Personal profile
Academic Biography
Professor Hughes is Associate Dean for Research & Innovation at Teesside University. He leads the cross-institutional NetZero research theme and Circular Economy and Recycling Innovation Centre (CERIC).
Professor Hughes is an expert in the circular economy with a strong focus on industrial digitalisation. He leverages his experience working across the circular economy to develop and implement AI and ML-based solutions for heavy industry and trade applications. David leverages his expertise in low-carbon and sustainable material science and associated enabling circular business models to develop innovative solutions for a greener future. This includes work in sustainable trade models enabled through digital technologies. Professor Hughes has also developed a number of industrial technologies working closely with partners to valorise by-products and waste streams and facilitate true low carbon (SDG13) and circular production routes (SDG12).
David is the Chair of the national IOM3 Polymer Group and sits on a number of government steering groups related to plastic and cement circularity.
Summary of Research Interests
- Circular Economy - business models and technologies
- Sustainable polymers and Non-mechanical recycling
- Industrial Digitalisation - IOT, AI and ML-based solutions for heavy industry and trade applications
- In-organic polymers, Cements, AACMs and Geopolymers
- High Temperature (>700C) Functional Materials
- Innovation and technology development
PhD and Research Opportunities
I have a number of projects related to circular economy and materials development, particulalrly focusing on Geopolymers and polymer processing.
Enterprise Interest and Activities
David is involved in a number of enterprise activities focused around materials technology. his includes KTP projects, consultancy and other funded streams of work.
The focus of his industrial work is around the development and processing of material solutions, this includes polymers and polymer processing, composite material development and materials testing and characterisation. He has specific interests around waste management and reduction in processing.
External positions
Cheif Scientific Officer, Material Evolution Ltd
1 Sept 2023 → …
Committtee Member, Design Innovation in Plastics
Fellow - Durham Institute of Research, Development, and Invention's , Durham University
RIKT committee Member, Engineers Professors Council
Chair of Polymer Group, IOM3 Training Academy
UK Plastics Pact PET tray-to-tray CAG Member, WRAP
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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FC-LWAC: Filter Cake Lightweight Aggregate Concrete for Next‑Gen Sustainable Construction (FC-LWAC)
Rezaei Gomari, S. (PI), Hughes, D. (CoI), Bagheri-Moghaddam, F. (CoI), Abdalqadir, M. (RA) & Abdalqadir, M. (RA)
1/05/26 → 1/02/27
Project: Research
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NNZA: Closing the industrial fermentation loop for a circular bioeconomy
Aboelazayem, O. (PI), Taylor, G. (CoI), Marshall, E. (CoI), Hughes, D. (CoI) & Kehinde, O. (RA)
30/03/26 → 29/03/27
Project: Research
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Valorising Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) into Sustainable Materials for CO2 Sequestration and Low Carbon Building Materials: A Proposal for Qatar's Circular Economy Development
Rezaei Gomari, S. (PI), Hughes, D. (PI), Esmaelli, A. (PI), Tanyildizi, H. (PI) & Rafiq, U. (RA)
15/01/26 → 15/01/27
Project: Research
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Direct Air Capture by Thin Film Composite Membranes
Ahmad, F. (PI), Suleman, H. (CoI) & Hughes, D. (CoI)
1/08/25 → 31/07/26
Project: Research
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Innovate UK -KTP -Ford Aerospace
Arackal Narayanan, J. (PI), Hughes, D. (CoI), Jiang, C. (CoI), Eggleston, M. (CoI), McCully, N. (CoI) & Haris, H. (RA)
1/07/25 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Critical weight percent of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) that optimizes water barrier and transport properties of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for improved photovoltaic module packaging reliability
Amalu, E. H., Babu, B. B. M., Hughes, D. J., Short, M., Fabunmi, O. A., Jothiprakash, G., Sun, D., Lu, Z. & Sundaram, S., 18 Feb 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Next Materials. 11, p. 1 - 15 16 p., 101762.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Downloads (Pure) -
Developing New Water-Based Drilling Fluid Additives for Mitigating Filtration Loss at High Pressure and High Temperature
Illangage, S., Faraji, F., Habibi, H., Hughes, D., Abdalqadir, M. & Ali, J., 7 Jan 2026, In: Processes. 14, 2, 23 p., 208.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Downloads (Pure) -
Experimental Evaluation of Three Clay Minerals for CO2 Mineralisation: New Pathways for Carbon Sequestration
Abdalqadir, M., Rezaei Gomari, S. & Hughes, D., 1 Jun 2026, (Accepted/In press). 5 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
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Moisture ingress evaluation of encapsulation materials using multiphysics modelling for perovskite solar cell packaging
Amalu, E. H., Fabunmi, O. A., Hughes, D. J., Short, M. & Omairey, E. L., 1 Apr 2026, In: Next Materials. 11, 19 p., 101694.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile40 Downloads (Pure) -
Advances in additive manufacturing of fuel cells: A review of technologies, materials, and challenges
Singh, R., Pratap, R., Narayanan, J. A., Thangamani, G., Krishnan, V. V., Arjunan, A. & Hughes, D., 24 Feb 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Sustainable Materials and Technologies. 43, 23 p., e01317.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile166 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Lightweighting of Wishbone Finite Element Analysis
Shuxian, W. (Contributor), Perk Lin, C. (Contributor) & David, H. (Contributor), Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, 1 Jan 2020
DOI: 10.24423/engtrans.1069.20200211, https://doi.org/10.24423%2Fengtrans.1069.20200211
Dataset
Press/Media
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University KTP pays dividends for Mersen UK Teesside
18/08/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Knowledge Transfer Partnership helps Mersen shorten lead times
9/09/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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ARCO PROVIDES SEED FUNDING FOR POLYESTER RECYCLING PROJECT
23/03/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Arco and Stuff4Life: Polyester recycling trial receives seed funding from UK’s largest safety supplier
31/03/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
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University taking part in solar panel research project
28/04/23
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Press / Media
Thesis
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Design and validation of a glenohumeral force assessment medium
Hughes, D. (Author), Nabhani, F. (Supervisor) & Hodgson, S. N. B. (Supervisor), 7 Mar 2014Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
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