Dr Manoj Ravi

Profile

I joined the University of Leeds in 2022 as a Lecturer in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering. I am also the Programme Lead for the BEng & MEng Chemical Engineering programmes.

I have a long-standing passion for teaching and education, which has shaped my desire to improve the educational experience for students that will better equip them to address current and future global challenges. As a member of the University-wide ‘Curriculum Redefined’ team, I work towards the development of a transformative, sustainable and cutting-edge chemical engineering curriculum. I am a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA) and my work in teaching and pedagogic research spans curriculum design, active learning, authentic assessment, sustainability, and artificial intelligence. As a member of the University’s Sustainable Curriculum project team, I explore strategies for embedding sustainability across engineering curricula and have contributed guidance to the Sustainability Toolkit published by the Engineering Professors Council (EPC).

My pedagogic research projects span disciplines and have been funded at Leeds by the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) and the Horizons Institute. Furthermore, my cross-University educational projects have been funded through the Leeds International Strategy Fund (ISF) for collaborative projects with educational institutions in Singapore, Trinidad and Thailand. Externally, I have also received funding from the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA). Having studied and worked in educational institutions in the Middle East, India and Europe, I leverage these diverse experiences to deliver inclusive and flexible education.

Prior to moving to Leeds, I worked as a research fellow in green ammonia catalysis at the University of Birmingham. I obtained my Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where my doctoral thesis was distinguished with the ETH Medal for research excellence. I completed my Masters in Chemical and Bioengineering from the same institution and my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from AC Tech, Anna University, Chennai, India.

Responsibilities

• Programme Lead (BEng & MEng Chemical Engineering Programmes)

Research interests

My research interests are in engineering education research and more broadly in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). My disciplinary research expertise is in heterogenous catalysis and sustainable chemical processes. A more detailed description of the themes is provided below.

Engineering education research

My recent pedagogic research focuses on advancing engineering education through evidence-based curriculum design, assessment innovation, and the integration of contemporary global challenges into disciplinary teaching.

A central strand of my recent publications explores curriculum and course design that embeds sustainability, systems thinking, and real-world context within core chemical engineering content. Through peer-reviewed studies on sustainability-focused curricula and discipline-specific course redesign, I demonstrate how technical topics can be framed within broader socio-technical systems. Likewise, I am also interested in exploring digital tools and the constructive use of artificial intelligence in higher education. My research outputs in this area include discipline-specific studies such as using digital simulations for chemical reaction engineering as well as interdisciplinary studies on AI literacy.

Another key theme running through my recent work is assessment and learning for professional practice. Several publications examine evolving assessment approaches in chemical engineering education, including authentic, synoptic, and simulation-based assessments. This research addresses the disconnect between traditional academic assessments and the realities of professional engineering practice, offering principles that support integrative learning and employability.

Heterogeneous Catalysis and Sustainable Chemical Processes

My heterogeneous catalysis research has largely focused on green ammonia synthesis and methane conversion. My interest in the latter application is motivated by the need for an industrially viable small-scale methane conversion technology to stop the currently widely prevalent practice of natural gas flaring. With regards to ammonia synthesis, catalysts that are more efficient than conventional Haber-Bosch catalysts under milder operating conditions can help improve the economic feasibility of small-scale green ammonia manufacture.

Qualifications

• PhD
• MSc Chemical and Bioengineering
• BTech Chemical Engineering

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Student education

My teaching at the University level over the last five years has spanned from large cohort teaching and group-based tutorials to flipped classrooms, laboratory practical classes and research project supervision. I have contributed to the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering. Currently, my teaching contributions to the chemical engineering programme are in the topics of reaction engineering, biochemical engineering, process design and sustainability in chemical engineering.