Dr Anil Bastola - Research

I have a general interest in "active" and "functional" materials (magneto-active, electro-active, and shape memory materials) and Additive Manufacturing (AM) - a combination widely known as "4D printing". My specific focus is on creating new feedstock materials for 4D printing and multi-material printing (Material Jetting, Direct Ink Writing). The applications I am targeting are soft robotics, wearables, and defence.

Research Statement

My research vision is to advance the AM of next-generation smart/active/functional materials towards intelligent solutions for Human-Machine Interfaces (soft robotics, wearables) and defence.

My research mission is to engineer novel materials with tailored magnetic, dielectric, and conductive properties via 4D printing, and also fully understand their multi-physics via experimental characterisations and implementations. I collaborate with numerical modelling/simulation colleagues to optimise the material performance before manufacturing. True 4D effect comes from the combination of materials, design & simulation, and digital manufacturing of active/functional materials.

Grants and Funding

Following grants have supported my research

PI: Seed Corn Fund (March 2025 - July 2025), Funded by Swansea University (£3.2k), Team: Dr A Bastola

The aim is to expand a network of collaboration to explore the potential of magnetic materials in healthcare applications.

Co-I: Summer Internship (July 2025 - Sept 2025), Funded by Swansea University (£5k), Team: Dr A Bastola and Dr F Korkee

The aim is to develop multi-material active prosthetics. Multi-material FDM 3D printing was used.

Co-I: EPSRC Core Equipment Grant (July 2024-June 2026), Funded by EPSRC (£550k), Team: Dr A Bastola ...Prof Helen Griffith

I received £55k to expand the 3D printing capability in my lab at Swansea University. Multi-material inkjet 3D printing is being acquired.

PI: Summer Internship (July 2024 - Sept 2024), Funded by DSTL & UKMMN (£5k), Team: Dr A Bastola

The aim is to develop time-variant magnetic metamaterials for acoustic and vibration applications. DLP 3D printing was used.

Co-I: Magnetic AM Project (July 2023 – Nov 2024), Funded by DSTL (£247k), Team: Dr A Bastola, Dr L Parry and Prof C Tuck

The aim is in-situ programming of the magnetic domain to produce shape-morphing structures targeting defence applications. Material Jetting 3D printing was used.

Research Supervision

Current PhD Projects

PhD 1 (2025–2028): Multi-material, multi-functional additive manufacturing for soft robotics
PhD 2 (2023–2027): Data-informed, 3D-printable, multi-material electroactive polymer-based soft robots

I am seeking PhD candidates interested in research on smart materials, adaptive structures, and 4D printing. Key areas include:

Design and fabrication of smart materials, including magnetic, dielectric, and shape-memory materials for soft robotics and healthcare applications
4D Printing using Material Jetting (MJ), Digital Light Processing (DLP), and Direct Ink Writing (DIW)

I am also keen to support applications for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship and Newton International Fellowship for outstanding researchers in these areas.

Additionally, I welcome international collaborations and long-term academic visitors with relevant expertise. These positions will generally require self-funding or support through international exchange schemes, and for suitable topics, I will assist in developing project proposals for submission to funding bodies.

If you are interested, please contact me via my academic email address. Before reaching out, I encourage you to review my research activities and publications and consider proposing your own project ideas.

Other Scholarly Activities

I am constantly involved in other research-related scholarly activities, such as reviewing grants and publications in the areas of smart materials and additive manufacturing (4D printing).

I have served as a reviewer for the following:

Funding Bodies:

Czech Republic, The Czech Science Foundation (GACR)
Poland, National Science Centre Poland (NCN)

Journal Publications:

Wiley, Advanced Functional Materials
Wiley, Advanced Robotics Research
Wiley, Advanced Materials Interfaces
Elsevier, Additive Manufacturing
Elsevier, Additive Manufacturing Letters
Elsevier, Materials & Design
Elsevier, Chemical Engineering Journal
Elsevier, Composites Part B: Engineering
IOP, Smart Materials and Structures
Springer, Progress in Additive Manufacturing
IEEE, Sensors Journal

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