I am a Reader in Applied Mathematics, Director of Internationalisation, and Programme Director in Mathematics within the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Keele University. My work integrates rigorous mathematical theory with real-world applications, particularly in theoretical solid mechanics and material modelling, bridging academic research with industrial collaboration and teaching excellence.
I was awarded a PhD in Applied Mathematics in 2004 from the University of Salford, sponsored by the ORS Award. Upon completing my doctoral studies, I took up a postdoctoral position at the Russian State University of Railways, Moscow, where I was appointed a Lecturer in Mathematics in 2006. In 2007, I progressed to the role of Associate Professor at the renowned Bauman Moscow State Technical University, within the Department of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Physics. I joined Keele in 2013 as a Lecturer in Applied Mathematics and was subsequently promoted to a Senior Lecturer in 2018 and to a Reader in 2021.
I have held several visiting positions, including a two-month Senior Research Fellowship at City University of Hong Kong (2010), a Visiting Professorship at University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Italy (2023), and an ongoing Visiting Professorship at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan (2019-22, 2025-28). Between 2015 and 2023 I was involved in coordination of student and staff mobility across a network of 19 universities under the Erasmus+ KA 107 scheme, with overall funding of approximately €1.15 million.
My research lies in continuum mechanics, with a focus on wave propagation and vibration of elastic structures, as well as the mathematical modelling of advanced materials. Specifically, I work on:
(i) Developing asymptotic formulations for Rayleigh and Rayleigh-type waves, enabling efficient approximate solutions to a wide range of problems in elastodynamics.
(ii) Investigating the mechanics of high-contrast layered elastic structures, examining the effects of strong inhomogeneity on both static and dynamic behaviour. In 2021, I co-chaired Euromech Colloquium 626 on this topic, and in 2023, co-edited a Springer volume featuring selected contributions.
(iii) Mathematical modelling of advanced materials, including nonlocally elastic media and highly porous materials such as aerogels. The latter is the focus of a major DFG-funded project (approx. 600 k€), in which I hold a Mercator fellowship. This multidisciplinary project (2024-2026) brings tohether engineers, mathematicians, and material scientists, and is centered at RWTH University Aachen, Germany, in collaboration with the University of Cologne, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Eskisehir Technical University, Turkey.
I have co-authored over 70 papers in leading international journals, including Proceedings of the Royal Society A, European Journal of Mechanics A/Solids, International Journal of Solids and Structures, and Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids. In addition, I co-authored a 100-page invited chapter (2017) in the prestigious Elsevier series Advances in Applied Mechanics published since 1948, as well as two recent invited chapters to the Springer volume More UK Success Stories in Industrial Mathematics (2025), highlighting impact case studies of Keele Mathematics submitted to REF-2021.
Research Interests
•Multiscale and multi-parametric modelling
•Waves and vibrations in solids
•Asymptotic methods
•Nonlocal elasticity
•Mechanics of strongly inhomogeneous elastic structures
Teaching and Learning
With more than 20 years of experience, I have taught a wide range of modules and supervised students across disciplines, including mathematics and engineering. I also had several nominations for Keele Excellence Award in Learning and Teaching.
Supervision and Examination:
- Supervised 6 PhD students in the UK and 2 PhD students at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan, as well as 1 postdoc researcher, funded by TUBITAK.
- Served as examiner for 8 PhD theses.
- External Examiner for Applied Mathematics modules at University of Liverpool (2023–2027).
- IMA Assessor of Mathematics BSc degree at University of Leicester (2025)
Teaching and Module Leadership at Keele:
- MAT-10075: Differential Equations and Multivariable Calculus
Module leader, teaching the fundamental techniques for 1st and 2nd order ODEs, power and Taylor series, partial derivatives and double integrals, which will provide a strong foundation for various Level 5 and 6 modules.
- MAT-30002: Nonlinear Differential Equations
Module leader, delivering the exciting techniques in phase plane analysis for ODEs, as well as studying steady bifurcations, limit cycles, weakly nonlinear analysis by means of regular perturbations, and Poincare maps.
- MAT-30055: Guided Studies in Mathematics 2
Delivering a topic on linear elasticity, involving the introduction to Cartesian tensors, classical concepts of stresses and strains, constitutive relations, as well as boundary value problems, followed by introduction to elastic waves including Rayleigh, Love, and Rayleigh-Lamb waves.
- CSC-44100: Mathematical Techniques for Computational Science.
Module leader, delivering core techniques in linear algebra and calculus to students on Computer Science MSc programmes.
- Programme Director for Mathematics (2018–present), including specialist pathways in Pure, Applied Mathematics, and Statistics, as well as Integrated Masters (MMath).
