Behnam Sobhaniaragh

Dr Behnam Sobhani is a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, a Chartered Engineer (CEng), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and Course Leader for the on-campus BEng Tech Engineering programme. His research lies at the interface of computational mechanics, architected materials and Net Zero process engineering. He develops auxetic and mechanical metamaterials, smart and adaptive structures, and advanced composite systems for applications in renewable hydrogen production and purification, membrane- and adsorption-based gas separation, carbon dioxide capture and low-carbon industrial filtration.

A central question in his work is how geometry and controllable deformation can be used to manage structural response, fluid pathways, thermal contact and mass transport. He combines finite element analysis and nonlinear mechanics with coupled multiphysics and advanced multiscale modelling, inverse design, multi-objective optimisation, surrogate modelling, uncertainty quantification, and physics-informed and data-driven methods. These approaches connect material and unit-cell behaviour with component and process performance, enabling the design of architectures with tailored combinations of mechanical, thermal and transport properties.

Alongside this research programme, Dr Sobhani works on advanced composite and bio-inspired structures, including fibre-steered laminates, functionally graded and nanocomposite systems, cellular structures, nonlinear stability, vibration and energy absorption. He also retains complementary expertise in fracture, fatigue, hydrogen-assisted degradation, residual stresses and damage modelling. This supports the durability assessment and life extension of hydrogen infrastructure, renewable-energy assets, welded and repaired components, and additively manufactured parts.

Before joining Teesside University, Dr Sobhani developed his research profile across internationally recognised engineering centres, including the Mechanics of Functional Materials-Institute of Materials Science at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany; the Soete Laboratory at Ghent University, Belgium; COPPE/UFRJ; and the Polytechnic School-USP, Brazil. 

Dr Sobhani develops computationally designed, mechanically intelligent materials and structures for Net Zero technologies. His research combines mechanical metamaterials, advanced composites and smart actuation with multiphysics and multiscale modelling, inverse design, optimisation, and physics-informed and data-driven methods. The central aim is to translate architected material concepts into functional, manufacturable components that control deformation, fluid flow, heat and mass transfer. His principal research interests are:

• Mechanical metamaterials and adaptive structures: auxetic, re-entrant, cellular and lattice architectures with tunable geometry, stiffness and functional response, including shape-memory actuation and design for additive manufacture.
• Hydrogen, separation and carbon capture: adaptive supports, membrane spacers, flow distributors and filtration components for hydrogen production and purification, adsorption-based separation, membrane systems, carbon dioxide capture and thermal regeneration.
• Advanced composite structures: fibre-steered, functionally graded, nanocomposite and bio-inspired systems for lightweighting, nonlinear stability, vibration control and energy absorption.
• Multiphysics and multiscale modelling: coupled mechanical, thermal, fluid-flow and mass-transport behaviour across material, unit-cell, component and process scales.
• Inverse design and intelligent modelling: multi-objective optimisation, surrogate modelling, uncertainty quantification, physics-informed machine learning, data-driven methods and digital twins.
• Structural integrity and life extension: complementary research on fracture, fatigue, hydrogen-assisted degradation, residual stresses, repair welding and additively manufactured components.

Through these themes, his research aims to create efficient, durable and reconfigurable engineering systems for practical Net Zero applications.

Membership

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• EPSRC Peer Review college

Guest Editor

• Guest Editor: Special issue on "Advanced Metallic Materials for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Transportation: Design, Degradation and Reliability" by Metals. (2026- Present) (Link)
• Guest Editor: Special issue on "Programmable Metallic Metamaterials: Innovations in Sustainable Design and Smart Architectures" by Metals. (2025- Present) (Link) 
• Guest Editor: Special issue on "Phase-Field Modeling of Damage and Fracture" by Metals. (2024- Present) (Link)

Editorial Service

• Reviewer of International Journals (Link)

• Course Leader for the On-campus BEng Tech Engineering programme.
• Engineering Link Tutor for Study Group and Amity Global Institute, supporting collaborative provision, academic standards, international student experience and cross-institutional communication.
• Module Leader and Tutor across undergraduate and postgraduate Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
• Module leadership in Machine Design, Continuum Mechanics, Aircraft Structures and Applied Mathematical Methods.
• Module tutoring in Structural Mechanics and Manufacturing Processes.
• Academic delivery and support for Teesside University’s China collaborative provision, including Mechanics of Materials and Structural Mechanics.
• Mentor for Degree Apprenticeship students, supporting academic progress, professional development and workplace-linked learning.
• Supervisor of BEng final year projects and MSc/MEng research projects.

Dr Sobhani welcomes enquiries from motivated PhD applicants, particularly candidates seeking external scholarships or proposing self-funded research. Applicants with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, materials engineering, computational mechanics, applied mathematics, manufacturing or related areas are encouraged to make contact. Potential research topics include:

• mechanical metamaterial spacers and supports for membrane-based gas separation;
• inverse design and optimisation of auxetic and programmable mechanical metamaterials;
• shape-memory-actuated and reconfigurable architected structures;
• adaptive adsorbent supports for renewable hydrogen purification;
• adaptive process internals for carbon dioxide capture and thermal regeneration;
• mechanically assisted cleaning of industrial filtration systems;
• coupled multiphysics and multiscale modelling of architected and composite structures;
• physics-informed machine learning and data-driven design of advanced materials;
• additive manufacturing of mechanically intelligent structures;
• advanced composite, bio-inspired and functionally graded structures;
• durability and structural integrity of hydrogen and renewable-energy components; and
• digital twins for performance prediction, monitoring and engineering decision-making.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Sobhani ([email protected]), ideally with a CV, a short research proposal or project idea, and a brief statement explaining how their interests align with his research.