We are a team of talented professionals with a wide range of skills and experience. We look forward to working with you.
Principal Investigator (PI)
Dr. Wei Tan is a Reader at Queen Mary University London and the head of the research group on “Mechanics of Composite Materials”. His research interests lie in the mechanics of multifunctional composite materials from load-bearing, energy-storage to shape-morphing. His research is focused on understanding and predicting the mechanical response of composite materials via experimental, analytical and computational methods. He has published over 40 papers in leading journals related to mechanics of materials. Other recognitions include the ERC Starting Grant/UKRI Frontier Research, EPSRC New Investigator Award, Royal Society Research Grant, ESCM Young Research Award, Cambridge CAPE BlueSky Research Award and Royal Aeronautical Society Bronze Award. A brief CV can be found here.
Postdoctoral research fellow
Dr. Jinlong Fu is now a postdoctoral researcher in Mechanical Engineering. He is working on the EPSRC project: data-driven mechanistic modelling of cellular composites for crash energy absorption. He started his research career in computational mechanics and numerical modelling by studying at Swansea University as a PhD student in October 2016. After a four-year study, He completed my PhD project in September 2020. He was awarded the Roger Owen Prize 2021 for the Best PhD Thesis in the UK Association for Computational Mechanics (UKACM). He has a multidisciplinary research background with research experience at the interface of porous media, data science, numerical simulation, physics-based modelling, and artificial intelligence (AI). His broad research interests focus on material failure, pore-scale flow modelling, finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, model order reduction, and high-performance soft computing. Now he has started his Alexdener Hombert Fellowship at Leibniz University Hannover. [Paper 1-CMAME, IF:7.3, top][Paper 2-ARCH COMPUT METHOD E, IF: 12.1, top]
Dr. Yang Liu
Dr. Yang Liu completed his undergraduate studies in management science at Southeast University, China. He then earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from South China University of Technology. After graduation, he began his career as a civil engineer at China Overseas Real Estate Company. In 2020, Dr Liu embarked on his PhD research at Tsinghua University, and in 2023, he undertook a research visit as a joint PhD student at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). He was awarded his PhD from Tsinghua University in June 2024.
As a rising early-career researcher, Dr Liu specialises in structural topology optimisation, multiscale modelling and characterisation of mechanical metamaterials, multiphysics modelling and analysis, and physics-informed machine learning. He has published more than 10 papers in prestigious journals, such as Nature Communications, Computational Methods in Applied Mechanics, and the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. Dr Liu has been awarded the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from Tsinghua University, Outstanding Doctoral Graduate Award from Tsinghua University, etc.
Dr. Hongye Guo is now a postdoctoral researcher in polymer science. After obtaining the Bachelor and Master degree in Materials Science from University of Cambridge, he started his research career as a PhD student working alongside Prof Eugene Terentjev at Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. His works centred around Liquid Crystalline Elastomers (LCE), gaining experiences in polymer synthesis, material characterisation, adhesion testing, impact damping study, and much more. He completed his PhD projects in 2024, and joined Dr Wei Tan’s group as a postdoctoral researcher, developing self-healing, impact-resistant materials
Dr. Devender Kumar
Dr Devender Kumar has completed (2013) an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kurukshetra University, India. After that, he earned a master’s degree in manufacturing technology from the National Institute of Technology Warangal (NITW), India (2015). After graduation, he joined Mumbai University as an assistant professor for two years (July 2015 – October 2017). In 2018, he joined PhD research at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), and in 2023, he undertook a research visit as a joint PhD student at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). He completed his PhD in December 2024. He was supervised by Dr. Syed Nizamuddin Khaderi (SN Kaderi) and Prof. Dong Ruan (Tracy).
His primary interest lies in dynamic material characterization using SHPB setups. He is also keenly interested in projectile impact, plate impact studies, and the use of interferometry techniques.
PhD students (as primary supervisor)
Hirak Kansara
Hirak Kansara is a final year PhD student who has completed Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (First Class with Honours) from Queen Mary, University of London. Hirak is currently developing novel cellular composites for Crash Energy Absorption using Data-driven methods, on a project associated with the EPSRC CELLCOMP project. (Supervisors: Dr Wei Tan, Dr. Han Zhang) [Paper 1, JMPS, IF:5.3, top][Paper 2, CMAME, IF: 7.3, top ][Conf. Paper 1]
Emilio Felipe Gomez
Emilio Gomez is a final-year PhD student. He has completed Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering (First Class with Honours) from Queen Mary University of London. He is developing thermally conductive and crashworthy composite materials using thermal-mechanical modelling. His work is funded by Graphene Flagship Core project 3. (Supervisors: Dr Wei Tan, Prof. James Busfield, Prof. Nicola Pugno) [Conf. Paper 1]
Wenqi Wang
Wenqi Wang is a final year PhD student at SEMS, Queen Mary. He was educated in the Beijing Institution of Technology from 2014 to 2018 (Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering) and Queen Mary University of London in 2019-2020 (Distinction Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering). He was under the supervision of Dr. Jun Chen in his MSc research project for flight simulation framework research. He also worked in the medical equipment research group of Chinese Academy of Sciences for CT radioactive source materials. Now he is working on the cellular composites structure for crashing energy absorption, mainly focus on the design methods of the micro-structures of cellular composites to improve their mechanical properties, associated with the EPSRC CELLCOMP project. (Supervisors: Dr Wei Tan, Prof. Vassili Toropov) [Conf. Paper 1]
Jie Yang
Jie Yang is a 4th year PhD student at SEMS, Queen Mary funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship. He completed his Bachelor and Master Degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Jiangsu University, China. He is interested in coupled electrochemical-mechanical modelling of battery degradations. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Dr. Ana Jorge Sobrido) [Conf. Paper 1] [Conf. Paper 2]
Afni Restasari
Afni Restasari is a 4th year PhD student at SEMS, Queen Mary University of London funded by Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship. She completed her Bachelor degree in Chemistry at Diponegoro University, Indonesia. She completed her Master degree in Polymer physics at Kanazawa University, Japan. She is interested in nanoparticles reinforced rubber composites. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Prof. James Busfield) [Conf. Paper 1] [Conf. Paper 2]
Luke Webb
Luke Webb is a 2nd year PhD student. He did his MSc study in Computational Engineering at Queen Mary University of London with industry experience at the internationally renowned engineering firm, Arup. He entered engineering with the prospect of progressing into the sustainability field and supporting the crucial fight against the climate crisis. This has since evolved into an interlinked passion for CAE and the opportunities it offers to advance other fields. His motivation and perseverance to confront challenges is displayed through his consistent academic track record. Having earned a First Class BEng degree in University of Leeds and become comfortable in an industry environment, he is driven to develop his technical skills in his Masters and is excited by his future prospects.
Haoming Sun
Haoming Sun is a first-year PhD student at Queen Mary University of London, Science and Technology (SEMS). He studied at Southwest Petroleum University (MSc in Materials Science) from 2021 to 2024. Under the supervision of Professor Xiang Dong, he completed a project on surface modification on basalt fibres to realized damage self-sensing composites. He has also twice received the China National Postgraduate Scholarship. He won the second prize in the Huawei Cup Mathematical Modelling Competition. He is currently studying droplet erosion in wind turbine blades, combining experiments and simulations to explain tip erosion and improve their lifespan. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Dr Haibao Liu).
PhD student (as co-supervisor)
Qichen Zhou
Qichen Zhou is a 4th year PhD student, now at Imperial College London. He received his bachelor’s degree from Zhengzhou University in 2018 and completed his Master’s degree in Mechanics from Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen. Qichen is currently developing a process to prepare silk-based fibre-reinforced composites. He is interested in establishing a mechanical model of this composite using experiments and theories. He is currenlty doing a PhD at Imperial College London. (Supervisors: Dr. Emiliano Bilotti, Dr. Wei Tan)
Alumni
Postdoc researcher
Dr Siamak Khosroshahi
Dr Siamak is a post-doctoral researcher in computer aided engineering (CAE) in the School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University London. He has more than ten years of (industrial and academic) experience in the field of design, material characterization and computational mechanics. He has got his PhD in the field of “new energy absorbing materials” from University of Padova in Italy and worked as a researcher at Imperial College London and UCL from 2019 to 2021. Siamak is now working on the use of AI methods in topology optimisation of energy absorbing cellular structures, funded by the EPSRC CELLCOMP project.
Current position: Senior CAE Engineer at Subsea 7
Visiting PhD student
Zhengqiang Cheng
Zhengqiang Cheng was a visiting third-year PhD student funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship and educated in the Beihang University, China and the Queen Mary University of London. He received his Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. His research features the impact damage tolerance of composites and aeronautical aluminium-alloy. (Supervisors: Dr Wei Tan, Prof. Jun-Jiang Xiong) [Paper 1] [Paper 2] [Paper 3] [Paper 4]
Current position: Assistant Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University
MSc student
Kit Au-Yeung
Kit Au-Yeung is an MSc Mechanical Engineering student. He had completed a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering (2:1) from Coventry University. He is currently under the supervision of Dr Wei Tan in his MSc research project: Phase-Field Fracture Modelling of Anisotropic Composite Laminates. [Paper 1]
Current position: Graduate CAE Engineer at Subsea 7
MEng students
2021-2022 MEng students
SustainWind: Haydn Siu Hay Yick, Humaira Patel, Md Muntasir Sarker, Syed Salah Uddin Ali, Yehuda Zev Hodges. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Prof. James Busfield)
ArchElectrode: Aqil Ali, Jabril Ahmed Abdinur, Mogomotsi Mbeha, Rafi Istidar Farhad Rahman, Syed Moizz Ali. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Dr. Ana Sobrido) – “Best MEng Project 2022“
2020-2021 MEng students
Project title: The crashworthiness of carbon nanotube composite electrodes for energy-storage applications. (Supervisors: Dr. Wei Tan, Prof. James Busfield) – “Best MEng Project 2021, [Paper 1]“
Mr Daniel MILLS was awarded the IoM3 Royal Charter Prize, see link here.
Group members: Abdulaziz NASIRUDDIN, Evangelos KOLIOLIOS, Daniel MILLS, Wei-KONG MAO
Project title: 3D Printed Cellular Composites for Impact Mitigation or Crash Energy Absorption
Group members: Gary KOH, Merrin Rose VARGHESE, Hirak KANSARA, John LUK
3rd year UG students
2022-2023: Maria Bint Sohail; Sandra Sami Mikhail Armanous; Yu Shen; Ihsaan Ahmed
Best 3rd year project prize: Structural Analysis for the Wishbones on the Formula Student Car, Maria Bint Sohail.
2021-2022: Daryx Francisco Morales, Majuhar Meidine
Group photo
Academic collaborators
Prof. Norman Fleck, University of Cambridge, UK
Prof. Adam Boies, University of Cambridge, UK
Prof. Michael De Volder, University of Cambridge, UK
Dr. Emilio Martínez Pañeda, University of Oxford, UK
Prof. Brian Falzon, Western Sydney University, Australia
Dr. Miguel Bessa, Brown University, US
Dr. Sid Kumar, Delft University of Technology, Netherland
Dr. Lucas Meza, University of Washington, US
Dr. Haibao Liu, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Dr. Mingchao Liu, University of Birmingham, UK
Dr. Yinfeng He, University of Nottingham, UK
Awards
1. ERC Starting Grant, £1.3m, 2024-2029
2. EPSRC New Investigator Award, £392k, 2021-2024
3. Bronze Award, Written Paper Prize, Royal Aeronautical Society, UK, 2018
4. Cambridge BlueSky Research Award, Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, £20k, 2017-2018
5. ‘Nano-man‘ , Cambridge Engineering Departmental Photo Competition, SEM Prize, 2017
6. Second best research poster in Sir Bernard Crossland Competition, UK, 2013
Gallery
Photos at Queen Mary University of London
Group Christmas Gathering 2024.
Group photo in the International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM23), Belfast, 2023
Outreach activitiy (“Helmet for egg” drop test) at Festival of Communities, Queen Mary University of London.
Photos at Cambridge
Gala dinnder, Cambridge Micromechanics group with some leading figures in Solid Mechanics, Euorpean Conference on Solid Mechanics (2018, Bologna), 60th Birthday of Prof. Norman Fleck
Photos at Belfast
Group photo with Prof. Brian Falzon (PhD supervisor) and Graduation photo with Brian and Mark (2nd supervisor).
wtanlab.com 