Dr Adriana Encinas-Oropesa

Areas of expertise

• Design, Strategy & Innovation
• Structures and Materials

Background

Dr. Adriana Encinas-Oropesa is a Senior Lecturer in Design and Materials at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

Her research focuses on sustainable design and the characterization of materials properties as essential components of the product lifecycle. This work involves understanding how different operating environments affect the lifespan of materials and their connections to people's everyday lives.

With over 15 years of experience evaluating materials' performance and degradation at Cranfield University, Adriana collaborates closely with industry. She has published more than 40 technical papers and has contributed to the development of new British Standards for materials testing.

Adriana obtained her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. She also holds a Master of Science in Industrial and Product Design from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and a PhD in Advanced Materials from Cranfield University.

Adriana is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). She is also a member of the Mexican National System for Researchers (CONACyT - SNI).

Research opportunities

I am keen to supervise students who are exploring materials and product design, as well as the methods and processes involved in design-led research, innovation, and enterprise. This includes everything from conceptualization to proof-of-concept evaluation. My areas of interest encompass human-centred materials development, sustainable materials and technologies, the circular economy, circular-driven materials, and improving waste and resource efficiency for materials and products.

My teaching aims at leveraging creativity, sustainability, diversity and inclusivity principles for product design.

Current activities

Adriana serves as the MSc Programme Director for the Jiangsu University Cranfield Tech Futures Graduate Institute (JSU CU), a strategic partnership between Jiangsu University in China and Cranfield University. In this role, she leads and manages the academic programs of the Joint Institute, which include Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering Management. Adriana is also responsible for developing new courses, implementing innovative teaching methods, assessing student performance, and mentoring faculty colleagues.

Additionally, Adriana is the module leader for both the Engineering Design and Project Management course in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Circular Innovation module within the Sustainability MSc program at Cranfield School of Management.

Clients

Unilever UK

Rolls-Royce plc (UK, Germany, and Canada)

MTU Engines (Germany)

Cool Milk ltd (UK)

National Council of Science and Technology CONACyT (Mexico)

Autonomous University of State of Mexico (UAEM)

Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)

Innovate UK

EU Framework Programmes (EU)

European Coal and Steel Community (EU)

Siemens Energy Inc (USA, Germany)

Alstom Power (UK)

Porvair Filtration (UK)

Publications

• Articles in journals
• Conference papers
• Books