Milap Dhakal

Milap Dhakal

Senior Cement Scientist
Applied Technologies

Making low-carbon cement and concrete

I work as a Senior Cement Scientist in the Applied Technologies research group where I gather insights into fresh and hardened properties of cement-based construction materials. My past experience includes research into alternative cementing materials such as MgO-SiO2 cements and geopolymers. And I also maintain research interests around the structural application of concrete-based materials and sustainability in construction materials.

Working with Callaghan Innovation customers, I led the development of a clay-based MgO and Geopolymer cement system. This was developed to produce concrete mixes for structurally sound concrete elements. 

You may not know that concrete, the second-most used construction commodity after water, is the cleanest construction material in market. Cement scientists like me are working hard to reduce its associated carbon footprint. 

I enjoy working through seemingly challenging problems and finding ways to make things work with simpler and cheaper processes. That’s applied technology in action.

Areas of expertise
  • Cement formulation
  • Fresh properties of cement and concrete
  • Micro-structures
  • Performance-based concrete design optimization
  • Material testing
  • Concrete durability indices
  • Structural analysis of RC elements
  • Designed experiments
  • Concrete 3D printing
Education
  • PhD. Civil Engineering, University of Canterbury, 2022
  • MS. Engineering, Louisiana Tech University, 2013
  • BE. Civil Engineering, Tribhuvan University, 2008
Memberships and awards
  • Member, Engineering New Zealand
  • Award, UoC Publication Awards, 3 times
  • Scholarship, UoC Doctoral Scholarship
Selected publications
  • Dhakal, M., Scott, A. N., Dhakal, R. P., & Clucas, D. (2022). Structural and durability properties for magnesia alumina silicate concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 340(April), 127725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.127725
  • Dhakal, M., Scott, A. N., Dhakal, R. P., Sullivan, T. J., & Clucas, D. (2022). Performance of MgO-Mk based M – S – H concrete column reinforced with steel and BFRP bars under cyclic loads. Structures, 46(April), 1764–1780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2022.11.025
  • Dhakal, M., Scott, A. N., Shah, V., Dhakal, R. P., & Clucas, D. (2021). Development of a MgO-metakaolin binder system. Construction and Building Materials, 284(May 2021), 122736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122736
  • Shah, V., Dhakal, M., & Scott, A. (2022). Long-term performance of MgO–SiO2 binder. Materials and Structures/Materiaux et Constructions, 55(2). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-022-01901-3
  • Dhakal, M., Scott, A., Shah, V., Oze, C., Dhakal, R., Clucas, D., Hughes, M. W., & Mueller, R. P. (2021). Magnesia-Metakaolin Regolith Mortar for Martian Construction. Earth and Space 2021, 808–817. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483374.075
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