معرفی
Dr. Brant Walkley is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. He serves as School PGR Lead & UoS-Director of EPSRC CDT SATURN (Skills and Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear, 2024-2032), and Deputy Head of the Engineering Graduate School (Interim) within the Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Walkley leads the Sustainable Materials at Sheffield (SMASH) research team and serves as Editor for Materials Today Communications.
Dr. Walkley's research focuses on developing sustainable materials and processes for infrastructure, environmental remediation, waste management, and clean energy. His work aims to enable industry to meet societal needs sustainably and cost-effectively. The SMASH research group investigates composition-structure-property relationships, reaction mechanisms and kinetics, and surface chemistry in cements, glasses, ceramics and nanomaterials using advanced spectroscopic and microstructural techniques. They also explore new approaches to study resource production and consumption, decarbonisation strategies, and cross-sector interactions affecting these fields.
Current research projects include the development of low-CO2 cements for sustainable infrastructure, understanding durability and degradation phenomena in low-CO2 cements, developing materials for encapsulation/immobilisation of radioactive waste, understanding and controlling radionuclide-cement interactions, studying mass transport processes in cements, and developing assessment of decarbonisation strategies for construction and the built environment. His publications demonstrate strong expertise in cement chemistry, geopolymer development, and nuclear waste immobilization techniques.
Dr. Walkley has received numerous scientific awards and recognitions, including:
- 'Outstanding PGR Supervision Award' for three consecutive years
- 'Undergraduate Teaching Award' in 2020
- 'Letter of Commendation for Teaching Excellence' in 2019
- Development Opportunity Award recipient (2018 and 2019)
- First Prize, 6th Early Career Presentation Contest, World Materials Research Institute Forum (2018)
- Dedicated Outstanding Thesis Mentor Award recipient (2017 and 2018)
Dr. Walkley supervises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers through various funding mechanisms including EPSRC, NNL, Sellafield Ltd, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. His current research is supported by significant grants from EPSRC, Innovate UK, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Nuclear Decommissionation Authority, Sellafield Ltd., National Nuclear Laboratory, and both UK and international industry groups.
Dr. Walkley leads the Sustainable Materials at Sheffield (SMASH) research team, which comprises postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working on various aspects of sustainable materials development. The team collaborates extensively with industry partners including Sellafield Ltd, National Nuclear Laboratory, and various construction materials companies to translate research findings into practical applications for the nuclear and construction industries.
