Rate My Professor Neha Chandarana

Dr. Neha Chandarana is a Senior Lecturer in Bio-based and Sustainable Composites within the School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering at the University of Bristol. She holds a BSc (Hons) and a PhD, with her doctoral research conducted at the University of Manchester's School of Materials in the i-Composites Lab, focusing on combining passive and active methods for damage mode diagnosis in tubular composites. She joined the University of Bristol in October 2021 as a Lecturer and has since been promoted to Senior Lecturer. Chandarana is a core academic team member of the Bristol Composites Institute and maintains a visiting researcher position at the University of Manchester. Her career emphasizes advancing sustainable materials and engineering education, including contributions to the Engineering Education Research Group.

Chandarana's research specializations include structural health monitoring, composite materials, nondestructive testing, life cycle assessment, bio-based composites, mycelium composites, natural fibre-reinforced laminates, and multi-rotor wind turbine optimization. Her Google Scholar profile reflects over 407 citations. Key publications encompass 'In Situ Calcium Carbonate Mineralization of Mycelium Composites: Processing Challenges and Physical-Mechanical Property Implications' (2026, ACS Omega, with S. Akromah and S.J. Eichhorn), 'Design optimisation of an open-source reference rotor library for multi-rotor development and innovation' (2026, Wind Energy Science, with A. Sheik Hassan et al.), 'Multi-rotor wind turbines: A review of modern research efforts and challenges' (2026, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, with A.S. Hassan et al.), 'Fatigue Performance of Non-Woven Flax/Bio-Epoxy Composites for Sustainable Pedestrian Bridge Decks' (2026, with R. Mwesigwa et al.), and earlier works such as 'Early Damage Detection in Composites during Fabrication using Passive and Active Methods' (2017, with D. Martinez Sanchez and C. Soutis). She serves as Principal Investigator for the IGNITE Network+ project (2022-2026), fostering inclusion and talent engagement in energy research, and the Ca-pow! project (2023-2025), co-creating empowerment cycles for underrepresented groups in engineering. Chandarana has contributed to public engagement through the Enterprise Sessions podcast and International Women in Engineering Day activities, alongside roles in equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.