Professor Adhikari's Welcome Page

Professor Sondipon Adhikari (FRAeS)
Professor of Engineering Mechanics
James Watt School of Engineering
The University of Glasgow
Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
Phone: + 44 (0) 141 330 2032
Email: Sondipon.Adhikari@glasgow.ac.uk, Sondipon.Adhikari@gmail.com

Welcome to Professor Adhikari's Web Page

The full academic CV is available here. A smaller two-page CV is available here.

Contributions to Knowledge and Innovation
Professor Sondipon Adhikari is internationally recognised as a world leader in structural dynamics and probabilistic methods and one of the most highly cited engineers of his generation, with over 425 peer-reviewed journal papers, six monographs, and more than 24,000 citations. His research has consistently generated new ideas, tools, and methodologies that have advanced the frontiers of knowledge across engineering and applied science. Standing on the foundations of structural dynamics, probabilistic methods, and computational mechanics, his work has pioneered analytical frameworks for mechanical metamaterials, developed generalised damping theories now widely used in vibration analysis, and advanced uncertainty quantification in computational mechanics. His discoveries include counterintuitive phenomena such as apparent negative Young's moduli under dynamic conditions and new optimisation strategies for lattice metamaterials, both of which have opened entirely new avenues of research. Beyond theoretical insight, his innovations have shaped industrial practice: his decade-long collaboration with Embraer transformed aircraft composite design, while his methods for wind turbine fragility and aeroelastic analysis have influenced renewable energy modelling worldwide. By bridging theory, computation, and real-world application, Professor Adhikari has established new paradigms across multiple disciplines and demonstrated the power of curiosity-driven, cross-disciplinary innovation.

Mentorship and Academic Leadership
A central part of Professor Adhikari's career has been the development of others and the cultivation of strong, effective working relationships. He has supervised several doctoral students and numerous postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to secure prestigious academic positions in Russell Group universities in the UK and leading institutions worldwide, as well as senior research and innovation roles in industry. His mentoring philosophy balances intellectual independence with structured support, encouraging early career researchers to tackle ambitious problems while equipping them with the skills to succeed. This approach has been validated through multiple student awards, including best PhD thesis prizes and high-profile international conference accolades. His collaborative style extends well beyond formal supervision: many of his former students and postdocs remain active research partners, reflecting the enduring professional networks he has built. As Head of the Infrastructure & Environment Division at Glasgow, he leads 26 academics and has fostered a multidisciplinary environment where staff are encouraged to pursue bold ideas, connect across disciplines, and align curiosity-driven research with long-term strategic goals. His leadership has resulted in one of the most diverse research groups in the James Watt School of Engineering, with the highest proportion of female academic staff, underscoring his commitment to inclusivity and sustainable career development.

Service to the Global Research Community
Professor Adhikari has made substantial contributions to the wider research and innovation community through leadership, editorial service, and international engagement. He has delivered seven plenary, two semi-plenary, and more than fifteen keynote lectures at leading international conferences, alongside over sixty invited seminars worldwide, helping to shape the global research agenda in structural dynamics, metamaterials, and renewable energy. He has organised major international workshops and special sessions, creating platforms for interdisciplinary exchange and capacity building. His editorial responsibilities span more than twenty-five international journals, including Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics, and the Journal of Sound and Vibration, where his guidance has influenced the development of entire research fields. He has reviewed proposals for over twenty-three funding bodies, including EPSRC, the European Commission, NSF, DFG, and the Qatar Foundation, and examined nearly fifty doctoral theses internationally, underscoring his reputation as a trusted arbiter of research quality. His achievements have been recognised with major esteem indicators, including the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize, and the ICAS von Karman Award for International Cooperation in Aeronautics (2024). In 2025, he was ranked 5th in the UK and 128th worldwide in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering by Research.com, further affirming his influence and leadership within the global research community.

Impact on Industry and Society
Professor Adhikari's research has had a lasting impact well beyond academia, influencing industrial practice, policy, and wider society. His decade-long collaboration with Embraer Aircraft Corporation has transformed the company's approach to composite structure design, with advanced uncertainty quantification methods now embedded in their design processes for business jets. In the renewable energy sector, his probabilistic frameworks for wind speed prediction and turbine fragility have been adopted by industry leaders such as Garrad Hassan (now DNV-GL), shaping risk assessment tools that are central to the approval, financing, and operation of wind farms worldwide. His expertise has also been sought by companies such as Schlumberger, QinetiQ, and Renew-Risk, where his insights into aeroelasticity, metamaterials, and risk modelling are informing next-generation aerospace and energy technologies. Beyond industry, he has delivered advanced lecture courses in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, training engineers and researchers in uncertainty quantification, stochastic dynamics, and metamaterials. These activities demonstrate his commitment to translating fundamental research into real-world solutions that advance technology, enable sustainability, and strengthen global innovation capacity.

Prospective PhD students, Undergraduate Project Students and Postdoctoral Researchers, please click here.