Professor Sheng Dai

Profile

Sheng Dai received his Bachelor degree from Zhejiang University, and Masters and PhD degrees from Nanyang Technological University. He worked as a postdoc research fellow at McMaster University, University of Alberta and University of Toronto under the supports of NSERC (Canada) and NIH (USA). After that, he joined the University of Adelaide as a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, and the Director of Teaching, Director of Research, Director of Outreach and Acting Head of School of Chemical Engineering. Later, he moved to UK and worked at Newcastle University as a Professor of Chemical Engineering, the Head of Biosystems Group and the Deputy Head of School of Engineering. He joined Brunel University London as a Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Founding Head of Department to establish a brand new Chemical Engineering Department at Brunel. In January 2022, he moved the University of Leeds as a Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Head of Chemical and Process Engineering. Sheng Dai’s research expertise is to develop cutting-edge applications of functional materials and interfaces in healthcare, catalysts, separation processes, water treatment and clean energy. He has published 160 peer-review journal articles associated with over 11,000 citations and an H-index of 52.

Responsibilities

• Head of School of Chemical and Process Engineering

Research interests

Sheng Dai’s research expertise is to develop cutting-edge applications of functional materials and interfaces in healthcare, catalysts, separation processes, water treatment and clean energy, In details,

• Functional nanohybrids as novel catalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution;
• Acidic solid catalysts for biomass degradation;
• Quantum dots and their applications in solar cells;
• Ionic liquids for high performance metal air batteries;
• Nanoparticle hybridized thin film reverse-osmosis membranes for desalination;
• Advanced smart microgels for forward-osmosis desalination;
• Bar-encoded polymers for early-stage complex disease diagnostics;
• Functional biodegradable polymers/composites for drug and gene co-delivery;
• Microgels for scaffold-free tissue engineering and regenerative medicines;
• High performance wound self-repairing materials;
• Effective electrochemical and biotechnological approaches to convert CO2 to fuels;
• Microbial fuel/electrolysis cells in environmental engineering.        

Qualifications

• PhD, Nanyang Technological University
• MEng, Nanyang Technological University
• BSc, Zhejiang University

Student education

I focus on student learning (professional and transferable knowledge) in my classrooms.  Previously, I have taught the following modules at my previous institutions.

• • Engineering Mechanics and Materials (UG Year 1)
  • Introduction to Pharmaceutical Engineering (UG Year 1)
  • Materials (UG Year 1)
  • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (UG Year 2)
  • Process Engineering Thermodynamics (UG Year 2)
  • Principles of Biotechnology (UG, Year 2)
  • Chemical Engineers Toolbox (UG, Year 2)
  • Separation Processes I (UG Year 2)
  • Separation Processes II (UG Year 3)
  • Separation Processes (Industry module)
  • Materials Science and Engineering (UG Year 3)
  • Particulate Processes and Colloid Science (UG Year 4)
  • MEng Research Projects (UG Year 4)
  • Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (PGT)
  • Upstream Bioprocess and Production (PGT)
  • Materials (PGT)