About
Dr Monica Ratoi is an Associate Professor in Lubrication Science at the University of Southampton. With more than 30 years of research experience at Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and the University of Southampton, she has established an international reputation in lubrication, tribology and nanotechnology.
Her interdisciplinary research focuses on tribological mechanisms and sustainable lubrication solutions, spanning aqueous-, oil-, grease-, colloidal- and bio-lubricants, with particular emphasis on hydrogen technologies, electric vehicles, wind turbines and biomedical applications. She has also served as an expert adviser and evaluator on nanotechnology and nanotechnology risk and safety.
Dr Ratoi has long-standing research collaborations with the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER) and the Hydrogen Materials Research Center (Hydrogenius) at Kyushu University, Japan.
As Principal Investigator, she has secured more than £1.5 million in research funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)/EPSRC, the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Taiho Kogyo Tribology Research Foundation (TTRF), and industrial partners including ExxonMobil, ENEOS, Chevron Oronite and Nanol Technologies. Her research has been recognised through international awards from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (USA), the Japanese Society of Tribologists, the Taiho Kogyo Tribology Research Foundation, and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.
Alongside her research, Dr Ratoi has made significant contributions to teaching and academic leadership. She established and led the MSc programme in Advanced Tribology, developed tribology and nanomaterials teaching for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and currently serves as Mechanical Engineering Exam Officer, overseeing assessment processes for more than 600 undergraduate students each year. Her current research focuses on expanding international collaborations and developing next-generation lubrication technologies for sustainable energy systems and advanced engineering applications.