To provide resilience, existing materials must be reinforced to cope, and new infrastructure materials must be designed to endure
State-of-the-art Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab
The Advanced Infrastructure Materials Lab focuses on producing, processing, imaging, analysing and testing infrastructure materials. The aim is to provide advanced techniques that are not readily available to infrastructure materials researchers in the UK.
Find out more about our new Advanced Infrastructure Materials lab
Current Research Themes
Low-carbon sustainable infrastructure:
New cements, 3D printed metals, industrial ecology
Long-term durability and performance:
Concrete durability, fracture mechanics, service-life prediction
Functional and improved materials:
New types of permeable pavement, durable super-hydrophobic surfaces
Circular economy:
Novel thermal insulation materials, new biomaterials, ceramic processing, plastics in the oceans
Postgraduate Research
The Materials section provides a highly stimulating environment for research. If you are interested in applying for a PhD, contact the academic in the list below who works in your area of interest. Specific opportunities are advertised on the Opportunities page.
Members of the Materials Section
- Materials Academic and Teaching Staff A-Z
- Materials Research Staff A-Z
- Materials Research Students A-Z
- Technical and Administrative Staff (A-Z)
Materials Academic and Teaching Staff A-Z
| Photo | Details |
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Craig BuchananSenior Lecturer in Construction, PhDProfessional Institutions Liaison Officer 3D printing, metals, Material testing, Structural testing, Finite element modelling. |
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Nick BuenfeldProfessor of Concrete Structures,PhD, DIC, FICE, FIStructE, FREngConcrete structures; Deterioration mechanisms; Design for durability; Condition assessment and monitoring; Life prediction of new and existing concrete structures. |
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Chris CheesemanProfessor of Materials Resources Engineering, PhD, MCIWMHead of Materials Section Waste management; Beneficial reuse of wastes; Low-carbon materials; Waste encapsulation technologies. |
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Livia Cupertino MalheirosLecturer, PhDHydrogen embrittlement; Materials science; Metallurgy; Corrosion; Environmentally assisted fracture; Engineering alloys; Fracture mechanics |
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Rupert MyersSenior Lecturer in Sustainable Materials Engineering, PhDIndustrial ecology; Circular economy; Sustainable cities; Beneficial use of wastes/by-products; Cement, minerals, and aquatic chemistry/thermodynamics; Open science. |
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Hong WongProfessor of Concrete Materials, PhD, DICDirector of MSc in Advanced Materials for Sustainable Infrastructure Undergraduate Year 2 Coordinator Cement, concrete, microstructure, petrography, porous media, mass transport properties, durability, sustainability, low-carbon materials. |
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Chao WuReader in Civil Engineering Materials, PhDPolymer and polymer based composites, Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and structures, Fatigue and fracture mechanics, Engineered cementitious composites (ECC), Structural retrofitting, Timber |
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Marcus YioResearch Fellow, PhDLaboratory Manager for the new Centre for Infrastructure Materials (CIM) Cementitious materials; Concrete durability; Microstructure; Microscopy; Image analysis Email Marcus |
| Materials Academics A-Z | |
Materials Research Staff A-Z
| Photo | Details |
|---|---|
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Anusha BasavarajResearch Associate, PhDLife cycle and Sustainability Assessment of Concrete Systems/ Working in the EPSRC sponsored project (EUREKA: Engineered UK Clays for the Production of Low Carbon Cement) Email Anusha |
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Hamed DabiriResearch Associate, PhDStructural engineering; High strength permeable concrete pavements; Experimental investigation: Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis; Machine learning Email Hamed |
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Sam DraperResearch AssistantCarbon sequestration in the built environment Email Sam |
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Jean Noel Djobo YankwaResearch Associate in Low-Carbon Construction, PhDDevelopment of methods for processing abundant natural resources and industrial by-products (clay, volcanic rock, lateritic soil, rice husk, etc.) for synthesising low-carbon building materials with tailored properties; Development of technologies out of these materials, for application for insulating or natural cooling of buildings, for energy storage, and for reducing the cost of building infrastructure in low-income countries. Email Noel |
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Jianhang FengResearch AssistantDevelopment of zero-emission cement based on electric arc furnace slag. Email Jianhang |
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Hafiz Muhammad Adeel HassanResearch Associate, PhDThe thermal performance of resilient permeable concrete pavements. Email Hafiz |
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Caitlin HoweResearch AssistantManufacture of carbon negative construction products through mineral sequestration of CO2 Email Caitlin |
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Alalea KiaRoyal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, PhDPermeable concrete; Concrete pavement design; Durability of cement-based materials; Pore structure; Cementitious materials Email Alalea |
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Barnaby ShanksResearch AssistantManufacture of carbon negative construction products through mineral sequestration of CO2 Email Barney |
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Adam MasonResearch AssistantCharacterising global material cycles for natural and anthropogenic wellbeing Email Adam |
Materials Research Students A-Z
| Photo | Details |
|---|---|
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Tsz Chun (Jack) ChanStarted Feb 2022Machine learning techniques in concrete microstructure and durability Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Yio, M. Email Jack |
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Kaine ChinwahStarted Dec 2019Novel oil sorption materials produced from waste feathers Supervised by: Cheeseman, C.R. Email Kaine |
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Theo ClaytonStarted Oct 2020Advanced fracture mechanics modelling to understand earth-environment interactions Supervised by: Martinez-Paneda, E. Email Theo |
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Guozhen DingStarted Sep 2023Polymer composites for hydrogen storage Supervised by: Wu, C. Email Guozhen |
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Tiejun DingStarted Feb 2020Development of circular concrete through indirect carbonation of waste concrete Supervised by: Cheeseman, C.R.; Wong, H.S. Email Tiejin |
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Sam DraperStarted Oct 2017Microstructure and durability of concrete prepared using new multi-component cements Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Cheeseman, C.R.; Buenfeld, N.R.; Email Sam |
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Meng GaoStarted Nov 2020System-performance based design of durable low-carbon concrete Supervised by: Myers, RJ.; Wong, H.S. Email Meng |
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Xiangdong GengStarted Oct 2022Durability prediction of fiber reinforced polymer composite using machine learning Supervised by: Wu, C. Email Xiangdong |
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Maria GeorgiadesStarted Nov 2020Environmental sustainability assessment to guide the development of cements produced from bauxite residue and other high-volume industrial by-products Supervised by: Myers, RJ., Cheeseman, C.R Email Maria |
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Theo GlashierStarted Mar 2021Short and long-term structural behaviour of metal 3D printed structures Supervised by: Buchanan, C. Email Theo |
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Mehrdad IsfandbodStarted Oct 2019Modelling and characterization of hydrogen embrittlement of austenitic steels Supervised by: Martinez-Paneda, E. Email Mehrdad |
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Evzen KorecStarted Sep 2020Electro-chemo-mechanical models for predicting stress corrosion cracking Supervised by: Martinez-Paneda, E. Email Evzen |
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Alexander Kumi-LarbiStarted July 2018The use of waste plastic composites as an alternative low-cost construction material Supervised by: Cheeseman, C.R.; Wilson, D.C. Email Alexander |
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Yu LuanStarted Mar 2022Carbonation-induced corrosion in low CO2 emission concrete Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Yio, M.; Myers, RJ. Email Yu |
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John Obuobi Ofosu-AppeahStarted Apr 2021Engineered mycelium products Supervised by: Cheeseman, C.R. Email John |
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Pei Boon OngStarted Oct 2022Low carbon cements from magnesium silicates Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Pei |
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Sangchu QuanStarted Oct 2022Experimental insight into the mechanisms underlying hydrogen embrittlement in Ni-based materials Supervised by: Cupertino Malheiros, L.; Wu, C. Email Sangchu |
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Leonel Quinteros PalominosStarted Jan 2021Carbon nanotube-based smart skins for structural health monitoring applications Supervised by: Martinez-Paneda, E. Email Leonel |
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Rony ReateguiStarted Nov 2023Sustainable structural elements through additive manufacturing Supervised by: Buchanan, C. Email Rony |
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Qibah ReduanStarted Aug 2023Novel 3D printing for developing sustainable urban infrastructure Supervised by: Kia, A.; Buchanan, C. Email Qibah |
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Barnaby ShanksStarted Oct 2018Investigating new low-carbon cements based on MgO/silica components of olivine Supervised by: Cheeseman, C.R.; Wong, H.S. Email Barney |
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Yang TuStarted Oct 2020Multiphysics modelling of battery degradation Supervised by: Martinez-Paneda, E.; Wu, B. Email Yang |
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Terry UgamaStarted Apr 2019New low carbon cement for sustainable infrastructure development manufactured from olivine Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Terry |
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Runzi WangStarted Apr 2020Chemomechanical fracture Supervised by: Wu, B.; Martínez-Pañeda, E. Email Runzi |
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Amy WilsonStarted Oct 2018Reducing the impact of nanoparticle emissions during concrete production and recycling Supervised by: Stettler, MEJ.; Wong, H.S.; Fowler, G.D.; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Amy |
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Haoming WuStarted Sep 2023Development of low-carbon cement and concrete materials from UK clays Supervised by: Wong, H.S. Email Haoming |
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Alperen YaylaStarted Oct 2022ElementTracker: Analysing resource implications of socioeconomic development through a digital twin of the physical economy Supervised by: Myers, RJ. Email Alpren |
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Minggen ZhangStarted Sep 2022Understanding the chemistry of alkali ferro(alumino)silicate gel Supervised by: Myers, RJ.; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Minggen |
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Yixiu ZhugeStarted Jan 2022Concrete carbonation chemistry and product development under forced carbonation conditions Supervised by: Myers, RJ.; Wong, H.S. Email Yixiu |
| Materials Research Students A-Z | |
Technical and Administrative Staff (A-Z)
| Photo | Details |
|---|---|
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Jonathan TurnerAdministrator, MaterialsRoom 243, +44 (0)207 594 5869 |
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Andrew MorrisLaboratory Technician, StructuresRoom 236, +44 (0)207 594 5954, Email Andrew |
| Materials Technical and Administrative Staff | |
Recently completed PhD research
Materials 2023
2023
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Liew, Jia Xiang | Non-destructive monitoring of moisture at the steel-concrete interface with embedded RFID MEMS sensors Supervised by: Buenfeld, N.; Wong, H.S. |
| Zheng, Shiying | Cement-based materials with hydrophobic micro-textured surface Supervised by: Wong, H.S. |
2022
| Name | Title and supervisor |
|---|---|
| Chen, Xi | Enhancing the spacer-concrete interface for durable structures Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Buenfeld, N. |
| Zhang, Kai | Assessing long-term carbonation resistance of blended concretes from short-term natural exposure Supervised by: Wong, H.S.; Buenfeld, N. |
Contact us
Materials Section
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
South Kensington Campus
Imperial College London
London SW7 2AZ - UK
Research enquiries
Professor Chris Cheeseman
c.cheeseman@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7594 5971
Laboratory enquiries
Dr Marcus Yio
marcus.yio11@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7594 3495
MSc enquiries
Postgraduate Taught Office
cvpgo@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0)207 594 5932
+44 (0)207 594 5929
