Baljinder Kandola

Baljinder Kandola serves as Professor of Materials Fire Science at the University of Bolton's Institute for Materials Research & Innovation (IMRI), having joined in 1992 as a Research Fellow and achieving full Professorship in 2005. Holding a PhD in Physical Chemistry focused on flame-proofing cellulosics, she directs the Fire Materials Group with expertise spanning four decades in fire-retardant material development.

Her research program investigates:

• Flammability mechanisms of textiles and structural composites
• Nano/micro filler incorporation into polymers via melt blending and in-situ polymerization
• Fire gas toxicity analysis and retardant mechanisms
• Predictive modeling of fire-mechanical property relationships
• Residual mechanical properties of fire-exposed composites

These efforts address critical fire safety challenges in material science through experimental and computational approaches.

Professor Kandola has secured £3.1 million in competitive research funding since 2001 from EPSRC, Innovate UK, EU programs, and industrial partners. She has successfully supervised 18 PhD completions while currently mentoring PhD, MSc, and BSc students in the Fire Materials Group, maintaining an active pipeline of graduate researchers.

She teaches core courses in technical textiles, composites, advanced materials, nanomaterials for environmental applications, and geotextiles, integrating her research expertise into both undergraduate and postgraduate instruction at the University of Bolton.