Professor Athanasios (Thanos) Tsolakis B.Eng, PhD, CEng, FIMechE, FHEA

• PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education-Award of excellence (Birmingham), UK, 2010
• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, 2004
• BEng in Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, 2001
• BEng in Manufacturing Engineering, T.E.I. of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece. 1999

Professor Tsolakis earned a BEng in Manufacturing Engineering from the Technological Education Institute of Piraeus in Greece in 1999 and a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham in the UK in 2001. He completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2004.

From Birmingham, Thanos moved to Johnson Matthey plc, where he served as a Research Scientist at the Technology Centre, focusing on R&D projects in catalytic technologies. He returned to the University of Birmingham as a Lecturer in 2005 and was appointed to the Chair of Thermodynamics in 2016.

In 2007, he was elected a member of the IMechE and became a Chartered Mechanical Engineer (CEng), and in 2009, he was elected a Fellow of the IMechE (FIMechE). In 2011, he was elected a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) after completing an award-winning Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in higher education.

In 2012 was appointed the Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) lead and Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer for the School of Mechanical Engineering. Since January 2016, Thanos has been the Head of Research for the School of Engineering and led REF 2021.

• Level 4 and MSc Advanced Fuels and Powertrain Systems
• Level 4 and MSc Synoptic Engineering
• Levels 4/3/MSc Supervise on average 8 Final Year Projects.
• Level 3 Design and Professional Skills
• Level 3 Sustainable Energy and Environment
• Level 2 Thermodynamics and Fluids

Interested in supervising PhD projects in areas including: propulsion and energy systems, alternative fuels (ammonia, synthetic fuels, biofuels, hydrogen), fuels safety, hydrogen production and utilisation, emissions speciation and abatement, catalytic technologies, combustion, burner for heating manufacturing applications, heat and energy recovery, thermal management, renewables.  

• Carbon-free or low-carbon energy carriers.
• Hybrid propulsion systems integration
• Internal combustion engines and fuel burners
• Environmental catalysts and catalytic systems (e.g. Exhaust gas after-treatments).
• Fuel reforming for heat recovery and hydrogen production.
• Combustion and emissions control.
• Alternative fuels (i.e. synthetic fuels, biofuels, alcohols, Hydrogen, ammonia).
• Emissions speciation (e.g. Particulate Matter, Hydrocarbons, Unregulated Emissions).
• Fuels Safety

Membership of Professional Bodies

• Chartered Mechanical Engineer
• Fellow of Institution of Mechanical Engineers
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy 
• EPSRC Associate College Member