods - Module Leader (2020/21- ongoing) CL5608 - Bioprocess Engineers Toolbox - Module Leader (2020/21 - 2021/22) CL5609 - Bioprocess Practice - Module Leader (2020/21 - 2021/22) ME5308 - MEng Group Project Supervision (2017/18) ME5500/5560 - MSc Project Supervision (2014/15-2017/18)
Dr Svetlana Ignatova Dr Svetlana Ignatova
Email Dr Svetlana Ignatova Reader - Advanced Bioprocessing
Dr Svetlana Ignatova is a senior applications scientist at Brunel Institute for Bioengineering (BIB), Brunel University, London, UK. She specialises in separation and concentration techniques, particularly those involving liquid-liquid extraction and chromatography. After she graduated from Chemistry Department of Moscow State University (Russia) in 1993, she started her research career by specialising in Counter-Current Chromatography (CCC), focussing on CCC theory and its application to inorganic and radioactive analysis. Pioneering studies on the hydrodynamics of two-phase liquid systems in CCC were the foundation of her PhD, awarded in 2001 from the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences. Later this research continued within a European INTAS programme between Russia, UK (Brunel Institute for Bioengineering (BIB) at Brunel University) and France ( Université Claude Bernard). In 2003, Dr Ignatova joined Brunel University, playing an important role in BIB’s development of CCC technology from “home-made” to “industrial competitive” and in its scale-up from analytical to pilot scale through the various separation trials carried out for the National Cancer Institute (USA), Pfizer, Syngenta, Shell and GSK. Her current research interests focus on new applications of novel liquid-liquid extraction technology and in particular: herbal extract separations, enantiomers/chiral separations, ionic liquids and nanoparticles. She is also performing research on novel processing techniques which become possible when both mobile and stationary phases are liquid. One example of this is intermittent counter-current extraction (ICcE), a patented process which can concentrate and isolate active leads from natural products including Chinese herbal medicine. Dr Ignatova is currently involved in a number of collaborative exchange programmes with China the most active being with Tsinghua University ( Beijing, China) and Sichuan University (Chengdu, China). Recently Dr Ignatova has been appointed secretary of sub-group WP7 (regulatory issues) of “Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine (GP-TCM) in the post genomic era” as part of EU Framework 7 on Globalization of TCM and is the senior applications scientist on a £1.5m UK government funded high value manufacturing research program on “scalable technology for the extraction of pharmaceuticals (STEP)” with a consortium including GSK, Pfizer and Dynamic Extractions. Bioprocess Engineering
Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani
Email Dr Salman Masoudi Soltani Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering
I am a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor in the US system) in Chemical Engineering. In May 2017, I joined Brunel University London as a founding member of the new Chemical Engineering Department, on the team in charge of the design and development of the Programme. I am a Chartered Engineer (CEng/MIChemE) with both industrial and academic research backgrounds in chemical and process engineering. I am also a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK, and the Postgraduate Research Director with the Department of Chemical Engineering. My research area is mainly centred on Separation Processes (Experimental & Process Design/Modelling). I have led a number of major research projects on and around carbon capture and hydrogen production, funded via Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC), and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ), along with a number of industrial consultancy projects, the details of which have been included under the "Research" tab of this profile. In 2022, my research was featured in the prestigious Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)' magazine (The Chemical Engineer). You can find more about my research group & research laboratory by visiting my research group website. I am also serving as the technical advisor with JET Engineering (Anionix). Before joining Brunel University London, I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Department of Chemical Engineering (Clean Fossil & Bioenergy Research Group) at Imperial College London, UK (07/2015 – 05/2017), contributing to several EPSRC as well as EU- and OECD-consultancy projects (Opening New Fuels for UK Generation; Gas-FACTS; CO2QUEST) in the realms of biomass combustion and the modelling and optimisation of CO2 capture & utilisation processes - in Professor Paul Fennell's research group and in collaboration with Professor Niall Mac Dowell and Professor Nilay Shah. In March 2017, I received the prestigious endorsement as the Exceptional Talent in Chemical Engineering by the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. Prior to this, I worked as a Postdoctoral Knowledge Transfer Partnership Research Associate with Dr Shenyi Wu (Fluids and Thermal Engineering Research Group) at the University of Nottingham, UK (08/2013 – 07/2015), during which, I was fully based at A-Gas International ltd. production site in Bristol (UK), where I worked as a Project/Process Engineer on a major joint engineering research and process design project, involving the research, front end engineering design (FEED), detailed design, and development of a bespoke industrial-scale gas separation process. I was awarded the University of Nottingham Scholarship to study for a PhD in Chemical Engineering (2011 - 2014). I conducted my research with the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus where I studied the effects of pyrolysis conditions on the structure of porous carbonaceous adsorbents synthesised from recycled waste, and the effect of subsequent surface modification on heavy metal removal from aqueous media. Adsorption Processes Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) Combined Hydrogen Production and Carbon Capture Processes Separation Processes (Experimental & Process Design/Modelling) CL2605 – Chemical Reaction Engineering (module leader, 2019 - present) CL2607 – Separation Processes 1 (module leader, 2019 - present) CL3605 – Design Project (Group Supervisor, 2019 - present) CL1620 – Chemical Engineering Introduction (Thermodynamics Section, 2019) BE1603 – Engineering Systems and Energy (Thermodynamics Section, 2019 - 2021) ME1301 – Fundamentals of Thermofluids (Thermodynamics Section, 2017 - 2018) ME3309 – Major Individual Project (2017 - 2018)
Dr Matthias Maischak Dr Matthias Maischak Elliptic boundary value and Transmission problems. Signorini problems/variational inequalities. Boundary Element and Finite Element Methods. Fast Solvers and Preconditioners. Error estimators and adaptive algorithms. High Performance and Scientific Computing. Software development
Professor Sergey Mikhailov Professor Sergey Mikhailov
Email Professor Sergey Mikhailov Professor - Applied Mathematics and Analysis
Joined Brunel University London in 2006 Applied Analysis, Solid Mechanics, and Computational Mathematics, including: Analysis of Stokes, Oseen, and Navier-Stokes PDEs, especially of existence, uniqueness and regularity of solution of evolution (non-stationary) problems in Sobolev spaces. Boundary-domain integral and integro-differential equations. Theoretical fatigue, damage, durability, and fracture mechanics. Nonlinear partial integro-differential Volterra equations of crack propagation in damaged media. MA2632, Algebra and Analysis MA1608, Elements of Applied Mathgematics
Professor Simon Shaw Professor Simon Shaw
Email Professor Simon Shaw Head of Department- Mathematics /Professor
Simon Shaw is a professor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, and belongs to the Applied and Numerical Analysis Research Group. He is also a member of the Structural Integrity theme of our Institute of Materials and Manufacturing, and of the Centre for Assessment of Structures and Materials under Extreme Conditions, and of the Centre for Mathematical and Statistical Modelling. Shaw was initially a craft mechanical engineering apprentice but (due to redundancy) left this to study for a mechanical engineering degree. After graduation he became an engineering designer of desktop dental X Ray processing machines, but later returned to higher education to re-train in computational mathematics. His research interests include computational simulation methods for partial differential Volterra equations and, in this and related fields, he has published over thirty research papers. He is currently involved in an interdisciplinary project that is researching the potential for using computational mathematics and machine learning as a noninvasive means of screening for coronary artery disease. Personal home page: Computational Science, Engineering and Mathematics: finite element and related methods. Dispersive media (viscoelasticity and lossy dielectrics); deep neural nets and machine learning. Finite element, and related, methods in space and time for partial differential equations arising in continuum mechanics. Particularly interested in dispersive materials such as polymers and lossy dielectrics for which the constitutive laws exhibit memory effects. Currently interested in using real or (from forward solves) virtual training data to solve inverse problems using machine learning, with a particular focus on deep neural networks. The motivating application for this inverse problem work is in screening for coronary artery disease.
Dr Mike Warby Dr Mike Warby
Email Dr Mike Warby Lecturer (Education) in Mathematics
Michael Warby is a lecturer in Mathematical Sciences and he is a member of BICOM (Brunel institute of Computational Mathematics). He completed an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Kent in 1980 and he then moved to Brunel University London to do a MSc in Numerical Analysis which was completed in 1981. He then stayed at Brunel to do a PhD with the title \"Bergman kernel methods and the numerical conformal mapping of simply and doubly connected domains\" which was completed in 1984. In 1984 he then joined BICOM as a Post Doc and during the 1980s and 1990s he worked on several projects all of which have involved using the finite element method and several projects have been partly funded by companies who use the thermoforming process. Work in this area continued when he became a lecturer when he was a principal investigator of the EPSRC funded project ``Computational Modelling of Thermoforming and In-Mould-Decoration Processes\'\' during 1999--2002 which involved the company Autotype. With a reasonably broad mathematical and computational background and with many years of experience with programming he has taught a wide range of modules. My main research area is computational solid mechanics usually involving the use of the finite element method. In particular I have many years of experience in the computational modelling of the thermoforming process which involves large deformations, contact and material behaviour such as hyperelastic, viscoelastic and elasto-plastic. Recent activity involves considering goal orientated techniques to assess both the discretization error and the modelling error when attempting to compute some quantity of interest. Other research activities have involved viscoelastic fracture and numerical techniques in conformal mapping.
Dr Kevin Hughes Dr Kevin Hughes
Email Dr Kevin Hughes Senior Lecturer in Structural Integrity
Dr Kevin Hughes graduated from Cranfield University where he obtained an MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering, prior to achieving his PhD in improving helicopter crashworthiness for impacts on water. Kevin has extensive experience in teaching (including development and delivery of new modules) at MSc / Continued Professional Development level, Operating as an MSc Course Director since 2005, Kevin achieved Senior Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy and has supervised over one hundred MSc industry supported dissertation projects to completion. Kevin's research interests are focused on the development of numerical simulation methods for non-linear structural analysis (including crashworthiness), which includes coupling finite element analysis to optimisation methods. Utilising high fidelity modelling of structures and materials has led to research colloborations within automotive, aerospace and rail sectors. Kevin’s research started with improving the level of crashworthiness for helicopters impacting onto hard and water surfaces through his PhD, which led to his interest in applying non-linear transient numerical simulation methods (mesh based and mesh free) to understand the response of structures and materials to a range of dynamic loading. Applications include the use of optimisation approaches to develop robust design solutions (by taking into account sources of uncertainty) for industrially sponsored research / EU collaborative projects. This led to Kevin’s involvement with a number of companies with challenging engineering problems, including Jaguar Landrover and Aston Martin related to car crashworthiness, failure assessment for Network Rail and led to a product to market by developing protection concepts for electronic devices in conjunction with Logitech (resulting in a US Patent). Non Linear Transient Finite Element Method Crashworthiness and Impact Response of Materials and Structures Analysis Led Design and Optimisation Prior to moving to Brunel University London, Kevin has been involved with post-graduate and CPD training since 2005 and is based around the application of non-linear numerical simulation methods and optimisation approaches to understand the response of structures and materials to dynamic loading, covering: Structural Mechanics / Stress Analysis Simulation for Impact and Crashworthiness (explicit FEA) Design of Automotive Integral Vehicle Structures Material Characterisation for Simulation Applied Finite Element Modelling (Static and Dynamic) Thin-Walled Structures Kevin leads strategic development of the off-campus MSc programmes delivered through NSIRC (National Structural Integrity Research Centre), located at Granta Park (near Cambridge) and is programme director: Structural Integrity (Asset Reliability Management) MSc and MScR programmes Lightweight Structures and Impact Engineering: MSc and MScR programmes Kevin also coordinates and delivers credit bearing engineering CPD courses to industry (see link opposite), providinga flexible route towards post-graduate qualifications (PgCert, PgDip, MSc and MSc by Research).
Dr Quan Long Dr Quan Long
Email Dr Quan Long Senior Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics
Dr Edward Smith Dr Edward Smith
Email Dr Edward Smith Senior Lecturer in Fluid Dynamics
Edward Smith (www.edwardsmith.co.uk) is a researcher working on multi-scale methods combining particle and continuum simulation. He earned his PhD at Imperial College London, developing theoretical and computational techniques for the coupled simulation of molecular dynamics (MD) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). After his PhD, he was awarded the post-doctoral excellence fellowship and published the first ever molecular dynamics simulation of near-wall turbulence. He spent time in Swinburne Australia working with experts in non-equilibrium molecular dynamics and statistical mechanics, before moving to Chemical Engineering at Imperial to work on multi-phase flow and the moving contact line. His next move was to Civil Engineering at Imperial to develop software (www.cpl-library.org), linking particles and continuum flows for granular systems. He recently took up a position at Brunel University London as a lecturer in fluid dynamics. Fluid Dynamics Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Molecular Dynamics (MD) Coupled and multiscale simulation linking CFD and MD A developing idea: a complete 1D Navier-Stokes Solver on one page. Using Jupyter notebook to explain the complete discretisation of the Navier Stokes equations in 1D, explaining the simplest possible case (1D) how we can discretise our equations, issues with osciallations, (eventually) boundary conditions and the fractional step pressure solver. Multi-Scale Modelling Here are the notes for the continuum part of the multi-scale modelling course I taught 2017 and 2018. This was for masters students who have a background in a mathematical subject. Slides for the lectures, part one notes and part two notes two, as well as background notes. The lectures are available: Part one video, introduction to the continuum, differential equations and numerical solutions. Part two video, review of part one, more differential equations and an overview of the steps which lead the the Navier-Stokes equation. A white-board derivation video of the Navier-Stokes equation considering the link to molecular systems. Python Intro Course In order to address the lack of general Python teaching here at Imperial, I put together and gave a three part introduction course through the HPC support here at Imperial. This class was aimed at beginners and also for those who want to switch from Matlab to Python. Introduction to Python for scientific computing, 3/3/17 (Video) (Slides) (Solutions) Motivation for using Python. Introduction to programming in Python Python concepts (lists, iterators, etc) and discussion of the differences to other languages. Scientific libraries numpy and matplotlib. Examples of usage for scientific problems. Further details of the Python language, 10/3/17 (Video) (Slides) (Solutions) More on Python data structures: concepts like references, immutable, lists, data organisation with Dictionaries and numpy arrays. Use of functions and design of interfaces. Introduction to classes and objects. Structuring a project, importing modules and writing tests. Examples of usage for scientific problems. Python libraries, 17/3/17 (Video) (Slides) (Solutions) Using Python to read files (ascii, binary, hp5) and plot. Running parameter studies by calling executables repeatedly with subprocess. Designing a basic Graphical User Interface. Unit testing frameworks and version control. Other libraries and how to wrap your own code from fortran, c++, etc Further course details are available on my website:
Dr Bin Wang Dr Bin Wang Bin Wang graduated with BEng (1985) in Solid Mechanics from Xi’an Jiaotong University, MSc (1988) by research in Dynamics and PhD (1991) in Applied Mechanics, both from University of Manchester (formerly UMIST). He had been an academic staff member of Nanyany Technological University (Singapore), Deakin (Australia), Brunel, Manchester and Aberdeen University before returning to Brunel in July 2011. At Brunel he has held roles as the Chairperson of the Board of Study in Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Year 1 Tutor, Programme Director of MSc Structural Integrity, and now the Vice Dean Internatioanl of the College. Dr Wang’s expertise is in Applied Mechanics, including stress and strain analysis, dynamics and impact mechanics. He also conducts research in reliability and safety analysis with application in energy and medical areas. His research contributed to the British Energy’s R3 document on Impact Assessment of nuclear power plants. Under the title Shooting Cancers, his research also presented at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (2004). Dr. Wang is also one of the inventors of a patented knee implant which is a leading product in the North American market. Structural response under impact Material behaviour under high strain rate loading Design of energy absorption systems Foams, cellulous and sandwich materials Biomaterials and surgical devices Nano scale materials Uncertainty, Reliability and Parametric Sensitivity Multi-physics phenomenon Dr. Wang has delivered a wide range of subjects in the subject area of Applied Mechanics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including Strength of Materials, Vector Calculus, Vibration and Machine Dynamics, Plasticity, Mechanism and Design, Advanced Reliability Analysis, Fracture and Fatigue, etc. Current teaching modules: ME3062/ME3092 FEA, CFD and Design of Engineering Systems MN5561 Computer Aided Design 2
Dr Kangkang Tang Dr Kangkang Tang
Email Dr Kangkang Tang Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr Kangkang Tang possesses the professional qualification of a chartered civil and structural engineer (CEng MICE IStructE). At Brunel University London, he serves as a senior lecturer, director of teaching and learning, and programme leader for BEng/MEng Civil Engineering courses. Additionally, Dr Tang is actively engaged as a member of the accreditation visiting team for the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM). His primary research interests focus on the enhancement of resilient infrastructure. Motivated by the previous industrial experience, he has conducted extensive study in stray-current-induced corrosion through computer simulations and experimental approaches. This research laid the foundation for this research to further enhance the understanding of stray current-induced corrosion in ultra-high-performance steel fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPSFRC), a highly promising alternative to traditional steel-reinforced concrete for use in railway tunnel construction. Notably, Dr Tang has expanded the scope of his computer simulation approach, employing agent-based modelling (ABM) to assess the risk of hospital-acquired infections within complex hospital environments. For more detailed insights into his work on modelling healthcare resilience, please visit: Resilient infrastructures | Brunel University London. Dr Tang’s primary research interests focus on the enhancement of resilient infrastructure. He is leading the research group in resilient infrastructures (Resilient infrastructures | Brunel University London), with emphasis on resilient health and care infrastructure development. He is also leading the project investigating the inherent corrosion resistance of steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) under railway stray direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) environments. Fields of specialisation: Instrumental approaches in electrochemistry; Reinforced concrete durability study; Application of finite element, boundary element, and agent-based computer simulation. Dr Kangkang Tang is the programme leader for BEng/MEng Civil Engineering courses at Brunel University London. He also serves as the module leader for CE2620 Design Project and CE3610 Design of Structural Systems. Additionally, he supervises final-year BEng, MEng, and MSc student projects.