Project Team

Dr. Kaustav Sarkar is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi. His research focuses on creating strong and sustainable infrastructure for India's unique climate. One key area of his expertise is understanding how porous building materials, like concrete, respond to moisture and temperature changes (hygrothermics). This knowledge is crucial for designing buildings that can withstand India's hot and humid environment. He also investigates how these tropical conditions affect the long-term strength (durability) of steel and concrete structures. Another area of Dr. Sarkar's research is figuring out how severe India's climate is for these structures. This information helps engineers design buildings that are safe and cost-effective in the long run.

Sustainability is a major focus for Dr. Sarkar. He explores ways to produce concrete using alternative resources, reducing the environmental impact of construction.  Additionally, he delves into optimum structural design, aiming to create strong and efficient structures using less material. Dr. Sarkar's dedication to this field is evident in his 26 peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics. His research is further supported by funding from various government agencies, highlighting the importance of his work for India's infrastructure development.

Dr. Kashyap A. Patel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering Section) at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SV-NIT), Surat, India—an Institute of National Importance under the Government of India. With a Ph.D. from IIT Delhi and postdoctoral research from IIT Mandi, Dr. Patel's expertise lies in steel-concrete composite and reinforced concrete structures, focusing on bridge resilience, concrete cracking models, time-dependent analysis, and artificial intelligence applications in structural engineering.

Dr. Patel has a distinguished academic and professional record, having received numerous accolades, including a gold medal for ranking first in M.Tech., multiple research assistantships, and a prestigious National Post-Doctoral Fellowship. He has contributed significantly to the field through sponsored research projects, patents, and publications, including co-authoring a book under the National Education Policy 2020.

His research initiatives extend to sustainable construction, with projects on circular economy solutions, construction demolition waste management, and digital manufacturing of cementitious products. Dr. Patel has organized national conferences and training programs, fostering industry-academic collaboration and advancing knowledge in modern construction practices.

Dr. Mansuri is a researcher and academician in Civil Engineering, specializing in construction safety, digital construction technologies and sustainable construction. He is an Assistant Professor at Nirma University where he is teaching various UG and PG courses related to Construction Technology and Management. Lukman is also an Affiliated Researcher at the National Centre for Construction Safety, University of Kansas, USA.

Dr. Mansuri is Co-PI on a large grant international collaborative research project project, funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and the British Council. He has experience with various digital technologies such as laser scanning, photogrammetry, BIM, and virtual reality. His research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications, editorials, book chapters and conference presentations in various national and international conferences, including ARCOM, ASCE, and IDoBE in the UK, USA, Italy, Malaysia, and India. In addition, he achieved four Best Paper Awards in national and international conferences. Dr Mansuri is also the reviewer of five refereed international journals and editorial member of conference proceedings.

Dr. Upeksha is a leader in exploring how technology and innovative approaches can revolutionize the construction industry. Her research centers on leveraging Building Information Modelling (BIM), Big Data Analytics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to create a competitive edge for construction companies. This translates to more efficient, cost-effective, and data-driven construction projects.

Beyond technology, Dr. Upeksha delves into the human side of construction with a keen interest in organizational studies. She examines the culture and structure of construction organizations, aiming to optimize their internal processes for better performance. Her research extends to the educational realm as well, where she investigates the effectiveness of work-based learning methods for students. Additionally, she explores health and wellbeing concerns within the higher education sector.

Dr. Upeksha's teaching expertise lies in Quantity Surveying, encompassing essential skills like quantification, costing, and cost engineering. These foundational elements are critical for successful project planning and management in construction. In summary, Dr. Upeksha combines technological advancements, organizational understanding, and educational approaches to propel the construction industry forward.

Dr Chika is a professor of project management and construction in the School of the Built Environment and Architecture (SBEA) and the school’s Postgraduate Research (PGR) Director. Before joining the school, he was the programme director for construction project management at the University of Salford. He also held academic posts at Northumbria University and the University of Newcastle. He originally studied Civil Engineering as a first degree at the University of Nigeria, MSc (DIC) in Concrete Structures at Imperial College London, followed by a PhD in Construction Management from LSBU.

His research interests and expertise focus on several interrelated themes central to construction management, such as the application of digital technologies in urban simulation, negotiation, and collaboration to facilitate procurement decision-making in the supply chain, knowledge management in improving the procurement and performance of construction projects and modern construction management techniques and sustainable development. He has a broad background in conducting multi-disciplinary research involving many research teams in urban/building simulation and project management. His research-driven career within higher education spans more than 18 years. He contributed to four books and more than 100 international journals and conference publications. Prof Chika also supervised over seven PhD students and examined over 25 candidates.

Dr Shen Wei is currently an Associate Professor in Building Services Engineering at UCL, UK. In the 10 years lecture career in UK higher education institutions, Dr Wei has taught more than 10 modules relevant to building energy solutions/systems. 

Dr Wei's main research interests include occupant behaviour, thermal comfort, thermal storage (e.g. PCM) and BIM technology in buildings. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Intelligent Buildings International. He is committee members of CIBSE, IBPSA-England, and ASHRAE UK. 

He is also the international coordinator of CIB W098 – Intelligent and Responsive Buildings. In the research area of energy efficient buildings, Dr Wei has published over 160 articles, including 120+ journal papers.

Dr. Yifan Li (ORCID: 0000-0003-2543-9741) is an Associate Professor in micro-/nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) based sensors and actuators.  He is the joint group leader of the Smart Materials and Surfaces Lab in Northumbria University.  Dr. Li is also the Head of Education for the Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University. 

He has obtained his PhD degree in Microsystems Engineering, from the University of Edinburgh, UK in 2008, after obtaining his BEng degree in Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, July 2003.  

His research interests cover the fields of microfluidics, surface wetting empowered advanced manufacturing, materials micro/nano-engineering, flexible electronics, sensing, and actuation. He has published 49 well-cited international journal papers (h-index 26 by Google Citation) and 1 US patent application (US20130252847). 

Dr Suela Kellici is an expert in innovative supercritical fluid technologies and advanced functional materials. Currently, Suela is Associate Professor in Chemical and Energy Engineering at LSBU. 

Suela sits on the Editorial Board for the Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, and is Postgraduate Research Director for her school. Previous roles included member of LSBU’s Recruitment & Outreach Forum and Research Committee.  Suela has been awarded several prizes including 1st prize in the "Materials Innovation for the 21st Century" and the “Increased Manufacturing Value” poster categories at the ChemEngDayUK 2014, for her work on synthesis of graphene given by University of Manchester. She is also the recipient of "Early Career Scientific Achievement, 2017" award (Staff Award 2017, School of Engineering, LSBU). The Nano2D Lab has been selected as finalist in ICHEME Global Awards 2020 in the Research Project category. 

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Dr Kellici is recipient of InnovateUK funding, industrial partners, as well as EPSRC Grand Challenges and LSBU (fellowship and PhD funding). She has supervised and co-supervised a considerate number of UG, PG and Erasmus students. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is coordinator of outreach and PhD students related activities within LSBU and externally.