Walkley, Brant, Dr

Dr Brant Walkley

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer

School PGR Lead & UoS-Director of EPSRC CDT SATURN, School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering Deputy Head of the Engineering Graduate School (Interim), Faculty of Engineering

b.walkley@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7528

Room B56, Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Brant Walkley
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Room B56
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
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S1 3JD

Profile

I am Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, where I lead the (SMASH) research team.

I am Postgraduate Research Lead for the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering, and Deputy Head of the Engineering Graduate School for the Faculty of Engineering. I am also the UoS-Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training SATURN (Skills and Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear, 2024-2032), and am Editor for

My research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd., National Nuclear Laboratory, and both UK and international industry groups.

I teach a variety of research-led core and applied chemical engineering subjects. I was awarded the ‘Outstanding PGR Supervision Award’ in each of the past three, an ‘Undergraduate Teaching Award’ in 2020, and received a ‘Letter of Commendation for Teaching Excellence’ in 2019 from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, ��«Ӱҵ.

Research interests

My research aims to drive new advances in the development of materials and processes for sustainable infrastructure, environmental remediation, waste management, and clean energy. This will enable industry to meet the needs of our society both sustainably and cost-effectively, improving the well-being of our society and environment.
Broadly speaking, our research group focuses on investigation of composition-structure-property relationships, reaction mechanisms and kinetics, and surface chemistry in cements, glasses, ceramics and nanomaterials using advanced spectroscopic and microstructural techniques. We also explore new approaches to study resource production and consumption, decarbonisation strategies, and cross-sector interactions affecting this.

Current projects focus on:

Development of low-CO2 cements for sustainable infrastructure
Understanding durability and degradation phenomena in low-CO2 cements
Development of materials for encapsulation/immobilisation of radioactive waste
Understanding and controlling radionuclide-cement interactions in cement matrices used for immobilisation of radioactive waste
Understanding mass transport processes in cements for applications in both construction and nuclear sectors
Development and assessment of decarbonisation strategies for construction and the built environment

Publications

Journal articles

Rihner MCS, Whittle JW, Gadelhaq MHA, Mohamad SN, Yuan R, Rothman R, Fletcher DI, Walkley B & Koh LSC (2025) . Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 211, 115245-115245.
Adetona AJ, Levin I, Morley N, Hussein O, Siame BI, Walkley B, Sinclair DC & Reaney IM (2024) . Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 44(16), 116792-116792.
da Silva MRC, Andrade Neto JDS, Walkley B & Kirchheim AP (2024) . Materials and Structures, 57(8).
Geddes DA, Walkley B, Matsuda T & Provis JL (2024) . CEMENT, 100111-100111.
Stefanini L, Walkley B & Provis JL (2024) . Materials and Structures, 57(7).
Marsh ATM, Brown AP, Freeman HM, Walkley B, Pendlowski H & Bernal SA (2024) . Applied Clay Science, 255, 107402-107402.
Simoni M, Kearney SA, Robshaw TJ, Turner J, O'Donoghue K, Geddes DA, Sharrad CA, Ogden MD & Walkley B (2024) . Cement and Concrete Research, 179, 107480-107480.
Santana HA, Ruviaro AS, Ribeiro DV, Cilla MS, Walkley B & M. R. Dias C (2024) . Waste Management, 182, 225-236.
Geddes DA, Walkley B, Galliard CL, Hayes M, Bernal SA & Provis JL (2024) . Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
Stefanini L, Ansari D, Walkley B & Provis JL (2024) . Materials Today Communications, 38, 107777-107777.
Silva MRCD, Andrade Neto JDS, Walkley B & Kirchheim AP (2024) . Cement and Concrete Research, 175, 107375-107375.
Adetona AJ, Wang G, Walkley B, Sinclair DC & Reaney IM (2023) . Journal of the European Ceramic Society.
Simoni M, Woo CL, Zhao H, Iuga D, Svora P, Hanein T, Kinoshita H & Walkley B (2023) . Cement and Concrete Research, 174, 107295-107295.
Robshaw TJ, Kearney S, Turner J, Simoni M, Baidak A, Sharrad CA, Walkley B & Ogden MD (2023) . Progress in Nuclear Energy, 165, 104918-104918.
Stefanini L, Ghorbani S, De Schutter G, Matthys S, Walkley B & Provis JL (2023) . Journal of Materials Science, 58(31), 12537-12558.
Ghorbani S, Stefanini L, Sun Y, Walkley B, Provis JL, De Schutter G & Matthys S (2023) . Cement and Concrete Composites, 105230-105230.
Stefanini L, Walkley B & Provis JL (2023) . Frontiers in Materials, 10, 1212177.
Xue L, Zhang Z, Walkley B, Liu H, Jiang Y & Wang H (2023) . Materials Today Communications, 35, 106182-106182.
Yorkshire AS, Stennett MC, Walkley B, Provis JL, Townsend LT, Haigh LT, Hyatt NC, Mottram LM & Corkhill CL (2023) . Scientific Reports, 13.
Ke X, Baki VA, Large AI, Held G, Walkley B & Li J (2022) . Applied Geochemistry, 105515-105515.
Robshaw TJ, Turner J, Tuck O, Pyke C, Kearney S, Simoni M, Sharrad CA, Walkley B & Ogden MD (2022) . Frontiers in Chemistry, 10.
Gluth GJG, Ke X, Vollpracht A, Weiler L, Bernal SA, Cyr M, Dombrowski-Daube K, Geddes DA, Grengg C, Le Galliard C , Nedeljkovic M et al (2022) . Materials and Structures, 55(8).
Henning R, Sturm P, Geddes DA, Keßler S, Walkley B & Gluth GJG (2022) . Frontiers in Materials, 9.
Derkani MH, Bartlett NJ, Koma G, Carter LA, Geddes DA, Provis JL & Walkley B (2022) . Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 628(Part B), 745-757.
Avet F, Li X, Ben Haha M, Bernal SA, Bishnoi S, Cizer Ö, Cyr M, Dolenec S, Durdzinski P, Haufe J , Hooton D et al (2022) . Materials and Structures, 55(3).
Walkley B, Geddes DA, Matsuda T & Provis JL (2022) . Langmuir, 38(5), 1662-1671.
Ren J, Zhang L, Walkley B, Black JR & San Nicolas R (2022) . Cement and Concrete Research, 151.
Yorkshire AS, Stennett MC, Walkley B, O'Sullivan SE, Mottram LM, Bailey DJ, Provis JL, Hyatt NC & Corkhill CL (2022) . Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 29(1), 89-102.
Robshaw TJ, Turner J, Kearney S, Walkley B, Sharrad CA & Ogden MD (2021) . SN Applied Sciences, 3(11).
Longhi MA, Rodríguez ED, Walkley B, Eckhard D, Zhang Z, Provis JL & Kirchheim AP (2021) . Ceramics International.
Zhong M-X, Walkley B, Bailey DJ, Blackburn LR, Ding H, Wang S-Q, Bao W-C, Gardner LJ, Sun S-K, Stennett MC , Corkhill CL et al (2021) . Journal of Nuclear Materials, 556, 153198-153198.
Longhi MA, Zhang Z, Walkley B, Rodríguez ED & Kirchheim AP (2021) . Cement and Concrete Research, 144, 106431-106431.
Mostaed A, Walkley B, Hatnean MC, Balakrishnan G, Lees MR, Beanland R, Sinclair DC & Reaney IM (2021) . Acta Materialia, 208.
Li L, Walkley B, Reaney IM & Sinclair DC (2021) . Journal of the European Ceramic Society.
Wang L, Geddes DA, Walkley B, Provis JL, Mechtcherine V & Tsang DCW (2020) . Cement and Concrete Research, 136.
Yliniemi J, Walkley B, Provis JL, Kinnunen P & Illikainen M (2020) . Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.
Vasconcelos RGW, Walkley B, Day S, Tang CC, Paraskevoulakos H, Gardner LJ & Corkhill CL (2020) . Applied Geochemistry.
Longhi MA, Rodríguez ED, Walkley B, Zhang Z & Kirchheim AP (2020) . Composites Part B: Engineering, 182.
Yliniemi J, Walkley B, Provis JL, Kinnunen P & Illikainen M (2020) . Cement and Concrete Composites, 106.
Walkley B, Page SJ, Rees GJ, Provis JL & Hanna JV (2020) . The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 124(2), 1681-1694.
Walkley B, Ke X, Hussein OH, Bernal SA & Provis JL (2020) . Journal of Hazardous Materials, 382.
Longhi MA, Walkley B, Rodríguez ED, Kirchheim AP, Zhang Z & Wang H (2019) . Composites Part B: Engineering, 176.
Green AC, Lath D, Hudson K, Walkley B, Down JM, Owen R, Evans HR, Paton‐Hough J, Reilly GC, Lawson MA & Chantry AD (2019) . Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Hughes CE, Walkley B, Gardner LJ, Walling SA, Bernal SA, Iuga D, Provis JL & Harris KDM (2019) . Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, 99(J. Magn. Reson. 57 1984), 1-6.
Prentice DP, Walkley B, Bernal SA, Bankhead M, Hayes M & Provis JL (2019) . Cement and Concrete Research, 119, 21-35.
Walkley B & Provis JL (2019) . Materials Today Advances, 1.
Criado M, Walkley B, Ke X, Provis JL & Bernal SA (2018) . Sustainability, 10(12).
Li X, Snellings R, Antoni M, Alderete NM, Ben Haha M, Bishnoi S, Cizer Ö, Cyr M, De Weerdt K, Dhandapani Y , Duchesne J et al (2018) . Materials and Structures, 51.
Dong B, Yan J, Walkley B, Inglis KK, Blanc F, Hull S & West AR (2018) . Solid State Ionics, 327, 64-70.
Walkley B, Kashani A, Sani M, Ngo TD & Mendis P (2018) Examination of alkali-activated material nanostructure during thermal treatment. Journal of Materials Science, 53(13), 9486-9503.
Walkley B, Rees G, San Nicolas R, van Deventer J, Hanna J & Provis J (2018) . The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 122(10), 5673-5685.
Kashani A, Ngo TD, Walkley B & Mendis P (2017) . Construction and Building Materials, 153, 225-237.
Walkley B, San Nicolas R, Sani MA, Bernal SA, van Deventer JSJ & Provis JL (2017) . Cement and Concrete Research, 99, 155-171.
Walkley B, San Nicolas R, Sani M-A, Gehman JD, van Deventer JSJ & Provis JL (2016) . Powder Technology, 297, 17-33.
Walkley B, San Nicolas R, Sani MA, Rees GJ, Hanna JV, van Deventer JSJ & Provis JL (2016) . Cement and Concrete Research, 89, 120-135.
Walkley B, San Nicolas R, Sani M-A, Gehman JD, van Deventer JSJ & Provis JL (2016) . Dalton Transactions, 45(13), 5521-5535.
Walkley B, Provis JL, San Nicolas R, Sani M-A & van Deventer JSJ (2015) . Advances in Applied Ceramics, 114(7), 372-377.
Bernal SA, Provis JL, Walkley B, San Nicolas R, Gehman JD, Brice DG, Kilcullen AR, Duxson P & van Deventer JSJ (2013) . Cement and Concrete Research, 53, 127-144.
Marsh ATM, Brown AP, Freeman HM, Neumann A, Walkley B, Pendlowski H & Bernal SA () . Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
Tan Y, Gardner LJ, Walkley B, Hussein OH, Ding H, Sun S, Yu H & Hyatt NC () . ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.
Kearney S, Robshaw TJ, Turner J, Sharrad CA, Walkley B & Ogden MD () . MRS Advances.
Fisher AJ, Ding H, Rajbhandari P, Walkley B, Blackburn LR, Stennett MC, Hand RJ, Hyatt NC, Harrison MT & Corkhill CL () . Materials Advances.
Luukkonen T, Yliniemi J, Walkley B, Geddes D, Griffith B, Hanna JV, Provis JL, Kinnunen P & Illikainen M () . RSC Advances, 12(40), 25822-25832.
Manning JRH, Walkley B, Provis JL & Patwardhan SV () . Langmuir.
Walkley B, Ke X, Hussein O & Provis JL () . Dalton Transactions.
Walkley B, Ke X, Provis JL & Bernal SA () . The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Chapters

Kearney S, Yorkshire AS, Geddes DA, Hanein T, Nelson S, Provis JL & Walkley B (2022) , Low Carbon Stabilization and Solidification of Hazardous Wastes (pp. 407-431). Elsevier
Walkley B (2018) , Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series (pp. 406-407). Springer International Publishing
Walkley B (2018) , Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series (pp. 1-2). Springer International Publishing
San Nicolas RVR, Walkley B & van Deventer JSJ (2017) , Coal Combustion Products (CCP's) (pp. 185-214). Elsevier
Adams T, Amaya P, Bentz DP, Bittner JD, Bittner A, Blythe GM, Bradley LJN, Butalia T, Carriker NE, Castleman J , Csetenyi LJ et al (2017) , Coal Combustion Products (CCP's) (pp. xi-xii). Elsevier

Conference proceedings papers

Gluth GJG, Ke X, Vollpracht A, Weiler L, Bernal SA, Cyr M, Dombrowski-Daube K, Geddes D, Grengg C, Le Galliard C , Nedeljkovic M et al (2023) (pp 1029-1037)
Gluth GJG, Ke X, Vollpracht A, Bernal SA, Cizer Ö, Cyr M, Dombrowski-Daube K, Geddes D, Grengg C, Le Galliard C , Nedeljkovic M et al (2023) (pp 667-676)
Matsuda T, Mine R, Geddes DA, Walkley B & Provis JL (2022) Development of ultra-low shrinkage and high strength concrete without Portland cement with experimental study on its fabrication. fib Symposium (pp 763-772)
Matsuda T, Sakamoto R, Geddes DA, Walkley B & Provis JL (2021) An experimental study on shrinkage and mechanical properties of ultra-low shrinkage and high strength zero-cement concrete. fib Symposium, Vol. 2021-June (pp 729-738)
Matsuda T, Geddes DA, Walkley B & Provis JL (2020) Properties and micro strucure of ultralow shrinkage and high strength zero-cement-concrete. Proceedings of the fib Symposium 2020: Concrete Structures for Resilient Society (pp 76-83)
Matsuda T, Geddes DA, Walkley B & Provis JL (2020) Properties and micro strucure of ultralow shrinkage and high strength zero-cement-concrete. fib Symposium (pp 76-83)
Patwardhan S, Manning J, Jorge M, Centi A, Walkley B & Provis J (2019) Understanding interfacial interactions to unlock the potential of bioinspired nanomaterials. ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Vol. 258

Preprints

Stefanini L, Walkley B & Provis JL (2024) , Research Square Platform LLC.
Marsh A, Brown A, Freeman H, Walkley B, Pendlowski H & Bernal S (2024) , American Chemical Society (ACS).
Silva M, Neto JSA, Walkley B & Kirchheim AP (2024) , Research Square Platform LLC.
Ogden MD, Robshaw TJ, Kearney S, Turner JR, Simoni M, Baidak A, Sharrad CA & Walkley B (2022) , SSRN Electronic Journal.
Mostaed A, Walkley B, Hatnean MC, Balakrishnan G, Lees MR, Beanland R, Sinclair DC & Reaney IM (2020) Characterizing oxygen atoms in perovskite and pyrochlore oxides using ADF-STEM at a resolution of a few tens of picometers, arXiv.

Research group

Postdoctoral Research Associates:

Dr Dan Geddes, (EPSRC)

PhD researchers:

Sylvia Gomes, Solidification routes for encapsulation of radioiodine (EPSRC & )
Cameron Halliwell, Understanding cement- superplasticiser interactions in geopolymer encapsulants for safe disposal of radioactive waste (EPSRC & )
William McMahon, Decarbonising Construction: Understanding the Chemistry and Engineering of Low-Carbon Alkali-Activated Cements (EPSRC Industrial & )
Cameron Halliwell, Understanding cement- superplasticiser interactions in geopolymer encapsulants for safe disposal of radioactive waste (EPSRC & )
Ava Sjoberg, Understanding cement-superplasticiser interactions in blended Portland cement wasteforms ()
Isabelle Smith, Next-generation low-carbon cement wasteforms for safe disposal of radioactive waste ( (EPSRC) & )
Madeline Rihner, Life Cycle Assessment of Sustainable Cement (Energy Institute & EPSRC)
Ella Cliff, Understanding reaction mechanisms, kinetics and structural evolution in low-carbon cements (EPSRC)
Charlotte Nevin, Resolving reaction mechanisms, kinetics and mass transport in radionuclide-loaded geopolymer cement wasteforms ( (EPSRC) & )
Kyle O'Donoghue, Geopolymer reaction mechanisms and kinetics for immobilisation of radioactive waste (EPSRC)
Jess McWilliams, Encapsulation of contaminated oils in geopolymer cements ( (EPSRC))

Recruitment:

I'm always keen to support people who are passionate about the development of sustainable materials, chemical engineering, materials chemistry and science and engineering more generally. Prospective PhD/PDRA/Research Fellows are encouraged to send me an expression of interest along with their CV. There are a number of scholarship schemes through which prospective PhD researchers can apply for PhD funding, as well as schemes to support postdoctoral and research fellows, and I will gladly support talented individuals in these applications for projects which align with the broad research themes below.

Materials for sustainable infrastructure
Materials for environmental remediation
Materials for sustainable energy production and storage

Prospective PhD/PDRA/Research Fellows who have already secured funding are also very welcome to propose their own research ideas

Grants

Current grants

2023-2026: (EPSRC)
2023-2026: (EPSRC)
2023-2026: New processing technology to convert waste products into a valuable additive for cement and concrete (Green Lithium Ltd.)
2023-2028: Centre of Expertise for Thermal and Immobilisation (Sellafield Ltd.)
2023-2027: (EPSRC Industrial CASE PhD studentship w/ )
2023-2027: ( PhD studentship w/ )
2022-2024: ( w/ Tremco Construction Products Group)
2022-2026: (Energy Institute EPSRC DTP PhD studentship)
2022-2026: (EPSRC Industrial CASE PhD studentship w/ )
2022-2026: ( PhD studentship)
2021-2025: ( PhD studentship w/ )
2021-2025: (Energy Institute EPSRC DTP PhD studentship)
2021-2025: (EPSRC DTP PhD studentship)
2021-2025: ( PhD studentship w/ )
2018-2023: Research into the development and chemistry of sustainable cement and concrete materials ()

Past grants

2023: Joint ROK-UK Project for the non-destructive characterization of novel wasteforms targeting C-14 solidification (National Research Foundation of Korea)
2023: Alternative materials for encapsulation of nuclear waste in a net zero world (NNL Game Changers) ()
2022-2023: ( w/ )
2021-2022: ( w/ Civil Engineering, University of Leeds and Environment and Geography, University of York)
2020-2022: Developing additives to improve durability and engineering properties of alkali-activated materials ( w/ )
2020-2022: Iodine abatement in irradiated nuclear fuel recycling (, )
2020-2021: C-14 abatement in irradiated nuclear fuel recycling (, )

Teaching activities

I am Module Leader for GEE104/CIV11001 Thermofluids, teaching the thermodynamics component of this module.

As the UoS-Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training SATURN (Skills and Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear, 2024-2032) I also lead the Radioactive Waste Management component of the Taught Programme for this CDT, as well as the Specialist Skills Training module at ��«Ӱҵ.

I supervise ~10 MEng and MSc Research Projects each year for undergraduate and postgraduate taught modules.

I have previously taught a variety of research-led core and applied chemical engineering subjects, including heat and mass transfer, solid-gas separation processes, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering design projects.

Professional activities and memberships

I am an Associate Member of IChemE

I am a Senior Member of RILEM (International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures)

A Member of RILEM Technical Committees:

267-TRM: Tests for reactivity of supplementary cementitious materials
TC UMW : Upcycling Powder Mineral “Wastes” into Cement Matrices
TC CUC: Carbon dioxide uptake by concrete during and after service life

I am a Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

I founded and Chair ��«Ӱҵ / NDA Group Cements Academic and Industry Forum.

I am UoS Academic Lead for Innovandi, the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) Research Network.

Professional activities and recognition

Associate Member, Institute of Chemical Engineers
Affiliate Member of RILEM (Member of Technical Committees TC-267 TRM and TC-281 CCC)
Editorial Panel Member of
Guest Editor,
Guest Editor,
Invited Expert Panel Member of , UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Invited reviewer for more than 340 international journals
Undergraduate Teaching Award recipient, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 2020
Development Opportunity Award recipient, 2018 and 2019
First Prize, 6th Early Career Presentation Contest, World Materials Research Institute Forum, 2018
Dedicated Outstanding Thesis Mentor Award recipient, 2017 and 2018
Learned Society Fund Award recipient, 2017, 2018 and 2019
Environmental Mineralogy Group Early Career Researcher Bursary recipient, 2017
The Deal Recognition Award recipient, 2017
The University of Melbourne MATS scholar, 2015
Best Tutor Award, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, 2015
The University of Melbourne PORES scholar, 2014
Australian Ceramic Society Bursary recipient, 2014
Best Paper - First Prize, 34th Annual Cement and Concrete Science Conference, 2014
Australian Research Council Special Research Centre PFPC Travel Grant recipient, 2013 and 2014
Australian Research Council APA scholar, 2012 – 2016

��«Ӱҵ

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Dr Brant Walkley

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

Preprints

Links