Dr Fanran Meng

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Chemical Engineering

USIC Tutor

Level 4 (undergraduate) Director

Fanran Meng
Profile picture of Fanran Meng
f.meng@sheffield.ac.uk
G18, Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Fanran Meng
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
G18
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I am a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Sustainable Chemical Engineering at the ±¬ÁÏTV, where I lead the Whole Systems Modelling Lab. My research sits at the interface of materials, manufacturing and sustainability, with a focus on decarbonising complex material, chemical, energy and transport systems. I develop whole-system approaches that integrate life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), material flow analysis (MFA), and process and systems modelling, including optimisation, to generate robust evidence for industry, policy and sustainable technology development.

I completed a BEng (Hons) in Materials Science and Engineering at Central South University in 2013 and a PhD in Materials Engineering and Materials Design at the University of Nottingham in 2017. I then held research positions at the Universities of Nottingham and Cambridge, including a Sustainability Fellowship at Churchill College, before joining the ±¬ÁÏTV in 2023 as a Lecturer. I am now a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor).

At Sheffield, my group develops open, transparent and reproducible models to quantify emissions, resource use, and circularity across complex supply chains. My work spans plastics and chemicals, composites, renewable-energy infrastructure including wind systems, and electric-vehicle batteries, to accelerate the transition to net zero and the circular economy. My research has been recognised through awards, including the Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 Environment, Sustainability & Energy Early Career Prize, the 2026 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award, the 2026 IChemE Warner Medal and the Landor Links Decarbonising Transport Award 2026.

Research interests

My research focuses on systems engineering for sustainable materials and energy systems, with particular interest in how technology choices, supply chains, and policy interact to shape environmental and economic outcomes. Core themes include:

  • Low-carbon materials and manufacturing systems
    Whole-system modelling to identify practical pathways for reducing emissions while maintaining performance, cost-effectiveness and resilience.
  • Plastics, chemicals and circularity
    Assessment of substitution, recycling, and end-of-life strategies, including trade-offs, uncertainty and systems-level impacts.
  • Composites and recycling / reuse
    Technical, environmental and economic evaluation of carbon fibre composite recycling routes, reuse opportunities and circular design strategies.
  • Renewable energy infrastructure
    Material flow and life cycle modelling of wind and solar technologies, including end-of-life management, resource recovery, and circularity.
  • EV batteries and critical materials
    Supply-chain MFA, LCA, TEA and scenario analysis across geography, time and technology to support sustainable electrification.

Current projects and collaborations
I work with academic, industrial and policy partners on projects related to:

  • life cycle and techno-economic decision tools for low-carbon innovation 
  • plastics and chemicals decarbonisation and circularity strategies 
  • sustainable supply chains for EV batteries and critical materials 
  • end-of-life management and circularity of renewable-energy infrastructure 
  • whole-system assessment to support industrial decarbonisation and policy development 
Publications

Journal articles

  • Gao Y, Meng F, Hawkin JL, Cullen JM & Cabrera Serrenho A (2026) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 559, 148308-148308.
  • Liu Y-F, Wang P, Dai T, Xu D, McKechnie J, Li S, Meng F & Wang C (2026) . Resources, Environment and Sustainability, 100340-100340.
  • Qiao Y, Guo Y, Rowan S, Medina R, Espinet X, Cullen J, Meng F & Cao Z (2026) . Global Environmental Change, 96, 103103-103103.
  • Meng F, Hawkin JL, Gast L, Job S, O Brádaigh C, Cullen JM, Leeke GA, McKechnie J, Poulsen AK, Rothman R , Ryan A et al (2025) . Nature Reviews Clean Technology.
  • Mai L, Liu M, Hao H, Sun X, Meng F, Geng Y, Wadud Z, Tate JE, Dong Z, Li H , Geng J et al (2025) . Scientific Data, 12(1).
  • Qiao Y, Zhu L, Cao H, Liu Z, Wang G & Meng F (2025) . Sustainable Cities and Society, 130, 106614-106614.
  • Li X, Meng F, Dunbar A, Zhang L, Hao Y, He T, Yang N, Mao J, Meng F & Liu G (2025) . RSC Sustainability, 3(5), 2286-2300.
  • Chen W, Wang P, Meng F, Pehlken A, Wang Q-C & Chen W-Q (2025) . Fundamental Research, 5(2), 505-513.
  • Huo D, Davies B, Li J, Alzaghrini N, Sun X, Meng F, Abdul-Manan AFN, McKechnie J, Posen ID & MacLean HL (2024) . Energy Policy, 195, 114390-114390.
  • Davies B, Llamas-Orozco JA, Meng F, Posen ID, MacLean HL, Abdul-Manan AFN & McKechnie J (2024) . RSC Sustainability, 2(8), 2275-2288.
  • Cullen L, Meng F, Lupton R & Cullen JM (2024) . Nature Chemical Engineering, 1(4), 311-322.
  • Gast L, Meng F & Morgan D (2024) . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 204.
  • Meng F, Brandão M & Cullen JM (2024) . Environmental Science & Technology, 58(6), 2716-2727.
  • Bowler AL, Rodgers S, Meng F, McKechnie J, Cook DJ & Watson NJ (2024) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 435, 140181-140181.
  • Rodgers S, Bowler A, Wells L, Lee CS, Hayes M, Poulston S, Lester E, Meng F, McKechnie J & Conradie A (2024) . International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 49, 277-294.
  • Yang J, Meng F, Zhang L, McKechnie J, Chang Y, Ma B, Hao Y, Li X, Pender K, Yang L , Leeke GA et al (2023) . Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1).
  • Llamas-Orozco JA, Meng F, Walker GS, Abdul-Manan AFN, MacLean HL, Posen ID & McKechnie J (2023) . PNAS Nexus, 2(11).
  • Song L, van Ewijk S, Masanet E, Watari T, Meng F, Cullen JM, Cao Z & Chen W-Q (2023) . Nature Climate Change, 13(11), 1272-1272.
  • Song L, van Ewijk S, Masanet E, Watari T, Meng F, Cullen JM, Cao Z & Chen W-Q (2023) . Nature Climate Change, 13(10), 1136-1143.
  • Rodgers S, Bowler A, Meng F, Poulston S, McKechnie J & Conradie A (2023) . Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 122, 106065-106065.
  • Huang X, Bao L, Bao R, Liu L, Tao J, Wang J, Zhang Z, Ge Z, Tan S, Yi J & Meng F (2023) . Advanced Powder Materials, 2(2), 100090-100090.
  • Meng F, Wagner A, Kremer AB, Kanazawa D, Leung JJ, Goult P, Guan M, Herrmann S, Speelman E, Sauter P , Lingeswaran S et al (2023) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(8).
  • Xiao C, Zhou J, Meng F, Cullen J, Wang X & Zhu Y (2023) . Science of The Total Environment, 869, 161779-161779.
  • Qiao Y, Wang Z, Meng F, Parry T, Cullen J & Liu S (2022) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 371, 133615-133615.
  • Rodgers S, Meng F, Poulston S, Conradie A & McKechnie J (2022) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 364, 132614-132614.
  • Liu P, Meng F & Barlow CY (2022) . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 180, 106202-106202.
  • Upadhyayula VKK, Gadhamshetty V, Athanassiadis D, Tysklind M, Meng F, Pan Q, Cullen JM & Yacout DMM (2022) . Environmental Science & Technology, 56(2), 1267-1277.
  • Meng F, Dornau A, Mcqueen Mason SJ, Thomas GH, Conradie A & McKechnie J (2021) . Applied Energy, 298, 117118-117118.
  • Heng H, Meng F & McKechnie J (2021) . Waste Management, 133, 59-70.
  • Rodgers S, Conradie A, King R, Poulston S, Hayes M, Bommareddy RR, Meng F & McKechnie J (2021) . Johnson Matthey Technology Review, 65(3), 375-394.
  • Ibbett R, Tucker G, McKechnie J & Meng F (2020) . Biomass and Bioenergy, 143, 105817-105817.
  • Sun X, Luo X, Zhang Z, Meng F & Yang J (2020) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 273, 123006-123006.
  • Meng F, Cui Y, Pickering S & McKechnie J (2020) . Composites Part B: Engineering, 200, 108362-108362.
  • Cui Y, Zhu J, Meng F, Zoras S, McKechnie J & Chu J (2020) . Renewable Energy, 150, 101-115.
  • Meng F & McKechnie J (2019) . Environmental Science & Technology, 53(20), 12141-12149.
  • Sun X, Meng F, Liu J, McKechnie J & Yang J (2019) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 220, 1-8.
  • Meng F, Ibbett R, de Vrije T, Metcalf P, Tucker G & McKechnie J (2019) . Waste Management, 89, 177-189.
  • Liu P, Meng F & Barlow CY (2019) . Journal of Cleaner Production, 212, 1268-1281.
  • Cui Y, Zhu J & Meng F (2018) . Energy Conversion and Management, 178, 200-216.
  • Meng F, Olivetti EA, Zhao Y, Chang JC, Pickering SJ & McKechnie J (2018) . ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 6(8), 9854-9865.
  • Meng F, McKechnie J & Pickering SJ (2018) . Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 109, 207-220.
  • Meng F, McKechnie J, Turner T, Wong KH & Pickering SJ (2017) . Environmental Science & Technology, 51(21), 12727-12736.
  • Meng F, McKechnie J, Turner TA & Pickering SJ (2017) . Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 100, 206-214.
  • Tian X, Peng F, McKechnie J, Abdul-Manan AFN, Liu Y & Meng F () . Nature Sustainability.
  • Liu F, Li H, Gao Z, Song Q, Cullen PJ, Nie Z, Hong Y, Zhang Y, Yao S, Gu C , Meng F et al () . Nature Water.
  • Lian JZ, Liu T, Yang J, Zhu H, Chalermchotiwong N, Grain Y, Yue L, Luo X, Cucurachi S, Li J , Meng F et al () . RSC Sustainability.
  • Xiao C, Zhou J, Shen X, Cullen J, Dobson S, Meng F & Wang X () . Sustainability, 14(21), 14136-14136.
  • Zaky AS, Carter CE, Meng F & French CE () . Processes, 9(8), 1399-1399.

Conference proceedings

  • Meng F, McKechnie J & Pickering SJ (2017) Towards a circular economy for end-of-life carbon fibre composite materials via fluidised bed process. Iccm International Conferences on Composite Materials, Vol. 2017-August
  • Pickering SJ, Turner TA, Meng F, Morris CN, Heil JP, Wong KH & Melendi S (2015) Developments in the fluidised bed process for fibre recovery from thermoset composites. Camx 2015 Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (pp 2384-2394)

Preprints

  • Meng F, Wagner A, B. Kremer A, Kanazawa D, J. Leung J, Goult P, Guan M, Herrmann S, Speelman E, Sauter P , Lingeswaran S et al (2022) , American Chemical Society (ACS).
  • Meng F, Wagner A, B. Kremer A, Kanazawa D, J. Leung J, Goult P, Guan M, Herrmann S, Speelman E, Sauter P , Lingeswaran S et al (2022) , American Chemical Society (ACS).
Teaching activities

I contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in sustainable chemical engineering, life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment, and materials sustainability, including modules such as:

  • CPE180 Heat Transfer 
  • CMB4124/CMB4132  Energy Systems and Management 
  • CMB104 (MAT1920) Sustainability and the Materials Lifecycle 

I also serve as a USIC Tutor and Level 4 (Undergraduate) Director.
 

Professional activities and memberships

Professional activities and memberships

  • Co-Editor-in-Chief: Cleaner Production Letters 
  • Associate Editor: Journal of Cleaner Production 
  • Editor: Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances 
  • Associate Editor: Cleaner Engineering and Technology
  • Editorial Board Member: Environmental Nexus, Communications Sustainability
  • Advisory Board Member: Chem Circularity 
  • Fellow: Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Member: Henry Royce Institute EDI Committee, BPF Sustainability Committee
  • Member: IOM3, Royal Society of Chemistry, ISIE, IChemE 
  • Member: EPSRC Early Career Forum in Sustainable Manufacturing and Mobility