Maria Charalambides

Prof. Maria Charalambides is a Professor in the Mechanics of Materials at Imperial College London's Department of Mechanical Engineering, part of the Faculty of Engineering. She leads the Soft Solids Research group and has held roles including Lecturer (since 1997) and Research Associate at Imperial, as well as Senior Scientist at the National Physical Laboratory. Her research focuses on material modeling, mechanical characterization of soft polymeric solids (e.g., foods), micromechanics of composites, and industrial food processes like extrusion and cutting. She teaches Mechanics and Advanced Stress Analysis, and previously lectured Mathematics and Composites Materials courses.

• Affiliations: Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research, Climate and Health, Grantham Institute, Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering, Mechanics of Materials, Ocean Plastic Solutions Network, Science and Engineering Research for Cultural Heritage, Soft Solids, and The Composites Centre.
• Education: First Class B.Eng (Hons) and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London (PhD thesis: Delamination of fibre reinforced composites).

Her research interests span experimental and numerical modeling of industrial processes, inverse indentation methods for polymer characterization, and fracture mechanics in coatings. She has published over 100 papers and secured funding from industry/RCUK. Notable awards include recognition by IMechE and the British Society of Rheology.

She contributes to professional organizations as Membership Secretary of the British Society of Rheology and Committee member of the Food and Drink Technical Committee of IMechE. Her work bridges engineering and food sciences, with notable talks like 'Engineering Chocolate' and an inaugural lecture on 'The Hard Science of Soft Materials'.