Professor Ali Mehmanparast PhD, MBA, CEng, CMgr

Department of Civil Engineering
125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of Offshore Renewable Energy Structures

Contact details

Email: a.mehmanparast@bham.ac.uk

Address: Department of Civil Engineering
School of Engineering
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Ali Mehmanparast is a 125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of Offshore Renewable Energy Structures, and holds an EPSRC Open Fellowship (2026–2031). His research focuses on the fatigue design, life extension and structural integrity assessment of offshore renewable energy infrastructure. This includes the investigation of fatigue, fracture, corrosion, erosion, corrosion-fatigue interaction and other relevant degradation mechanisms, as well as residual stress engineering. His work combines advanced numerical modelling, experimental testing, analytical methods, statistical approaches and manufacturing technologies to improve the understanding, design and long-term structural integrity of offshore renewable energy assets.

Qualifications

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Cranfield School of Management, 2019
PhD in Structural Integrity, Imperial College London, 2012
MEng in Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, 2008

Biography

Professor Mehmanparast received his MEng/ACGI (2004–2008) and PhD/DIC (2008–2012) degrees from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. He subsequently completed two years of post-doctoral research (2012–2014) on the structural integrity of energy structures operating in harsh environments. He also holds an MBA degree from Cranfield School of Management.

Before joining University of Birmingham in June 2026, he held academic positions at Cranfield University (Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Reader; 2014-2021) and the University of Strathclyde (Professor; 2022-2026), where he managed two successive EPSRC-funded Centres for Doctoral Training, REMS CDT & WAMSS CDT, that collectively trained over 120 doctoral graduates.

He has authored around 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters in the field of energy structures, and has organised and chaired multiple international conferences. He is an Editor for the Journal of Engineering Failure Analysis (Elsevier) and serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals, including Applied Ocean Research (Elsevier), Forces in Mechanics (Elsevier), and Materials at High Temperatures (Taylor & Francis).

Prof. Mehmanparast is the Principal Investigator of the WIND-PROLIFE EPSRC Open Fellowship, which is the largest UKRI-funded research project dedicated to the life-extension of offshore wind infrastructure. This fellowship is delivered in close collaboration with leading industrial and academic partners, including the University of Oxford, RWE, Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted, Kent Energies, TWI, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub, as well as standardisation bodies such as DNV.

External Leadership Roles

UK Representative: SAFEWIND COST Action
UK Representative and Voting Member: ESIS Council (European Structural Integrity Society)

Postgraduate supervision

Completed and Ongoing Doctoral Supervision as Principal Supervisor

Dr Emmet McLaughlin: Fatigue Life Prediction of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures Using Advanced Numerical Modelling Techniques (Funded by EPSRC), completed in 2026
Dr Fraser O'Neill: The Durability of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Steel for Offshore Renewable Energy Structures (Funded by EPSRC), completed in 2026
Dr Alessandro Annoni: Integrity Evaluation of Offshore Wind Turbine MP–TP Connection Technologies (Funded by EPSRC and TWI), completed in 2024
Dr Anna Ermakova: Structural Integrity Assessment of Functionally Graded Components Created Using Additive Manufacturing Technology for Marine Applications (Funded by EPSRC), completed in 2023
Dr Satya Anandavijayan: Material Pre-straining Effects on Fatigue and Fracture Behaviour of Offshore Wind Monopile Structures (Funded by EPSRC), completed in 2020
Dr Jessica Taylor: Assessment of Crack Arrest Behaviour in Modern Structural Steels (Funded by EPSRC iCASE with TWI and Lloyd's Register), completed in 2020
Dr Abdulhakim Shittu: Structural Reliability Assessment of Offshore Wind Turbine Jacket-Type Support Structures Based on Fatigue Limit State (Funded by PTDF), completed in 2020
Dr Victor Igwemezie: Corrosion-Fatigue Behaviour of Structural Steels in Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations (Funded by TETFUND), completed in 2019
Dr Anaïs Jacob: The Influence of Residual Stresses on Structural Integrity of Renewable Energy Marine Structures (Funded by STFC), completed in 2019
Dr Ali Alturaihi: The Influence of Partial Peening on Fatigue Crack Growth, completed in 2017
Mr Federico Della Santa: Re-evaluation of Fatigue Design Curves for Offshore Renewable Energy Structures Using Advanced Statistical Approaches (Funded by EPSRC), started in 2023 – ongoing.
Ms Madison Asbury: Improving the Fatigue Life Assessment of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures by Considering Manufacturing Imperfections (Funded by EPSRC iCASE with Siemens Gamesa), started in 2024 – ongoing.
Mr Moray Stiven: Evaluation of Corrosion-Fatigue Behaviour in Offshore Wind Turbine Substructures (Funded by EPSRC and TWI), started in 2024 – ongoing.

PhD Opportunities

Project title: Lifecycle damage analysis of offshore wind turbine welded structures using advanced experimental and numerical techniques. See more information about the project and funding details.

Research

Professor Mehmanparast's research focuses on the design optimisation, life-extension and structural integrity assessment of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) infrastructure. His work combines advanced numerical modelling, accelerated testing, manufacturing innovations, and probabilistic methods to address critical engineering challenges associated with the long-term performance of the ORE assets. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale high-impact national and international research programmes on the structural integrity and failure analysis of energy structures operating in harsh environments. His research has informed engineering practice in the ORE sector, with the outcomes incorporated into international design guidelines and standards, such as DNV-RP-C203.

Some examples of past and ongoing research projects he has led as Principal Investigator (Pl) or Co-investigator (Co-I) include:

WIND-PROLIFE: Offshore Wind Infrastructure Design Evolution with Provision for Life Extension (funded by EPSRC)
Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Flange Study (funded by the Carbon Trust OWA Programme)
Structural Design and Integrity Enhancement of Floating Offshore Support Structures (funded by the Supergen Wind Hub)
Corrosion and Fatigue Protection of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures Using Additive Manufacturing Technology (funded by the Supergen ORE Hub)
Improving the Fatigue Life Assessment of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures by Considering Manufacturing Imperfections (funded by EPSRC and Siemens Gamesa)
Assessment of Crack Arrest Behaviour in Modern Structural Steels (funded by EPSRC, TWI, and Lloyd's Register)
Residual Stress Effects on Fatigue Life Assessment of Offshore Wind Turbines (funded by STFC)
Co Tide: Co-Design to Deliver Scalable Tidal Stream Energy (funded by EPSRC)
SLICJIP: Structural Lifecycle Industry Collaboration Joint Industry Project (funded by a consortium of 10 of the world's largest offshore wind operators and the Department of Energy and Climate Change)

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Brennan, F & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'A comprehensive fatigue test programme to better understand offshore steel monopile durability', Marine Structures, vol. 109, 104078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marstruc.2026.104078

Stiven, M, Devine, M, Johnston, C & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'A comprehensive review and analysis of S355 fatigue crack growth rate data for offshore wind applications: Seawater free-corrosion environment', International Journal of Fatigue, vol. 209, 109613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2026.109613

Asbury, M, Devine, M, Stiven, M, Seidel, M & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'A comprehensive review and analysis of S355 fatigue crack growth rate data for offshore wind applications: Air environment', Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, vol. 147, no. Part 1, 105839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105839

Lin, YY, Kim, YJ, Cho, NK, Hwang, JH, Park, KS, Mehmanparast, A & Kim, DK 2026, 'A hybrid physics–Bayesian framework for fatigue design curves under cryogenic conditions with consideration of load ratio and residual stress', Ocean Engineering, vol. 345, 123912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.123912

O'Neill, F & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'An investigation of fatigue and uncoupled corrosion-fatigue performance of Wire Arc Additively Manufactured ER90S-B3', Materials Today Communications, vol. 54, 115534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115534

O'Neill, F, Shamir, M, Nagalingam, AP & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Experimental investigation of corrosion-fatigue behaviour in hybrid wire arc additively manufactured parts', Engineering Failure Analysis, vol. 188, 110635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2026.110635

McLaughlin, E & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Fatigue life prediction of as-welded steel structures using phase-field modelling: The role of material properties and weld geometry', Engineering Failure Analysis, vol. 197, no. Part A, 111126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2026.111126

McLaughlin, E & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Numerical Prediction of the Impact of Residual Stresses on the Fatigue Life of Welded S355 Steel Plates Using a Phase-Field Approach', Applied Sciences, vol. 16, no. 15, 7695. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16157695

Bartsch, H, Röscher, S, Braun, M, Maljaars, J, Schubnell, J, Rauch, M, Chahardehi, A & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Offshore wind support structures – Evaluation of size effects and influencing factors on the fatigue performance of butt-welded joints using an updated database', Ocean Engineering, vol. 351, 124370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2026.124370

Della Santa, F & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Principal component analysis as an exploratory and diagnostic tool to analyze S-N fatigue trends relevant to offshore wind foundation design', Ocean Engineering, vol. 343, 123236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.123236

McLaughlin, E & Mehmanparast, A 2026, 'Sensitivity analysis of porosity effects on the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine support structures using a phase-field modelling approach', Structures, vol. 91, 112654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2026.112654

Mehmanparast, A & Lotsberg, I 2025, 'Advances in fatigue design of circumferential welds in offshore wind turbine monopile support structures', Engineering Structures, vol. 337, 120445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.120445

Gaddavalasa, NC, Lodh, A, Cini, A, Saaran, V, Mehmanparast, A, Starr, A & Castelluccio, GM 2025, 'Designing nickel coatings for water erosion performance: Optimisation of grain size and thickness', Engineering Failure Analysis, vol. 175, 109564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2025.109564

Conference contribution

Mehmanparast, A 2025, Assessing Degradation Mechanisms in Tidal Turbine Support Structures Under Marine Loading Conditions. in JS Chung, I Buzin, I Kubat, FK Lim, B-F Peng, A Reza, SH Van, D Wan, S Yamaguchi & S Yan (eds), Proceedings of the 35th International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, 2025., ISOPE-I-25-483, Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, pp. 3387-3393, 35th Annual International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, Seoul/Goyang, Korea, Republic of, 1/06/25. <https://onepetro.org/ISOPEIOPEC/proceedings-abstract/ISOPE25/ISOPE25/ISOPE-I-25-483/713040>

Review article

Habibi, P, Abad, F, Dai, S, Mehmanparast, A & Lotfian, S 2025, 'Failure analysis of tidal turbine blades: understanding erosion mechanisms and their impact on structural integrity', Engineering Failure Analysis, vol. 182, 110045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2025.110045

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