Biography
Shah is Associate Professor in Materials Science and Design at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Architecture, and leads research at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation (CNMI). Shah is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
Understanding the relationships between materials, society, technology, history and nature, Shah’s research aims to design and innovate with natural materials by exploring low-energy methods of manufacture, improving structural performance, introducing multifunctionalities, translating across disciplines and application sectors. Shah's collaborative research is at the interface of architecture (design), humanities, physical sciences, and engineering, spanning multiple length scales and cutting across industry sectors. A megawatt wind turbine with a wooden tower and flax biocomposite blades. An affordable ankle-foot disability orthosis from recycled plastic waste. An off-grid low-energy house constructed from industrial hemp materials. A room-temperature processing method for silk-like textile fibres. A green policy that weaves agroforestry and construction in a circular bioeconomy approach enabling aggressive decarbonisation. These are examples of how Shah’s research and design at the CNMI imagines the replacement of anthropogenic materials with bio-based materials, such as engineered timber, bamboo, natural fibres and their composites.
Shah has been awarded over £16million in total research project activity. His work is published in over 65 peer-reviewed journal papers, and has attracted numerous awards such as the International Quadrant Award 2015 and the JEC Asia 2013 Innovation Award, and Vice Chancellor's Research Impact Award 2020. He also regularly takes on consultancy roles.
Engaging with the wider community, Shah has contributed to policy briefings nationally (UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee and RIBA) and internationally (COP26), the design of products such as CE-Certified Covid19-control face shields, Design Rights protected bamboo cricket bats, and biocomposite boat hulls, as well as public exhibitions at the Dutch Design Week 2021, London Design Biennale 2021 and Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2019. His research frequently features in national and international media, such as on sustainable materials for wind turbines on BBC Radio 5, hemp for future homes on BBC Reel, biomaterials for the built environment on RIBA and Dezeen, natural and unnatural silks on VICE News, and bamboo cricket bats on Telegraph and Guardian.
Prior to working at Cambridge (2015-present), Darshil did post-doctoral research on silk-based and biological composites at the University of Oxford's Silk Group (Dept. of Zoology, 2013-2014), and obtained his PhD on developing plant fibre composites for wind energy applications at the University of Nottingham's Composite Research Group (Faculty of Engineering, 2009-2013).
Research
Shah co-leads the Centre for Natural Material Innovation (CNMI) with Prof Michael Ramage. Shah specialises in natural materials science and technology. Combining sustainability with performance and functionality in natural materials is a major driver of his research.
Shah's research projects have attracted funding from industry, government, philanthropic foundations, and venture/consultancy. For example, Shah’s industry-led projects at the CNMI (TIMBER, 2022-2025, £263k; Precision Engineered Timber, 2019-2022, £500k) have developed digital workflows and robotic fabrication methods for off-site prefabrication of timber school buildings. With colleagues, Shah is pioneering sustainable natural materials for sports (Circular Economy Hub, Circular Cricket Gear, 2022-2023) and cascading uses of wood-based materials in buildings through novel concepts of Urban Forests and Sawmills (Horizon Europe, WoodCircles, 2023-2027, €7.8M). His across-the-supply-chain research on flax used multi-scale analysis to develop new textiles and composites for diverse sectors (Interreg France-Channel-England, FLOWER, 2018-2023, €5.2M).
In the Academic Year 2022-23, Shah had a number of active research projects:
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WOODCIRCLES: Integrated, circular, and digitally supported sustainable solutions for waste minimization and carbon capture in buildings and the construction sector (Project 101082184), funded by UKRI/European Commission through Horizon Europe. Led by Danish Technological Institute and 21 partners.
PI M Ramage; Co-I Shah and Koronaki; June 2023-May 2027; €7.8M total, €781k to Cambridge.
Propose Urban Forests (i.e. existing buildings) and Urban Sawmills as mainstream sources of low-carbon harvested and recovered (recycled or re-used) building materials. Emphasis on material flow analyses and passporting, strategies for designing for deconstruction, digitalization, performance documentation of recovered materials, sustainability assessment, proposition of new business models.
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TIMBER: Timber Innovative Manufacturing Benefiting English Resources, funded by Forestry Commission, Timber in Construction Innovation Fund
PI M Ramage; Co-I Shah and Koronaki; Sept 2021 – March 2025; £263,000
Developing novel pathways for the supply of underutilised local woodland resources into high-value, long-lasting building applications. The project aims to unlock the potential of English forestry by adding value through the design and prototyping/manufacture of structural building components, leading to greater capacity of home-grown low-carbon construction. Funds Dario Marino as PDRA.
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Rapid prototyping of bamboo cricket bats, AHRC/EPSRC IAA Rapid Response Award
PI D Shah. Apr 2023 – July 2023, £15,000.
Working with Cambridge Enterprise to commercialise bamboo cricket bats, with a first stage feasibility study through rapid prototyping of optimised bats
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CamBoom: Towards user acceptability of bamboo cricket bats, AHRC IAA Impact Fund
PI D Shah. July 2023 – June 2023, £15,000
Working with Cambridge Enterprise to commercialise bamboo cricket bats, with technical performance testing of prototyped bats, as well as stakeholder/user engagement studies.
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Circular Cricket Gear [CCG], funded by Circular Economy Research Hub (CE-Hub)
PI M Charter (UCA); Co-I/consultant Shah; Oct 2022 – Sept 2023, £50,000 (£12,500 to UCAM)
Explore alternative materials and concepts for the circular design of gloves and balls, considering performance, sustainability, supply-chain, and access criteria.
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Kirigami-folded biodegradable plant pots, funded by the Caledonian Tree Company.
PI Shah; Oct 2021 – May 2023, £60,000.
Develop biodegradable plant-based plastics, as alternatives to recycled HDPE, for the Air-Pot® container. Funded Jodie Mitchell.
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FLOWER: Flax composites, LOW weight, End-of-life and Recycling, funded by ERDF/EU Interreg France (Channel) England. (Feb 2018-June 2023, €4.6M - €97k to Cambridge).
Develop close-to-market non-woven and aligned flax fibre reinforcement textiles and produce demonstrators for the automotive (interior headliners), marine (hull, deck and fins of a sailing yacht), point-of-sales advertising (display boards), wind energy (1kW turbine blade), and food transportation (refrigerated truck panels) sectors.
transl: New insights in the durability of flax fibres through the study of ancient Egyptian textiles, funded by the French National Research Agency
PI A Bourmaud (University of South Brittany), J Beaugrand (Co-I, INRAE, France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment), French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo (IFAO), SOLEIL Synchrotron, Louvre Museum; Nov 2021 – April 2025; €471,000 (€15,000 to UCAM)
Bridging archaeology, botany and materials engineering, we use multi-analytical micro-spectroscopy techniques to map and link how and why the processing, properties and uses of linen evolved over 4,000 years, and unravel the ageing process of linen textiles for advanced materials.
Publications
>70 Peer-reviewed journal publications. Google Scholar: Citations = 5352, h-index = 34, i10-index = 58.
Selected articles
- Cruz, M.V., Shah, D.U., Warner, N.C., McCune, J.A., Scherman, O.A. Facile, energy efficient microscale fibrillation of polyacrylamides under ambient conditions. Advanced Materials (Impact Factor, IF = 30.8), 2022.
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Melelli, A., Shah, D.U., Hapsari, G., Cortopassi, R., Durand, S., Arnould, O., Placet, V., Benazeth, D., Beaugrand, J., Jamme, F., Bourmaud, A. Lessons on textile history and fibre durability from a 4000-year-old Egyptian flax yarn. Nature Plants (IF =13.3), 2021. 7: 1200–1206.
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Koronaki, A., Bukauskas, A., Jalia, A., Shah, D.U., Ramage, M.H. Prefabricated Engineered Timber Schools in the United Kingdom: Challenges and Opportunities. Sustainability, 2021. 13(22), 12864.
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Melelli, A., Pantaloni, D., Balnois, E., Arnould, O., Jamme, F., Baley, C., Beaugrand, J., Shah, D.U., Bourmaud, A. Investigations by AFM of ageing mechanisms in PLA-flax fibre composites during garden composting. Polymers, 2021. 13(14): 2225.
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Bukauskas, A., Al Asali, M.W., Bashford, T., Gatoo, A., Gattas, J., Gin, Y., Jalia, A., Koronaki, A., Lee, T-U., Newman, J., Ott, D., Shah, D.U., Ramage, M.H. Curved-crease origami face shields for infection control. PLoS ONE 16(2): e0245737.
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Tinkler-Davies, B., Ramage, M.H., Shah, D.U. Replacing willow with bamboo cricket bats. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 2021.
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Pantaloni, D., Guessasma, S., Shah, D.U., Baley, C., Bourmaud, A. Interfacial and mechanical characterisation of biodegradable polymer-flax fibre composites. Composites Science and Technology, 2021. 201: 108529.
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Comish, E., Lester, R., Shah, D.U. A brief review of processing, structure, properties and sustainability of artificial silk fibres. Journal of Natural Fibers, 2020.
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Müssig, J., Amaducci, S., Beaugrand, J., Bourmaud, A., Shah, D.U. Transdisciplinary top-down review of hemp fibre composites: from an advanced product design to crop variety selection. Composites Part C, 2020. 2: 100010.
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Toumpanaki, E., Shah, D.U., Eichhorn, S.J., Beyond What Meets the Eye: Imaging and Imagining Wood Mechanical-Structural Properties. Advanced Materials (IF = 30.8), Special Issue on ‘Wood Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies’, 2020: 2001613.
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Bourmaud, A., Shah, D.U., Beaugrand, J., Dhakal, H.N. Property changes in plant fibres during the processing of bio-based composites. Industrial Crops and Products, 2020. 154: 112705.
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Pantaloni, D., Shah, D.U., Baley, C., Bourmaud, A. Monitoring of mechanical performances of flax non-woven biocomposites during a home compost degradation. Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2020. 177: 109166.
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Burridge, H.C., Wu, G., Reynolds, T.P.S., Shah, D.U., Johnston, R., Scherman, O.A., Ramage, M.H., Linden, P.F. The transport of liquids in softwood: timber as a model porous medium. Scientific Reports, 2019. 9: 20282.
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Shah, D.U., Konnerth, J., Ramage, M.H., Gusenbauer, C. Mapping thermal conductivity across bamboo cell walls with scanning thermal microscopy. Scientific Reports, 2019. 9: 16667.
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Wu, Y.*, Shah, D.U.*, Wang, B., Liu, J., Ramage M.H., Scherman, O.A., Biomimetic supramolecular fibres exhibit water-induced supercontraction. Advanced Materials (IF = 19.8), 2018: 1707169. (*Joint first authors)
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Bourmaud, A., Beaugrand, J., Shah, D.U., Placet, V., Baley, C. Towards the design of high-performance plant fibre composites. Progress in Materials Science (IF = 31.1), 2018. 97: p. 347-408
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Dhakal, H., Bourmaud, A., Berzin, F., Almansour, F., Zhang, Z., Shah, D.U., Beaugrand, J. Mechanical properties of leaf sheath date palm fibre waste biomass reinforced polycaprolactone (PCL) biocomposites. Industrial Crops and Products, 2018. 126: p. 394–402. (Extensive media coverage)
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Vollrath, F., Mi, R., Shah, D.U., Ivory as an important model biocomposite. Curator: The Museum Journal, Special Issue on ‘Ivory in the Museum: The Elephant in Our Room’, 2018. 61(1): p. 95-110.
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Wu, Y.*, Shah, D.U.*, Liu, C., Yu, Z., Liu, J., Ren, X., Ramage M.H., Abell, C., Scherman, O.A., Bioinspired supramolecular fibres drawn from a multi-phase self-assembled hydrogel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 2017. 114 (31): p. 8163-8168. (*Joint first authors)
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Shah, D.U., Reynolds, T.P.S, Ramage, M.H., The strength of plants: theory and experimental methods to measure the mechanical properties of stems. Journal of Experimental Botany, 2017. 68 (16): p. 4497-451
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Ramage, M.H., Sharma, B., Shah, D.U., Reynolds, T., Thermal relaxation of laminated bamboo for folded shells. Materials & Design, 2017. 132: p. 582-589
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Woodcock, J.W., Beams, R., Davis, C.S., Chen, N., Stranick, S., Shah, D.U., Vollrath, F., Gilman J.W. Observation of interfacial damage in a silk-epoxy composite, using hyperspectral and fluorescence lifetime imaging of a simple mechanoresponsive fluorescent probe. Advanced Materials Interfaces (IF = 4.3), 2017. 4(10): 1601018. (Cover article) (Extensive media coverage)
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Ramage, M.H., Burridge, H., Busse-Wicher M., Fereday, G., Reynolds, T., Shah, D.U., Wu, G., Yu, L., Fleming, P., Densley-Tingley, D., Allwood, J., Dupree, P., Linden, P., Scherman, O. The wood from the trees: the use of timber in construction. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017. 68: p. 333-359
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Shah, D.U., Nag, R., Clifford, M.J. Why do we observe significant differences between measured and 'back-calculated' properties of natural fibres? Cellulose, 2016. 23(3): p. 1481-1490
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Shah, D.U. Damage in biocomposites: Stiffness evolution of aligned plant fibre composites during monotonic and cyclic fatigue loading. Composites Part A, 2016.
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Shah, D.U., Porter, D, Vollrath, F. Can silk become an effective reinforcing fibre? A property comparison with flax and glass composites. Composites Science and Technology, 2014. 101: 173-183.
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Shah, D.U. Natural fibre composites: Comprehensive Ashby-type materials selection charts. Materials & Design, 2014. 62 p. 21-31.
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Shah, D.U. Developing plant fibre composites for structural applications by optimising composite parameters: a critical review. Journal of Materials Science, 2013. 48 (18) p. 6083-6107.
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Shah, D.U., Schubel, P.J. Can flax replace E-glass in structural composites? A small wind turbine blade case study. Composites Part B, 2013. 52 p. 172-181.
Book Chapters
Bourmaud, A., Shah, D.U. ‘Plant cell wall composition and structure’ in ‘Key insights in Biomass valorization using Fungi: Focus on biorefinery technology’. Edited by M’Barek, H.N., Perré, P., Hajjaj, H. 2022. Springer
Shah, D.U. ‘Materials selection charts for designing products with biocomposites’ in ‘Encyclopaedia in Renewable and Sustainable Materials. Volume: 8. Biodegradable and Bio-based Materials', 2020. Edited by Chaudhary, IA, Hashmi, S. Volumer 2, p. 768-780. Elsevier Ltd, Oxford
Shah, D.U., Vollrath, F. ‘Silk for sustainable composites’ in ‘Natural Fibre-reinforced Biodegradable and Bioresorbable Polymer Composites’, 2017. Edited by Lau, K.T. Elsevier Ltd.
Shah, D.U., Clifford, M.J. ‘Compaction, permeability and flow simulation for liquid composite moulding of natural fibre composites’ to appear in ‘Manufacturing of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites’, 2015. Springer-Verlag, New York, USA.
White Papers & Policy Briefings
Debnath, R., Bardhan, R., Mohaddes, K., Shah, D.U., Ramage, M.H., Alvarez, R.M. People-centric Emission Reduction in Buildings: A Data-driven and Network Topology-based Investigation. Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2022, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
Ramage, M., Shah, D.U., Bukauskas, A., Koronaki, A., Colman, A., Gatóo, A., Wiegand, E., Gin, Y., Debnath, R. Environmental Audit Committee Call for Evidence: “Sustainability of the Built Environment”. Cambridge Open Engage, 2021.
Paper selected by Committee; Ramage invited to give evidence in House of Parliament, 17 Nov 2021
Reyes, N., Rodríguez, B., Wiegand, E., Zilic, F., Ramage, M., Bukauskas, A., Debnath, R., Shah, D.U., Colman, T., de Wolf, C., Koronaki, A., Gatoó, A., Gin, Y. Achieving zero carbon emissions in the construction sector: The role of timber in decarbonising building structures. Cambridge Open Engage, 2021.
Invited to submit with the Chilean Senate, and included in COP26 discussions
Debnath, R., Bardhan, R., Shah, D.U., Koronaki, A., Bukauskas, A., Colman, A., Gatóo, A., Wiegand, E., Gin, Y., Ramage, M. Climate repair through built environment: Decarbonising UK’s building sector through energy efficiency and natural materials. Cambridge Open Engage, 2021
Submitted to Royal Institution for British Architects
Intellectual Property (Design Rights)
Darshil Shah, Michael Ramage and Ben Tinkler-Davies. ‘Bamboo cricket bat’, Design Rights #6170095-98 UK. Filed and granted 2022.
Darshil Shah, Michael Ramage and Ben Tinkler-Davies. ‘Bamboo cricket bat’, Design Rights #4163-1975-9160 Australia. Filed and granted 2022.
Media appearances
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Featured in the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens ‘Amazing People, Enquiring Minds’ walking trail, July-September 2023.
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Listed as one of ‘Fifty architects and designers you need to know on Earth Day 2022’ by Dezeen, 22 April 2022.
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Interview on BBC Radio 5, Naked Scientists on plastics in wind turbines, 28 Nov 2021.
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Podcast interview on Constructive Voices on biomaterials in the built environment sector, 26 Oct 2021
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Interview on The i (iNews) on the potential role of bamboo in mitigating climate change. 25 Oct 2021
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Interview on BBC Reel (22 Sept 2021) and Metro on the cannabis plant revolutionising future homes. 19 Oct 2021.
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Media coverage of our Nature Plants (2021) work on ancient Egyptian linen textiles by multiple outlets.
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Interviews in Dezeen. Hemp as a carbon sink (30 June 2021) and cement as a major carbon source (31 Aug 2021)
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Interview on Will biomaterial innovation decarbonise construction?, RIBA Professional Feature, 19 Aug 2021
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Interview on VICE News on spinning natural and unnatural silks. 22 April 2021. Over 200,000 views.
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Media coverage of our Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. P. (2021) paper on bamboo cricket bats on multiple outlets across the world – incl. UK, Australia, New Zealand and India. In Print (Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail, The Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Indian Express…), Radio (BBC World Service, ABC, NewztalkZB…), TV (BBC World Service, Reuters, ITV, Sky, TimesNowIndia, Associated Press…)
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Media coverage of our open-source CE-certified origami face-shield, HappyShield, for infection protection against Covid-19, on multiple outlets, including Dezeen, Archdaily. Received Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact and Engagement, published in PlosOne (2021), exhibit at Smithsonian Design Museum.
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Media coverage of our Scientific Reports (2019) paper on bamboo’s thermal properties by multiple outlets including Physorg.com, EurekaAlert!, Science Daily, livemint, Environmental News Network.
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Interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Naked Scientists on building with bamboo. 17 Nov 2019.
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Interview on Welcome to the age of wood in NewScientist, 16 March 2019, p. 33-37
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Interview on BBC Radio 4, Farming Today on growing hemp for bioplastics. 21 July 2018.
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Interview on Cambridge TV, Science Tech on our green method to produce artificial spider silk. 4 Dec 2017.
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Interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, ‘Naked Scientists’ on our invention of a green method to produce artificial spider silk. 18 July 2017.
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Media coverage of our PNAS (2017) paper by multiple outlets including Financial Times, materialtoday, Daily Mail Online, Yahoo!, Seeker.com (Discovery network), Smithsonian.com, Physorg.com, EurekaAlert!.
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Interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, ‘Naked Scientists’ on sustainable housing in the UK in 2050, and alternative building materials. 7 June 2016.
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Media coverage of our Advanced Materials Interfaces (2017) paper by multiple outlets including materialsgate, AZO Sensors, Technology.org, nanowerk, EurekAlert!.
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Interview on Parchment worms are best pinched in the dark with ScienceNews (Society for Science & the Public). 28 July 2014
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Interview on Biocomposites’ silk reinforced future with American Institute of Architects. 29 May 2014
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Interview on Silk fibres come on strong in composites in Materials Today. 13 May 2014
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Interview on Natural selection with Composites in Manufacturing (CiM) Magazine. 24 Sept 2013
Teaching and Supervisions
Undergraduate teaching:
BA Architecture Tripos:
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Part IA Fundamental Principles of Construction (2019-present)
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Part IB Design Studio 5 (Lent term) (2022-present)
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Part II Architectural Engineering (2019-2023)
MEng Engineering Tripos:
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Part IIB MEng Individual Projects (50% of final year mark) for the Department of Engineering (2017-present)
Postgraduate teaching:
- Course Module Lead for the MSt Architecture (Degree Apprenticeship): Module 3 Architectural Computing and Modelling Master Class (2020-present)
- Supervisor and Internal Examiner on MPhil/MArch programme (2020-present)
Other teaching:
- Summer Programme Course Director, Tutor, and Advanced Diploma Marker at ICE, running adult-learning courses (2019-present)
- Academic Advisory Committee and an Internal Examiner for the MSt IDBE (Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment Master of Studies programme), run jointly by the Depts. of Architecture & Engineering and Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL). (2022-present)
Shah has a PGCert in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (2019-2021, University of Cambridge), and is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Shah co-led the development of the new interdisciplinary Design Tripos with colleagues, securing substantial funding from the University (Academic Seed Funding (£581k) for initial development, SIF fund (£811k) for implementation).
Shah is Department Subject Convenor (Undergraduate Admissions Director; 2022-present). He plays an active role in Diversifying Admissions & Outreach at St John’s College.
Other Professional Activities
Professional Memberships
2022 – present FIMMM, Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3)
2018 – present AFHEA, Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Journal Editorships and Advisory Board Memberships
2021 – present Editorial Advisory Board of Nanofabrication (De Gruyter) and Biomaterials and Polymers Horizon
2022 – 2023 Guest Editor for Composites Part C (Elsevier). ‘Biobased composites for advanced applications’
2020 – 2022 Topics Advisory Panel for MDPI Materials
2019 – 2020 Guest Editor for MDPI Materials. ‘High Performance Natural Fibre Composites’
2018 – 2019 Guest Editor for Frontiers in Plant Science. ‘Natural Fiber Products and Their Multi-Scale Nature’
Peer Reviewer
2013 – present Journals: Various incl. Nature Communications; Scientific Reports; J of Royal Society Interface; Composites Science Technology; Composites Part A; J of Materials Science; MDPI Materials
2018 – 2020 Book Proposals: Elsevier and Woodhead Publishing
Course Advisory Committee Memberships
2022 – present Academic Advisory Committee for the MSt Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) programme taught through the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
2021 – present Advisory Committee of the biennial European Summer School on Bio-based Composites
Scientific Conference Committee Memberships
2019 – present Committee member for the International Conference on Sustainable Innovation (2023 – present), International Polysaccharide Conference (2021), International Conference on Materials Research and Innovation (2019 – present) amongst others
2018 – present Session organizer and Chair for 12th International Materials Education Symposium (2023), International Conference on Natural Fibres (2021, 2023), 18th European Conference on Composite Materials (2018) amongst others
Expert Consultant
2022 – present University of Creative Arts on sustainable materials for cricket gear, e.g. vegan leather
2021 – present Cambridge Enterprise on commercialisation of CamBoom: Bamboo cricket bats
2017 – present Margent Farm Ltd on hemp-based products, e.g. Hemp corrugated panels for Flat House
2017 – 2020 Cambridge Innovation Consultancy on landscaping reviews for bioresins, foams, polymers
2014 – 2015 Oxford Biomaterials Ltd on developing silk-based composite products, e.g. bicycle helmets
