Dr Mohammad Mirkhalaf
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Biography
Dr. Mohammad Mirkhalaf is a tenured Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he leads the MMDS (Mechanical Meta-materials, -Devices, and -Surfaces) research team. His research currently focuses on the fabrication, mechanics, and application of mechanical metamaterials, with particular emphasis on ceramics, glasses, and reprogrammable architectures.Dr. Mirkhalaf earned his PhD from McGill University, following a Master’s from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a Bachelor’s from Isfahan University of Technology (IUT). Before joining QUT in 2022, he held postdoctoral positions at the University of Sydney, the National Research Council of Canada, and McGill University, and consulted for several glass and ceramic industries.
As of April 2026, his h-index is 24 with over 2,700 citations (Google Scholar). His publication record includes 42 original research articles, 8 reviews/perspectives, 2 book chapters, and 3 patents. He is first or senior author on 24 of these journal articles, including publications in top-tier journals such as Nature Communications, PNAS, Matter (2×), Materials Horizons (2×), Acta Biomaterialia (2×), Applied Materials Today (2×), Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Extreme Mechanics Letters (2×), and International Journal of Solids and Structures.
Dr. Mirkhalaf has secured over A$1 million in competitive research funding as lead investigator and attracted more than A$500K in prestigious fellowships and awards. His international experience across academia, government labs, and industry in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Iran has fostered robust research collaborations. He has also developed, coordinated, and taught several units in mechanical design, biomedical engineering, and materials science at QUT and the University of Sydney.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Keywords
Bioinspired Materials, Mechanics of Materials, Biomaterials, Advanced Manufacturing
Research field
Mechanical engineering, Biomedical engineering, Materials engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (McGill University)
Teaching
Biomaterials (QUT Lecturer)
Design for Manufacture (QUT Lecturer)
Design of Machine Elements (QUT Design Workshops)
Biomechanical Design (USyd course coordinator and lecturer)
Bioinspired Materials: Design and Fabrication (USyd course coordinator and lecturer)
Nanomaterials in Medicine (USyd guest lecturer)
Tissue Engineering (USyd guest lecturer)
Advanced Mechanics of Materials (McGill guest lecturer)
Mechanics 1 (McGill guest lecturer)
Mechanics of Biological Materials (McGill guest lecturer)
Mechanics of Deformable Materials (McGill guest lecturer)
Publications
- Mirkhalaf, M. & Rafsanjani, A. (2023). Harnessing machine mechanisms to continuously reprogram metamaterials. Matter, 6(11), 3719–3731. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/244328
- Ding, Z., Klein, T., Barner-Kowollik, C. & Mirkhalaf, M. (2023). Multifunctional nacre-like materials. Materials Horizons, 10(12), 5371–5390. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/244602
- Mirkhalaf, M., (2024). Live materials combined with artificial intelligence toward 'living' beings. Matter, 7(3), 728–730. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/247716
- Ding, Z., Zreiqat, H. & Mirkhalaf, M. (2022). Rationally-designed self-shaped ceramics through heterogeneous green body compositions. Materials Horizons, 9(11), 2762–2772. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/235427
- Mirkhalaf, M., Dao, A., Schindeler, A., Little, D., Dunstan, C. & Zreiqat, H. (2021). Personalized Baghdadite scaffolds: stereolithography, mechanics and in vivo testing. Acta Biomaterialia, 132, 217–226. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234005
- Mirkhalaf, M., Wang, X., Entezari, A., Dunstan, C., Jiang, X. & Zreiqat, H. (2021). Redefining architectural effects in 3D printed scaffolds through rational design for optimal bone tissue regeneration. Applied Materials Today, 25. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234064
- Hannard, F., Mirkhalaf, M., Ameri, A. & Barthelat, F. (2021). Segmentations in fins enable large morphing amplitudes combined with high flexural stiffness for fish-inspired robotic materials. Science Robotics, 6(57). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234065
- Mirkhalaf, M., Sunesara, A., Ashrafi, B. & Barthelat, F. (2019). Toughness by segmentation: Fabrication, testing and micromechanics of architectured ceramic panels for impact applications. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 158, 52–65. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234006
- Mirkhalaf, M., Zhou, T. & Barthelat, F. (2018). Simultaneous improvements of strength and toughness in topologically interlocked ceramics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(37), 9128–9133. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234010
- Mirkhalaf, M., Dastjerdi, A. & Barthelat, F. (2014). Overcoming the brittleness of glass through bio-inspiration and micro-architecture. Nature Communications, 5. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234017
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Mohammad, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
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A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/mohammad.mirkhalaf
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