4D Materials and Printing Laboratory

The 4D Materials & Printing (4DMP) Laboratory is a leading UK research group focused on developing next-generation smart materials and meta-structural systems. Our work explores how materials can be engineered to change shape, function, or properties in response to external stimuli such as force, temperature, moisture, light, magnetic/electric fields, and pH—without requiring external electronics or complex control systems. This capability underpins 4D materials and meta-structures, where time-dependent behaviour, reconfigurability, and extraordinary feature add a dynamic dimension to traditional 3D structures.

The lab’s research spans three core areas:

• 4D Materials: We develop and characterise advanced sustainable material systems including piezoelectrics, shape memory polymers and alloys, chromoactives, magnetorheological materials, and bio-composites—as well as emerging robotic materials that seamlessly integrate sensing, actuation, and computation, and metamaterials engineered for extraordinary mechanical, dynamic, or electromagnetic behaviours.
• Modelling: Our multiscale modelling approach—bridging nanoscale mechanisms to macroscale performance—guides the design of multifunctional smart structures. We combine computational mechanics, data-driven simulation, and inverse design to understand material behaviour and predict shape-morphing responses under diverse stimuli ranging from mechanical to magnetic fields.
• Additive Manufacturing: We innovate in 3D and 4D printing technologies, enabling fabrication of geometrically complex and stimulus-responsive architectures. Our workflow incorporates machine learning to optimise design, automate defect detection, and create intelligent co-design loops between human designers and AI-driven printers.

The 4DMP Lab leads fundamental and applied research across sectors including biomedical devices, wearables, aerospace, automotive, and soft robotics—advancing the frontiers of adaptable, programmable matter.

Please check LinkedIn for the latest news.

Our team and national and international network of partners share knowledge, encourage student mobility exchanges, co-organise workshops/conferences and stimulate challenging and vibrant 4D materials and printing research communities. We offer a wide range of training, mobility and professional development opportunities that support researchers’ development and the achievement of their future goals.

As an interdisciplinary team we work together on projects and foster a collaborative and synergistic environment between researchers and engineers, bringing together unique expertise to develop innovative technologies and systems and eventually its inclusion in marketable products.

Below is a list of our partners:

Universities/institutes:

• Deakin University
• Université de technologie de Belfort Montbéliard
• University of Manitoba
• Pukyong National University
• University of Nottingham
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Southern University of Science and Technology
• Nanyang Technological University
• Delft University of Technology
• University of Glasgow
• University of Bristol
• Changwon National University
• University of Southern Denmark
• The University of Texas at Dallas
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• University of Twente
• University of Leeds
• Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology

Research and Technology Organisations (Centres):

• National Composites Centre
• Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
• Manufacturing Technology Centre

Founder and Director:

• Dr Mahdi Bodaghi

Associate Members:

• Dr Ahmad Serjouei

Researchers:

• Kaveh Rahmani
• Shawn Ravanbod
• Amir Amjadimanesh
• Robin Turlin (in partnership with the Université de technologie de Belfort Montbéliard)
• Ramin Hamzehei (in partnership with the University of Manitoba)
• Masoud Shirzad (in partnership with Pukyong National University)
• Hesam Soleiman Zadeh (in partnership with Deakin University)

Alumni:

• Mohammadreza Lalegani
• Victor Okenyi
• Moslem Mohammadi (in partnership with Deakin University)

• Google Scholar