Research Interests
I work with the regional cement and concrete industry, to reduce carbon footprint of their offering and help them transition towards Net Zero.
I am open to PhD applications in the following fields: low carbon binders, calcined clays, efficiency savings in production, wastage reduction in precast, digitalisation in precast and structural optimisation of concrete products.
I am also open to discuss other ideas that target transitioning to Net Zero for Cement and Concrete industry.
Current Research Opportunities
- Electrical resistivity-based characterisation of concrete: Affordable Technologies
- Corrosion of mild steel reinforcement in alkali activated binders
Public outreach & key achievements
Sree has supervised 12 PhDs to completion, of which 7 are females. 4 went into academia including one at QUB and 3 started their own successful business (Amphora, Material Evolution and NoMAD). SN has supervised 7 PDRA, and 5 RA. SN mentors PDRAs for Engineering faculty at QUB and 2 out of the 3 mentees from 2021 cohort are now lecturers.
Other activities and achievements in the webpage - go.qub.ac.uk/nanukuttan
Research students
| Name | Mr. Gary Boon |
| PhD Title | Rheology & 3D printing using concrete composites |
| Name | Miss. Sarah Bolsover |
| PhD Title | ECEM - Valorisation of water treatment residue |
| Name | Mr. Zhe Gong |
| PhD Title | Deterioration mechanisms and physicochemical changes induced by silage environment on ternary and alkali activated binders and concrete |
| Year of Study | Completed viva and submission, will graduate in December |
| Name | Ms. Emily McAllister |
| PhD Title | Production of Low Cost and Sustainable Timber Housing |
| Year of Study | Submitted & Graduated in July 2025 |
| Name | Mr. Hansen Zhang |
| PhD Title | Impact Resistance of Ultra High-Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete |
Alumni: Where are they now
| Name | Ms. Teresa McGrath |
| PhD Title | Development of a decision making tool for improving the energy efficiency of houses by retrofitting |
| Current position | Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University |
| Name | Mr. Neil Campbell |
| PhD Title | Developing a protocol for modelling the hygrothermal behaviour of buildings under various exposure conditions |
| Current position | Managing Director of Amphora Consultancy, an SME focused on Structural and Durability Offering for Infrastructure Industry, Northern Ireland |
| Name | Mr. Andrew McIntosh |
| PhD Title | Development of geo-polymer concrete based on calcined clay |
| Current position | R&D Director at Kilwaughter Minerals, Northern Ireland |
| Name | Mr. Fragkoulis Kanavaris |
| PhD Title | Thermal stresses, strength and temperature development in safety-critical structures |
| Current position | Materials Specialist in Arup |
| Name | Ms. Yujia Zheng |
| PhD Title | Effect of carbonation on chloride binding in cementitious and alkali activated systems |
| Current position | Administrator at a University in China |
| Name | Ms. Roisin Hyde |
| PhD Title | Low impact materials and technology for architectural finishes |
| Current position | Currently teaching at RCA London, started an SME NoMad, highly active in Materials Research and Technology |
| Name | Ms. Elizabeth Gilligan |
| PhD Title | Bio receptive concrete for sustaining growth in urban areas |
| Current position | CEO of Material Evolution, very successful entrepreneur based in London area |
| Name | Ms. Aimee McCabe |
| PhD Title | Digitisation of built infrastructure through rapid structured light scans |
| Current position | Consultant Engineer based in Northern Ireland |
| Name | Ms. Harshita Garg |
| PhD Title | Use of Artificial Intelligence in Structural Health Monitoring for Improving the Resilience and Sustainability of Concrete Structures |
| Current position | Technical Manager, Brett Group |
Discover More
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science
- School of Natural and Built Environment
- Civil Engineering - Environment & Materials Characterisation Laboratory
- LinkedIn profile