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 systems engineer working at the interface of materials, manufacturing, and sustainability, with a focus on decarbonising material and energy systems. My research integrates life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), material flow analysis (MFA) and process/systems modelling (including optimisation) to produce decision-ready evidence for industry and policy.

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

At Sheffield, I lead the Whole Systems Modelling Lab, developing open and reproducible methods to quantify emissions and resource use across complex supply chains. My work spans plastics and chemicals, composites and recycling, renewable-energy infrastructure (including wind), and electric-vehicle batteries, with the aim of accelerating net-zero and circular-economy transitions.

Research interests

My research focuses on systems engineering applied to materials and energy systems: understanding how technology choices, supply chains, and policy interact to assess and reduce real-world environmental and economic impacts. Core themes:

  • Low-carbon materials and manufacturing systems
    Whole-system modelling to identify practical pathways to reduce emissions while maintaining performance, cost, and resilience.
  • Plastics, chemicals, and circularity
    Evidence-based assessment of substitution, recycling, and end-of-life strategies, including trade-offs and uncertainty.
  • Composites and recycling / reuse
    Environmental and economic evaluation of carbon-fibre composite recycling routes and circular design strategies.
  • Renewable-energy infrastructure
    Material flow and life-cycle modelling of wind and solar technologies, including end-of-life management and circularity.
  • EV batteries and critical materials
    Supply-chain 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
  • EV battery supply chains and material criticality trade-offs
  • end-of-life management and circularity of renewable-energy infrastructure
Publications

Journal articles

  • 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.
  • 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 education in sustainable chemical engineering and systems thinking, including modules such as:

  • CPE180 Heat Transfer
  • CPE465/CPE61012 Energy Systems and Management
  • CMB104 (MAT1920) Sustainability and the Materials Lifecycle

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

Professional activities and memberships
  • Associate Editor: Journal of Cleaner Production; Cleaner Engineering and Technology
  • Editor: Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances
  • Fellow: Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Member: IOM3, Royal Society of Chemistry, ISIE, SAMPE, SETAC
  • Member: EPSRC ECR Forum (Manufacturing and the Circular Economy)