Rahul Mandal

Rahul Mandal was born in India and later moved to the United Kingdom, where he began his baking journey out of necessity around eight years prior to 2018. He started cooking daily after relocating, and baked his first cake in 2016, which he shared with colleagues at work. This early exposure to British baking through feedback from his co-workers shaped his initial development as a baker. He had no prior experience using an oven in India and learned to operate one from his housemates in the UK.

In 2018, Rahul Mandal gained public recognition as a contestant on the ninth series of The Great British Bake Off, also known as The Great British Baking Show in the US and Canada. Throughout the competition, he consistently demonstrated skill and precision, earning three Hollywood Handshakes and being awarded Star Baker twice. His journey culminated in him being crowned the winner of the series on October 30, 2018. Following his win, he continued to be involved in baking, including winning the New Year’s Bake Off in 2021.

Professionally, Rahul Mandal is a research scientist. He holds a PhD in Optical Engineering from Loughborough University, where his thesis focused on the ‘Calibration and adjustment of coherence scanning interferometry’. After graduation, he joined the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield as a Research Associate. His work at the Nuclear AMRC involves developing automated inspection techniques for large nuclear components and investigating the cleanliness of nuclear components to identify potential flaws. He is also a volunteer STEM Ambassador, working to inspire young students in science and engineering.