Prof Emilio Martínez-Pañeda joined Harris Manchester College, as a Supernumerary Fellow, and the University of Oxford, as Associate Professor in Engineering Science, in September 2023. Prior to this, he was a Reader (Associate Professor) at Imperial College London, where he led an interdisciplinary research group from 2019 to 2023 (2019: Lecturer, 2021: Senior Lecturer, 2023: Reader). Before joining Imperial, he was an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge’s Wolfson College. Prof Emilio Martínez-Pañeda’s research spans a wide range of challenges lying at the interface between mechanics and other disciplines, such as materials science, geology, chemistry, biology, and structural engineering. He combines experiments, theory and computer simulations to develop mechanistic models that can reliably capture material deformation and fracture.
His recent focus has been on addressing fundamental scientific challenges that can accelerate our transition to a net-zero carbon society and assist in tackling our energy and climate crises. Examples include (i) understanding metal-hydrogen interactions to safely deploy hydrogen energy infrastructure, (ii) developing mechanistic corrosion-fatigue models to extend the service life of offshore wind turbines, (iii) designing new microstructures to enhance Li-Ion battery durability and performance, and (iv) developing physically-based models for predicting iceberg calving and improve sea-level rise projections. These efforts have been supported by various funding schemes such as the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship programme, the ERC Starting Grant programme, the EPSRC New Investigator Award, and Innovate UK; Prof Emilio Martínez-Pañeda has been the PI on over £5M of funding in the past five years (+£20M as co-I).
Prof Emilio Martínez-Pañeda’s research has been recognised with several awards including the 2021 UK Young Engineer of the Year (Royal Academy of Engineering), the 2022 Imperial College President’s Medal for Excellence in Research (Early Career), the 2021 Gustavo Colonnetti Medal (RILEM), the 2020 IMechE Prestige Award, the 2020 Simo Prize (SEMNI), and the 2023 Young Investigator Medal by Spain’s Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2021, he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM).
