Mohammadreza Mohammadi

Dr Mohammadreza Mohammadi is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Energy and Sustainability at Teesside University. He is a member of the UK Wind Engineering Society (WES), Durham Energy Institute, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research interests lie in the field of wind and water engineering, wind energy, and hydropower.

Before joining Teesside University, Dr Mohammadi (Reza) worked as a researcher in aerodynamics in the Department of Engineering, Durham University, working on a UK-US bilateral research project about the wake steering techniques for wind farm control and optimisation, and collaborated with a big consortium comprising several industrial (DNV, Equinor, NREL, MPS) and academic (Durham University, Cornell University) partners. He particularly developed a novel analytical model to represent the wind turbine wake in a wide range of atmospheric and operational conditions.

Apart from analytical wind turbine wake modelling, Reza has been active in the field of wind engineering. In his PhD project at the University of Birmingham, he developed a deep understanding of the flow over crop canopies and the interaction of crops (as oscillating structures) with the wind through full-scale experimental campaigns and mechanical modelling. The outcomes of his research have been interesting for wind engineers (due to the novel techniques to study flexible structures) and the agronomic sector (due to practical instructions to avoid wind-induced failure in crops).

Dr Mohammadi also worked at Enflo lab, the University of Surrey, on MAGIC project (http://www.magic-air.uk/) to study the pollution dispersion in urban areas in collaboration with Cambridge University and the Imperial College of London. Through wind tunnel experiments, he showed the effect of tall buildings on pollution dispersion in urban areas is much more significant than previously thought. He also provided essential outcomes about the level of detail, required in wind tunnel modelling for urban canopies.

Reza has also acted as a reviewer of several top journals including Field Crop Research, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Crop Science, and Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge); Wind Energy, and the International Journal of Renewable Energy Development (IJRED). He has been appointed as a reviewer for MDPI and reviewed for Energies, Buildings, Electronics, Sustainability, Computation, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JSME), and Water journals. He has also joined the scientific committee for “The 9th International Colloquium on Bluff-Body Aerodynamics and its Applications (BBAA9)”, Birmingham, UK which will be held in the summer of 2024.

Dr Mohammadi has been teaching a range of subjects and courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels over the years. He is the module leader for the 'Water Engineering', 'Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes', and 'Global Grand Challenges' and teaches other modules including 'Professional Practice in Engineering',' Sustainability' and ' Clean Energy & Sustainability' at Teesside University.

Summary of Research interests

The outcomes of his research have been published in several papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. Reza’s research interests and background lie in the field of wind engineering, fluid-solid interaction, the effect of wind on plants, analytical wake modelling, experimental aerodynamics, and hydropower.

Mohammadreza is currently accepting applications from candidates interested in pursuing full-time PhD studies in her areas of expertise. There is no funding available at this time; therefore, applicants must have secured their own funding.

Available PhD topics:

Title1. Optimising Wind Farm Operations and Maintenance through Data-Driven Strategies
This research focuses on developing advanced models to streamline operations and maintenance of wind farms, aiming to reduce downtime, increase efficiency, and lower costs in renewable energy production.
Title 2. Mechanics and Mitigation of Wind-Induced Failure in Trees
This project investigates the interaction between wind loads and tree structures, using computational and experimental methods to predict failure mechanisms and develop strategies for risk reduction in urban and rural landscapes.
Title 3. Advanced CFD Modelling for High-Performance Solar Panels
This project applies computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyse and optimise flow in next-generation solar panels, enhancing energy efficiency and reliability under varying environmental conditions.
Title 4. Turbulent Flow Dynamics in Urban Canopies
This study explores airflow and heat exchange in complex urban environments, combining CFD simulations with field data to improve understanding of microclimate regulation, pollutant dispersion, and outdoor thermal comfort.