Summary

I am Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portsmouth. I lead as the Director of the Portsmouth Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (PCAMM). I'm also a Docent (Visiting) Professor of Biobased Composite Materials at the Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business at the University of Borås, Sweden. I am also an Honorary Chair of Sustainable Biomaterials, Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, Nepal.

My expertise include the design and development of sustainable lightweight composite materials, and their testing and characterisation. My research has benefited many industries through the development of a range of new sustainable materials, formulations and manufacturing processes. 

I have published over 132 international peer-reviewed journals, 3 books, 14 book chapters and 82 conference papers/proceedings. I've been a guest editor for a number of journals. I am an Asociate Editor and Editorial Board Member of Composites Part C: Open Access_Elsevier Journal. I am also an Associate Editor of Heliyon (Cell Press/Elsevier) in Materials Section and I'm a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Composites Science, the Material Chemistry section of the Journal of Molecules and Journal of Renewable Materials. I also serve as a member of scientific committees and as an evaluator for various research projects.

After the successful publication of the first book I co-authored in 2018, entitled Repair of Polymer Composites: Methodology, Techniques and Challenges, my second and third co-authored books Sustainable Composites for Lightweight Applications and Value Added Biocomposites: Technology, Innovation and Opportunty have been published by Woodhead Publishing (Elsevier Ltd) in 2020 and by CRC Press in 2021, respectively.

I'm a Chartered Engineer (CEng), a member of the American Society for Composites (ASC), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM3) (FIMMM).

Biography

I have over 30 years of teaching and research experience in the field of mechanical engineering, materials and manufacturing. I became a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in February 2019.

In recognition of my work, I was a Visiting Professor with the University of Toronto, Canada in 2017, where I worked in the Faculty of Forestry, undertaking research work in the field of composites and biocomposites. This research collaboration is ongoing.

Before joining the University of Portsmouth in 2008, I was a Lecturer in Mechanical and Marine Engineering at the University of Plymouth. I was also a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Tribhuvan University in Nepal for over five years. In addition to my academic career, I have many years of experience working with various manufacturing companies. 

I've also served as the external panel member for MSC courses and Engineering Doctorate Programmes associated with different universities in the UK. I've been the external examiner for MSc Advanced Materials and Additive Manufacturing (on-campus and online learning) at the University of Derby since September 2016.

Research interests

My main research interest is the development of sustainable bio-based lightweight composite materials and hybrid composites, investigating their mechanical, thermal and environmental properties for engineering applications.

I'm currently leading as the Director of the Portsmouth Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (PCAMM). I'm leading multiple research projects within the PCAMM, with particular interest in the development of sustainable lightweight composites and biocomposites. Recent successfully completed projects include Interreg SeaBioComp and Interreg FLOWER.

I'm also involved with multiple Knowledge Transfer Partnerships into packaging design, composition and sustainability.

I've coordinated and chaired a number of international conferences and presented invited and keynote talks in the field of sustainable composites and biocomposites.

PhD Research Supervision

I've supervised 10 PhDs to successful completion as the Director of Study (first supervisor). I've also served as an internal and external examiner for over 50 PhDs at different universities in the UK and overseas.

I welcome enquiries and applications from students looking for a PhD supervisor.

Teaching responsibilities

I currently teach and coordinate two modules:

• Sustainable Development and Environmental Management for all engineering courses, third-year undergraduate students.
• Strategies for Resources and Environmental Management, MSc Engineering Management module.

In addition to the above, I led and coordinated the following modules in the past 10 years:

• Introduction to Materials and Manufacture, undergraduate
• Operations and Quality Management, postgraduate

I was the Course Leader for BEng (Hons) Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Distance Learning) for over 5 years. 

Media availability

I am happy to take calls and emails from the media on my research, and am aware of the need to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact me directly on either hom.dhakal@port.ac.uk or +44 (0)23 9284 2582.