The Consortium
There are over 40 people working across the UK-MaRes Hub, including the Director, Co-Directors, Co-Investigators, Researchers, Technicians and Professional Service Staff, all passionate about driving forward the research and innovation needed to create meaningful change across the sector. See below to find out more about the people involved.
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Dr Sina Fadaie Sestelani
Postdoctoral Researcher at the EBRI at Aston University
Sina is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the EBRI – Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute.
Sina completed his PhD in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering) at Aston University, UK. Sina’s research career began in early 2014, as a research assistant at the University of Guilan, Iran, working on stability problems in Geotechnical Engineering. During his master program, he was awarded the outstanding graduate student and his thesis was recognized as one of the selected theses in the area of Geotechnical Engineering. Now, he is working on a multi-disciplinary project with the highest score in College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Studentship Awards (academic year 2020-21, at Aston University) that focused on application of Fibre Optic Sensors to monitor geo-structures.
Dr Zhentao Wu
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, Co-Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI)
Dr. Zhentao Wu is a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies at Aston University and Co-Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI). He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London and has since developed a strong research portfolio in advanced materials, catalytic processes, and membrane technologies for energy and environmental applications.
Dr. Wu’s research interests encompass process intensification, microstructured materials, catalytic membrane reactors, and innovative solutions for water treatment and chemical reactions. His work combines material synthesis, characterization, and application in energy conversion and separation systems. He has secured research funding from major bodies including UKRI and the European Commission, and has contributed to high-impact publications and collaborative projects. At Aston, he supervises postgraduate research and contributes to teaching in chemical engineering while helping to bridge academic research with industrial and environmental challenges.
Prof Patricia Thornley
Director of EBRI, Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute
Please note that Prof Patricia Thornley has recently moved to her new role as the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Transport.
Patricia Thornley works in assessing the environmental, economic and social imapcts of renewable energy technologies, particularly bioenergy systems. She has experience of working in the commercial sector in power generation as well as in academia. She leads the EPSRC SUPERGEN Bioenergy hub (www.supergen-bioenergy.net) and is editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal Biomass and Bioenergy.
Areas of Expertise: Chemistry, Supergen Project, Climate Change, Bioenergy, Environmental Sciences
