Cise leads the Manchester CREATES team, whose mission is to contribute to a sustainable built environment and circular economy through the development of innovative and functional construction products with high performance, durability and efficiency.

Our research involves the use of various experimental and analytical techniques for the advancement of scientific knowledge and applications related to innovations in sustainable concrete materials.

In our work, we focus on the use of waste materials, carbon sequestration, recycling,  machine learning, self-healing and 3D printing processes. Within these topics, we are interested in studying the relationship between reaction mechanisms, mechanical performance and microstructural development, as well as the environmental impacts of various binder systems and materials.

You can obtain more information about our work by browsing through our team, research areas and publications.

For potential collaborations or interest in our work, feel free to connect with us on Google Scholar, LinkedIN, ResearchGate, Web of Science, ORCID, and LinkedIN.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Associate in the Concrete Sustainability Hub, 2012-2013

University of Cambridge

PhD in Structural and Environmental Engineering, 2009-2012

Imperial College London

MSc in Concrete Structures and Business Management, 2006-2007

Vanderbilt University

BEng in Civil Engineering and Mathematics, 2002-2006

We are currently working on 10 main topics:

1. Development of carbon-neutral construction products involving CO2 sequestration
2. Sustainable production of cement from locally available waste materials
3. Advancement of alternative binders involving wastes and industrial by-products with enhanced hydration and performance
4. Development of fibre-reinforced composites with self-healing ability
5. Use of 3D printing for the rapid production of sustainable construction components
6. Application of machine learning algorithms for performance prediction of concrete mixes
7. Durability assessment of alternative binders with different reinforcement systems
8. Recycling and reuse of constriction materials
9. Life cycle assessment and cost analysis of construction materials
10. Transformation of vacant and derelict lands into usable spaces

For more details on the areas we are working on, please refer here.

Current projects:

UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D Call Sustainability and Net Zero (£1,030,090, UoM budget £303,980): Innovate UK, Inciner8-2-Net0: Maximising value of incineration waste and carbon capture for a Net Zero built environment, 01.09.2024-28.02.2027 (2.5 years) (academic PI)

Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme Round 4 (£124,920.10, UoM budget £89,487.53): Waste-2-Net0: Maximising value of construction waste and carbon capture for a Net Zero built environment, 01.10.2024-28.02.2025 (PI) 

Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme Round 4 (£124,488.11, UoM budget £85,509.11): Low-cost modular carbon sequestration using alkaline materials from mining and industrial by-products - Cquestr8, 01.10.2024-28.02.2025 (co-PI)

Changing the Environment 2021 (£10.2m, WP £622,049.64): Natural Environment Research Council, Delivering a Climate Resilient City through City-University Partnership: Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation (GALLANT), 31.01.2022-31.12.2026 (co-PI, WP lead - CO₂ sequestration & remediation)

International Collaboration Awards (£224,959.62): Royal Society (UK), The integration of permanent storage of CO2 and industrial wastes in construction materials: Towards a sustainable built environment, 1.12.2020-30.11.2024 (PI)

Completed projects:

Cities of Tomorrow R&D Programme ($579,240): Ministry of National Development and the National Research Foundation (Singapore), Production of MgO cement from waste reject brine obtained from desalination plants (Award No: CoT-V1-2020-1), 01/2021-07/2024 (PI)

Newton Fund Institutional Links (£234,158.16): British Council (UK), Climate resilient 3D-printable building components incorporating sustainable and low-cost materials (3D-PC): Providing low-cost and high-speed housing for vulnerable populations, 17.02.2021-16.02.2023 (2 years) (PI)

Transforming Systems through Partnership (£80,000): Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), Thermal energy storage in building elements (TESBE): Development of novel and low-cost sustainable composites for enhanced building energy efficiency and occupant thermal comfort, 15.04.2021-15.04.2023 (2 years) (PI)

Reinvigorating Research Grant (£40,000): University of Glasgow, Creation of value from the innovative transfer of wastes to sustainable materials, 15.01.2022-15.07.2022 (6 months) (PI)

Academic Research Fund Tier 2 Grant ($1,052,957): Ministry of Education (Singapore), Novel and carbon-neutral concrete products incorporating local waste products, 01/2018 (co-PI)

Academic Research Fund Tier 1 Grant ($250,000): Ministry of Education (Singapore), Development of novel cements with optimised carbon capture capabilities, 03/2015 (PI)

Academic Research Fund Tier 1 Grant ($99,900): Ministry of Education (Singapore), Enhancing the hydration and mechanical performance of sustainable novel binders incorporating waste materials, 11/2016 (PI)

Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS): National Research Foundation (Singapore), Building Energy Efficiency & Sustainability in the Tropics (SinBerBEST) Program, 01/2017 (PI)

NTU Preparatory Research Grant ($50,000): School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 06/2013 (PI) NTU Seed Grant ($50,000): Sustainable Earth Office, Carbon negative construction products, 05/2014 (PI)

SMART Innovation Centre Grant ($50,000): Development of novel sustainable concrete products with the ability to gain strength by sequestering CO2, 06/2016 (PI)

3M Innovation Singapore Pte Ltd ($50,000): Investigation of the use of glass microspheres within construction products, 07/2016 (PI) Heptagon Pte Ltd ($20,000): Investigation of the properties and incorporation of used fire blankets for the development of sustainable cement mixes, 02/2016 (PI)

NTU-Technion Joint Project Seed Grant ($10,000): Environmentally friendly defragmentation of reinforced concrete elements with simultaneous production of recycled aggregates, 09/2015 (PI)

NTU-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre ($22,000): Sustainable infrastructure, 08/2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (PI)

JOIN OUR TEAM:

If you are interested in a postdoctoral position, please feel free to get in touch (cise.unluer[at]manchester.ac.uk) with your latest CV with 2-3 most recent journal publications.

Fellowship Opportunities: We are keen on supporting strong candidates for various fellowships. Please check other fellowship opportunities and get in touch with us if you would like to apply to one of these: EPSRC Fellowships, Marie Curie Fellowship, Newton International Fellowships, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowships, STFC Fellowships, Leverhulme Trust Fellowships, Ernest Rutherford Fellowships, Royal Society University Research Fellowship,  Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, Royal Society Grants

For prospective PhD students, the detailed application process is available here. Our group has open PhD positions in the broad area of smart and sustainable construction materials; and low carbon cement and concrete. More information on PhD funding opportunities can be obtained from the following links:

Find a PhD project

Postgraduate research funding opportunities

Civil engineering postgraduate research funding opportunities

We accept CSC applicants interested in pursuing a PhD or 1-year exchange with us at Manchester:

University of Manchester - China Scholarship Council joint scholarship

Some other specific funding opportunities are listed below:

President’s Doctoral Scholar Award

Dean's Doctoral Scholarship Award

EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)

School of Engineering Graduate PhD Scholarship

Funds for Women Graduates

A* STAR PhD Programme

Cise is available for consultancy and public & media engagement on different topics including sustainable construction, novel construction materials, low carbon cement and concrete, resource efficiency, life cycle assessment, industrial decarbonisation and circular economy. Please feel free to get in touch at cise.unluer[at]manchester.ac.uk.

Contact details: Google Scholar, LinkedIN, ResearchGate, Web of Science, ORCID, LinkedIN