Professor Ali Mehmanparast PhD, MBA, CEng, CMgr

Professor Ali Mehmanparast

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

Contact details

Email
a.mehmanparast@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
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 focus is on fatigue design, life extension, and structural integrity assessment of offshore renewable energy infrastructure.  

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 and PhD degrees from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, followed by two years of post-doctoral research on energy structures. He also holds an MBA degree from Cranfield School of Management.

Before joining the University of Birmingham in 2026, he held academic positions at Cranfield University and the University of Strathclyde, where he managed two successive EPSRC-funded Centres for Doctoral Training 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).

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Mehmanparast's research focus is primarily on the design optimisation, life extension, and integrity assessment of Offshore Renewable Energy structures. His work integrates advanced numerical modelling, experimental methods, analytical approaches, manufacturing innovations, and probabilistic techniques. He welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students interested in any of these research areas.

Doctoral Opportunities

Lifecycle damage analysis of offshore wind turbine welded structures using advanced experimental and numerical techniques

This PhD project is aligned with the "WIND-PROLIFE" EPSRC Open Fellowship research programme, led by Professor Ali Mehmanparast in the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Birmingham. WIND-PROLIFE aims to develop innovative solutions for extending the operational life of ageing offshore wind infrastructure. 

Research

Professor Mehmanparast's research focus is primarily on the design optimisation, life extension, and integrity assessment of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) structures. His work integrates advanced modelling, experimental methods, manufacturing innovations, and probabilistic techniques to address critical challenges in the ORE sector.

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

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

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

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

O’Neill, F, McLaughlin, E, Ermakova, A & Mehmanparast, A 2025, 'Influence of Overloading on Residual Stress Distribution in Surface-Treated Wire Arc Additive-Manufactured Steel Specimens', Materials, vol. 18, no. 7, 1551. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18071551

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>

McLaughlin, E, Mehmanparast, A & Martínez-Pañeda, E 2025, Investigation into the influence of material variability and subsequent fatigue life: A phase field modelling approach. 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-25-484, Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, pp. 3394-3401, 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-25-484/713064>

O’Neill, F & Mehmanparast, A 2025, Investigation of Fatigue Characteristics in Wire Arc Additive Manufactured Materials for Deployment in Offshore Environment. 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-25-486, Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers, pp. 3408-3415, 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-25-486/713102>

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

View all publications in research portal