Prof Stephen Akinlabi

Associate Professor

Department: Mechanical and Construction Engineering

Stephen Akinlabi is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University and holds a doctorate (D.Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to his appointment at Northumbria University, he navigated through the ranks at different points of his career in South Africa as a research fellow/lecturer/senior lecturer/ associate professor and he was appointed a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at First Technical University, Nigeria. Stephen was a visiting Associate Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Covenant University, Nigeria and a visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria.

Stephen is a Professional Mechanical Engineer with over Twelve (+12) years of industrial experience in the oil & gas industry before joining the academics and a registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the South Africa Institution of Mechanical Engineering (MSAIMechE), the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE). He is a rated National Research Foundation (NRF) researcher in South Africa and has demonstrated excellence in his field of endeavour.

During Stephen’s academic career in South Africa, he was privileged to mentor both undergraduate and postgraduate students and early career/young academics in his research group. Stephen is a recipient of several grants in recognition of his contributions to the body of knowledge. He has supervised Seven (7) PhDs and Eleven (11) Masters to completion and currently supervising Twelves (12) Postgraduates and has co-authored over three hundred (300) peer-reviewed publications. Stephen's research areas primarily focus on Materials and Modern Advanced Manufacturing Systems and to date, he has supervised and worked with both undergraduate and postgraduates in the fields of Laser materials processing, Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing -LMD, functionally graded material; Welding processes - Friction Stir Welding, Laser welding, MIG & TIG Welding, Hybrid welding, Material Characterization and Mechanical Properties of Materials, Surface Engineering and Modifications. In addition, Stephen’s secondary research interest extends to Numerical simulation and modelling of manufacturing systems; Thin film and Modern Surface Engineering; Waste to wealth Management; and Renewable energy studies – wind and solar.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Laser-based material processing and additive manufacturing; Characterizations and Mechanical behaviour of Processed materials; Mechanical and Manufacturing systems; Welding processes: Friction Stir Welding, Laser Welding, MIG and TIG welding; Advanced coating technologies and surface engineering; Numerical Study of Processed Materials; Energy Studies Renewable energy systems (wind & solar energy, Biomass); Waste Management of Municipal waste; Composite development from waste and reinforcement of Fibre; Composites with metallic powders.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Evaluation of a Hybrid Solar Power System as a Potential Replacement for Urban Residential and Medical Economic Activity Areas in Southern Nigeria, Akinlabi, E., Akinlabi, S. 2 Mar 2023, In: AIMS Energy
Experimental and finite element simulation for thermal distribution in TIG, MIG and TIG-MIG hybrid welds, Abima, C., Madushele, N., Mwema, F., Akinlabi, S. 20 Jan 2023, In: International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing
Grey-based taguchi method for multi-weld quality optimization of gas metal arc dissimilar joining of mild steel and 316 stainless steel, Ogbonna, O., Akinlabi, S., Madushele, N., Fatoba, O., Akinlabi, E. 1 Mar 2023, In: Results in Engineering
Multi-response optimization of TIG dissimilar welding of AISI 1008 mild steel and AISI 316 stainless steel using grey-based Taguchi method, Ogbonna, O., Akinlabi, S., Madushele, N., Fatoba, O., Akinlabi, E. 3 Mar 2023, In: International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
A Review of the Potentials of Grey Cast Iron and its Manufacturability, Salawu, E., Ajayi, O., Inegbenebor, A., Akinlabi, S., Dirisu, J., Araoyinbo, A. 17 Aug 2022, Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy, Environment and Sustainability, TMREES21Gr 2021, American Institute of Physics Inc.
Comparative study between TIG-MIG Hybrid, TIG and MIG welding of 1008 steel joints for enhanced structural integrity, Abima, C., Akinlabi, S., Madushele, N., Akinlabi, E. 1 Sep 2022, In: Scientific African
Development and assessment of African star seed (Chrysophyllum albidum) oil-based cutting fluid in turning AA6061 using Taguchi grey relational approach, Ikumapayi, O., Kazeem, R., Popoola, L., Laseinde, O., Afolalu, S., Nwala, N., Akinlabi, S., Akinlabi, E. 9 Dec 2022, In: International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing
Forecast of the Trend in Sales Data of a Confectionery Baking Industry Using Exponential Smoothing and Moving Average Models, Kazeem, R., Petinrin, M., Akhigbe, P., Jen, T., Akinlabi, E., Akinlabi, S., Ikumapayi, O. 3 Oct 2022, In: Mathematical Modelling of Engineering Problems
Temperature analysis in Computer Numerical Control milling of medical-grade poly(methyl methacrylate), Wambua, J., Mwema, F., Jen, T., Akinlabi, E., Akinlabi, S. 30 Jun 2022, In: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering