Dr. Hom Nath Dhakal is the full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portsmouth (UoP), UK. He leads the Advanced Polymers and Composites Research Group at the UoP. He is a Docent (Visiting) Professor of Bio-based Composite Materials at the Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business, University of Borås, Sweden. Professor Dhakal is an internationally known leader in the field of Sustainable Bio-based Composite Science and Engineering. His research interests and expertise include the development, testing and characterisation of sustainable bio-based lightweight composites and hybrid composites for advanced engineering applications, including the automotive, marine, aerospace, building and construction industries. His research covers environmental sustainability, circularity and life cycle thinking, hence contributing toward accomplishing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through purposeful research and teaching.
Professor Dhakal is an Associate Editor of Composites Part C: Open Access- Elsevier journal, an Associate Editor of Heliyon (Cell Press/Elsevier) in Materials Section, an Editorial Board Member of Journal of Molecules and Journal of Renewable Materials.
Prof. Dhakal’s publication track record includes 129 international peer reviewed journal articles, 3 books, 14 book chapters and 81 international conference papers/proceedings. He has 7,356 citations with an h-index of 44, i10-Index of 100 (as of 28/01/2024 Google Scholar). He has served over 50 PhD examinations (17 internal and 33 external) at different universities in the UK and overseas. He is a Chartered Engineer, a member of the American Society for Composites and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining. Prof. Dhakal’s contributions to MBUST include the development of curriculum of Master’s and PhD Programs in Forest Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Currently, as the Honorary Chair of Sustainable Biomaterials, he contributes in research and teaching of relevant modules.