Role
Dr Mahdi Bodaghi (BSc, MSc, PhD) is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Mechanical Engineering in the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University. He is the module leader for the Solid Mechanics and Dynamics and involved in teaching the Innovation and Engineering Solutions, and Industrial Design & Product Case Studies modules. Mahdi is actively pursuing research on Smart Materials and Composite Structures, 3D, 4D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Technologies and Biomedical Engineering.
Career overview
Mahdi received his PhD Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in May 2015. For his doctoral research, he developed constitutive models for functional Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) and Piezoelectrics and assessed their sensory and actuation performance in controlling shape and vibration of smart wing-like Composite Structures by non-linear Finite Element Analysis. During his PhD training, he also served as a Teaching Assistant and a Lecturer for the modules of Mechanics of Materials (I, II, III), Practical Plasticity and Metal Forming, and Manufacturing Processes and Technologies.
From July 2015 to July 2018, he was working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Smart Materials and Structures Laboratory at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He worked with Prof. Wei-Hsin Liao to develop advanced multi-functional shape-memory structures fabricated by 3D and 4D Printing Technologies for Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Applications. In September 2017, they received the world-wide Best Paper Award in Mechanics and Material Systems presented by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Since October 2018, Mahdi has been with the Department of Engineering at Nottingham Trent University.
Research areas
Research Expertise:
- Computational Mechanics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Bio-mechanics
- Smart Materials and Structures
- Additive Manufacturing
- 3D and 4D Printing Technologies
Mission:
Developing and exploiting emerging capabilities of Smart Materials and Structures, 3D and 4D Printing Technologies to create and support innovative advanced device technologies for Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Applications.
Research Topics:
- Computational and experimental mechanics of advanced materials
- Materials testing and characterisation
- Design principles for intelligent environments
- General purpose sensors/actuators based on multi-functional active materials
- Piezoelectric sensors for structural health monitoring and energy harvesting
- Piezoelectric sensors-actuators for structural vibration control
- Innovative mechanical energy absorbers
- Martensitic-austenitic phase transformation
- Adaptive structures with shape memory alloys and polymers (SMPs) for aerospace applications
- Innovative mechanical/bio-medical devices with SMA/SMP actuators
- SMA damping devices for mechanical and civil applications
- Innovative hybrid composite structures with SMA/SMP fibres
- Advanced Nano-carbon-fibre composites
- Bio-inspired design of materials
- Sustainable materials for smart structures and products
- Functionally graded materials and additive manufacturing
- Material extrusion for additive manufacturing
- Sustainable 3D and 4D printing technologies
- Lattice medical implants and auxetics customised by 3D printing
- Bio-materials and scaffolds by 3D printing
- Self-folding/shrinking/expanding biomedical structures by 4D printing
- Self-tightening surgical sutures, self-conforming splints and self-deploying stents by 4D printing
- Electronic memory devices like tactile displays and surface adaptive structures by 4D printing
- Recoverable rolling-up chiral meta-materials by 3D printing
- Load-resistance supportive auxetics by 3D printing
- Soft meta-material tissues by 3D printing
- Nano-to-macro multi-scale analysis
- Finite element method and simulation
- Mesh-free computational methods
- Constitutive material modelling
Open PhD Research Topics:
- Advanced materials and 3D/4D printing technology for biomedical implanted devices
- 3D/4D printing for smart and sustainable manufacturing
Opening:
Opportunities arise to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil / PhD in the areas identified above. Further information may be obtained on the NTU Research Degrees website.
External activity
Professional Society:
- ISEST Fellow
Journal Service:
- Editorial Board Member of International Journal of Engineering (established in 1988)
- Reviewer for 19 International Journals verified by Publons
Member of organising/international committee of the following conferences:
- The 3rd Annual International Conference on Computer Science and Mechanical Automation, Wuhan, November 2017.
- The 23rd Annual International Mechanical Engineering Conference, Tehran, May 2015.
Public Engagement:
- ISEST Ambassador
Sponsors and collaborators
- Smart Materials and Structures Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- The Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR
- Thermo-elasticity Centre of Excellence, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology
Publications
Mahdi’s research has led to the publication of 47 scientific papers in leading journals in the mechanics, manufacturing and materials science, and the presentation of his work at major international conferences. A list of publications can be found at Google Scholar, IRep, ORCID and Researchgate.
Press expertise
- Smart medical devices
- Intelligent environments
- Green design
- Sustainability
- Manufacturing the future
- 4D printing technology