Academic staff

Professor Guangzhao Mao

Head of the School of Engineering | Chair Professor of Materials Engineering

Professor Guangzhao Mao is a leading innovator in nanotechnology and materials engineering, shaping the future of nanomedicine and advanced sensor systems. As Head of the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, she spearheads cutting-edge research that bridges engineering and medicine, unlocking groundbreaking possibilities in drug delivery and nanoscale material applications.

Her pioneering research focuses on two transformative areas:

Electrocrystallization & Nanosensors. Her research unravels the fundamental processes of nucleation and crystal growth in electrodeposition, applying these insights to develop next-generation gas sensors. Her work enhances sensor scalability, with impactful applications in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. Her breakthroughs in integrating nanosensors into larger systems are redefining their real-world potential.

Nanotechnology & Neuroscience. Merging nanotechnology with neuroscience, Mao’s team is developing revolutionary drug delivery systems targeting the central nervous system. Her protein-drug nanoconjugates offer a novel way to bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a long-standing challenge in treating neurological disorders. This innovative approach has already shown promising results in enhancing respiratory function for spinal cord injury, with significant implications for neurodegenerative disease treatments. Her latest advancements include a microfluidic cell-based assay that accelerates drug screening and preclinical evaluations.

Global Recognition & Leadership

Before joining the University of Edinburgh, Professor Mao led as Head of the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney, where she continues as an Adjunct Professor. Her global influence is reflected in prestigious accolades, including:✔ Fulbright Senior Scholarship✔ Visiting Professorship at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces✔ Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)✔ Career Award from the U.S. National Science Foundation

With an impressive track record of driving scientific innovation, Professor Mao continues to push the boundaries of chemical & materials engineering, shaping the next generation of engineering solutions with real-world impact.

B.Sc., Ph.D.

Dr Pavlos Tafidis is a Lecturer in Transport (Systems) Engineering at The School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh. His work integrates various disciplines, enhancing his comprehensive approach to transport planning and engineering. He led the "BikeHood" project, supported by the Science Foundation of Ireland, which focused on developing Ireland's first cycling neighborhood. This initiative actively engaged communities in the design process, utilizing advanced technologies such as digital twins and virtual reality.

He has been involved in numerous national and international research projects that concentrate on smart and sustainable mobility, including the "REALLOCATE" project, supported by the Horizon 2020 framework, and "CISMOB", funded by Interreg Europe. His current research is dedicated to empowering citizens by developing accessible and inclusive mobility solutions. Through his work, he aims to provide equitable transport infrastructure that enhances urban livability and ensures sustainability for all.

PhD in Transport Engineering | Hasselt University (2022)

M.Sc in Transport Planning | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2015)

M.Eng in Transportation | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2013)

Member of the Technical Chamber of Greece

Member of the Association of Transportation Engineers of Greece

(CIVE10033) Transport Engineering 3

Role: Course Organizer

Programme: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering | School of Engineering

Years: 2024–present

(EFIE11345) Transport and Society

Role: Course Organizer

Programme: MSc Future Infrastructure, Sustainability and Climate Change | Edinburgh Future Institute

Years: 2024–present

(PGEE11263) Multi-Scale Energy Demand

Role: Lecturer

Programme: MSc Sustainable Energy Systems | School of Engineering

Years: 2024–present

https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/pavlos-tafidis

• PhD in Process and Chemical Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland, 2011
• BE in Process and Chemical Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland, 2008

• Chartered Member, Institution of Chemical Engineers (CEng MIChemE)
• Senior Member, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (MAIChE)
• Member, Engineers Ireland (MIEI)

• Chemical Engineering Design 3 (CHEE09015)
• Engineering Principles 1 (SCEE08012)
• Supervisor of study projects, undergraduate research projects and industry placements

My research focuses on the simulation of systems of granular materials. This has broad applicability including in both the chemical engineering (pneumatic conveyors, silos, granulators) and civil engineering (dams, sand element tests) disciplines. My research also includes improving the fidelity and performance of the simulation tools, in particular of the discrete element method (DEM).

Granular materials are ubiquitous. Around three-quarters of the raw materials used in industry are in a particulate form. Lots of economically significant, and safety-related, problems remain in handling these materials. Another example of a granular material is the soil beneath our feet; understanding the behaviour of the constituent particles has implications for ensuring the safety of structures.

The use of simulation tools such as DEM to study huge particulate systems has become increasingly viable as computational power has become cheaper. A major advantage of simulations is the ready availability of information which is difficult, if not impossible, to measure experimentally such as the forces acting on each individual particle at tiny time intervals. However, physical experiments remain essential to supplement the simulations, e.g., for calibration of model parameters and validation of any implemented model.

• Project Lead of CCC-ParaSolS: if you have an interest in simulations of granular materials and if you are based in the UK, why not join our Collaborative Computational Community in Particulate Solids Simulations?
• Our fork of LAMMPS which includes various additions of use for soil mechanics simulations is now available on GitHub as geoLAMMPS.

Research Profiles

• Edinburgh Research Explorer
• Google Scholar
• ORCiD
• Scopus

• Discrete element method (DEM)
• Simulation of granular soil behaviour
• Attrition/wear of solid materials
• Pneumatic conveying of powders

I welcome enquiries from any prospective student with the appropriate engineering/science background who is interested in undertaking a PhD. Note that unless a project is advertised which specifies that funding is available, PhD funding would need to be secured in advance through a scholarship, sponsorship of the PhD, e.g., by industry, or self-funding.

Dr Julianna Panidi is a Chancellor’s Fellow/Lecturer in n Climate and Environmental Sustainability at the Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems at the School of Engineering. Before she was an EPSRC David Clarke Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London. She is a Fellow of the 2024 European Talent Academy and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and she has been a Mental Health First Aider for over 9 years.

Julianna obtained her PhD in 2020 from Imperial College London, Department of Physics, part of the Plastic Electronics CDT. Additionally, she holds an MRes in Physics and Nanomaterials (2015) from the University of Pierre and Marie Currie in Paris, France. In 2014, she completed her BSc in Materials Science at the University of Patras in Greece.

Accepting PhD applications.

• Chancellor's Fellow, 2024, University of Edinburgh

• Fellow of the 2024 European Talent Academy, Imperial

• Postdoctoral EPSRC Fellowship, 2022

• David Clarke EPSRC Fellow, 2022

• co-Chair of the People & Culture Committee at the School of Engineering, UoE, since 2025
• Member of the Athena Swan SAT, UoE, since 2025
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2023
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022

• Professional Issues 4
• Cohort Lead Year 5

Her research focuses on developing high-performing and eco-friendly solution-processed electronics, such as thin film transistors, sensors, and solar cells. She has studied methods to enhance the optoelectronic properties of the materials and the devices. During her DCF fellowship, she was focusing on sustainable solution-processed solar cells, primarily focusing on materials, methods, and solvents used during manufacturing.

I am an EPSRC Fellow and Chair in Circular Chemical Engineering at the School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh. My research background is in materials science, with particular focus on separation applications. I have been active in research on separation science since 2008. I am a graduate of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, Flinders University, Australia, and The National University of Singapore in various courses ranging from Electronics and Computer Engineering to Nanotechnology to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. I have published more than 70 scientific research papers on the use of microporous materials as membranes, adsorbents and nanocomposites for resource recovery, carbon capture, desalination, organic solvent nanofiltration, and pervaporation. My research has been cited more than 7500 times, resulting in a h-index of 47. Since joining the University of Edinburgh, I have also worked on scaling up the production of novel materials via 3D printing and flow synthesis.

• Bachelor of Science in Nanotechnology (2nd Upper Class)
• Ph. D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Course Organiser for Polymer Science and Engineering 5 (2019 - 2026)

Course Organiser for Polymers, Sustainability and Manufacturing 3 (2026 - present)

My group is interested in using materials science to achieve solutions that find applications in chemical engineering, particularly in separations.

We specialize in the design and synthesis of porous frameworks using cost-effective commercial materials. These nanomaterials are used for applications including metal recovery, hydrocarbon purification, energy storage, alcohol recovery and dehydration, and water purification. These materials can be deployed as adsorbents or as additives in polymer membranes.

Moving into a new era of membranes, we also use nanotechnology and additive manufacturing to fabricate elegant membrane structures to achieve ultrafast molecular separations that require minimal driving forces during operation.

Our aim is to see deployment of our research in the real-world. The research underpinning this thrust is scale-up production of materials including polymers and additives. We devise new techniques that are suitable for producing cutting-edge materials from the University of Edinburgh and our international collaborators.

• Polymer membrane separations
• Resource recovery and utilisation
• Scale-up production and application of porous frameworks
• Sustainable Chemical Separations

Google Scholar

Dr Chang Liu received the B.Sc. degree in automation from Tianjin University, China, in 2010, and the Ph.D. degree in testing, measurement technology and instrument in Beihang University, China, in 2016. From April 2016 to January 2018, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the department of air pollution and environmental technology, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (ETH Domain), Dübendorf, Switzerland. He is now a Senior Lecturer in the Agile Tomography Group at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh.

Dr Liu’s current research interests include laser spectroscopy, laser imaging, data-driven imaging techniques and their applications to reacting flow-fields diagnostics and environmental monitoring. His expertise is in design of near/mid infrared LAS sensing systems, and development of high-sensitivity and data-driven laser imaging methodologies. It covers fundamental spectroscopic modeling, inverse problem solving, machine learning, hardware acceleration, signal processing and embedded system. In collaboration with worldwide industrial and academic partners, Dr Liu and his team focus on providing cutting-edge laser-based sensing solutions for various challenging problems in both the industry and academia.

• 2016 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), School of Instrumentation and Opto-Electronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
• 2010 Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

• IEEE Senior Member

• Digital System Design 4 (ELEE10007)
• Analogue Circuits 3 (ELEE09026)
• Digital System Design and Digital Systems Laboratory 3 (ELEE09035)
• Digital System Design 2 (ELEE08015)

• Data-driven imaging towards high spatial/temporal resolution
• Cutting-edge laser-based sensing solutions
• Sensor design for ultra-weak optical and electrical signals detection
• Embedded system design and hardware/software interface

Research Opportunities

Ph.D. scholarships

• Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship
• Principal's Career Development PhD Scholarships
• Carnegie PhD Scholarships
• China Scholarships Council/University of Edinburgh Scholarships

Information on funding opportunities and tuition fees can be found here.

Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)

• EPSRC Fellowships
• Newton International Fellowships
• Marie Curie Individual Fellowships
• Fellowships and Engineering for Development Research Fellowships (Royal Academy of Engineering Research)

www.gprmax.com

• D.Phil. in Electronics- University of York, UK, 1997
• University Degree (Ptychio) in Geology - Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 1991

• Member of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE)
• Member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists(SEG)

• Engineering Geophysics
• Application of GPR for NDT of structures
• Computational Electromagnetics with emphasis in the FDTD method
• Numerical modelling of GPR