Division of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics

People

On this page:

• Academic Members
• Postdoc Research Assistants
• Professional Services
• Current PhD Students
• PhD Graduates

Academic Members

Dr Eldad Avital PhD, SMAIAA, FHEA, CEng, FRAeS Reader in Computational (& Experimental) Fluids and Acoustics Fluid Mechanics and acoustics: (i) Fundamentals: Computational (and experimental) Aero-Acoustics, Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics, fluids-structure interaction, bio-fluids, particle flow. (ii) Applications: Power and thrust aero and marine production, wind and water turbines, water engineering, fusion energy, bio-fluids devices, disinfection procedures  +44 (0)20 7882 3616      e.avital@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Lorenzo Botto PhD Visiting Reader in Fluid Mechanics (primary affiliation: Process & Energy Dept., TU Delft, Netherlands) I am the leader of the Fluids, Particles and Interfaces Group (https://bottogroup.wordpress.com/). I am interested in fluid mechanics and transport phenomena, with particular focus on topics at the interface between classical fluid dynamics and materials science. My group uses simulations and theory, often corroborated by experimental results, to uncover fundamental engineering principles that can be applied to practical problems, in areas such as advanced materials, bioengineering, and energy engineering. Recurring topics of research in the group are the dynamics of particulate materials (suspensions, emulsions, powders, etc.) and the mechanics of soft interfaces. I lead the "Fluid Mechanics of Nanostructured Materials" Special Interest Group of the EPSRC-funded UK Fluids Network.  l.botto@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Adrian Briggs BSc (Eng) PhD (Lond) Reader in Mechanical Engineering Enhanced Heat Transfer, Two-Phase Flow, Condensation  +44 (0)20 7882 8876      a.briggs@qmul.ac.uk

Prof James Busfield MA, PhD, CEng, FREng, FIMMM, FHEA Professor of Materials Examining the physical behaviour by experiment and modelling techniques of soft matter such as elastomers and rubber materials. Properties of interest include abrasion, friction, fracture, creep, fatigue, viscoelastic behaviour, modulus enhancement and composite filler reinforcement. Developing smart soft materials that can sense their environment and soft actuating materials that can change shape in response to a physical stimulus.  +44 (0)20 7882 8866      j.busfield@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Neil Cagney PhD Lecturer My research is focused on experimental analysis of fluid flows, often using a combination of flow measurements techniques (e.g. Particle-Image Velocimetry, visualisation) and post-processing methods (e.g. Lagrangian analysis) to identify the underlying physics of a problem.  +44(0)20 7882 8942      n.cagney@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Rafa Castrejón PhD Senior Lecturer Fluid Mechanics, Experimental Physics, Liquid Drops, Sprays and Jets, Optics, Instrumentation, Inkjet and 3D Printing  +44 (0)20 7882 7620      r.castrejonpita@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Jun Chen BSc (Honours), MSc (Distinction), PhD, FHEA Senior Lecturer in Engineering Science My research interests lie at the interface of Computer Science, Operational Research and Control Engineering with a significant overlap with Systems Engineering. Over the years, I have consolidated and structured my research along three themes: modelling, optimisation and decision, four cross-cutting application areas: intelligent decision support for airport operations, human factors & brain-computer interface, future flight deck automation systems and intelligent sewer networks, sponsored by EPSRC and industry and supported by the well-balanced research team consisting of senior academics, post-doctoral researchers and PhD students.  +44 (0)20 7882 8873      jun.chen@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Ahmed Ismail PhD, MSc, BSc Lecturer in Fluid Dynamics Electrospray, Direct Printing, Microfluidics, Drops & Bubbles, Microencapsulation, Capillary jet.  +44 (0)20 7882 6272      a.ismail@qmul.ac.uk

Prof Sergey Karabasov BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, FHEA, FRAeS Co-director of Division of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics / Professor of Computational Modelling Fluid dynamics, computational aeroacoustics and aerodynamics, large-eddy simulations, meso-scale ocean modelling, fluctuating hydrodynamics for nano-scale flows , numerical methods for hyperbolic conservation laws  +44 (0)20 7882 7650      s.karabasov@qmul.ac.uk

Prof Martin Knight BEng, MSc, PhD, FHEA Professor of Mechanobiology My research is focussed on 'mechanobiology' or how living cells and tissues respond to physical forces. I am interested in the role of the cellular structures known as primary cilia. My group are investigating whether manipulation of cilia can be used as a therapeutic strategy. My work also explores the development of organ-on-a-chip models incorporating biomechanical stimulation for understanding human biology in health and disease and predicting the response to therapeutics. I work on a variety of different tissues such as cartilage, synovium, bone, kidney and artery, as well as diseases including osteoarthritis, cancer, atherosclerosis and inflammation.  +44 (0)20 7882 8868      m.m.knight@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Fariborz Motallebi BSc MEng PhD Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamics Flow Control, Aerodynamics of Sport Vehicles, High Speed Aerodynamics, Boundary Layer Flows, Instrumentation and Optical Diagnostics in Flow Measurements  +44 (0)20 7882 5182      f.motallebi@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Jens-Dominik Mueller Dipl-Ing, MSc, PhD Reader in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Optimisation Computational Fluid Dynamics, Fluid-Structure Interaction, Biofluids, Shape Optimisation, Adjoint methods, Mesh adaptation, Sensitivity Analysis.  +44 (0)20 7882 5421      j.mueller@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Angadh Nanjangud PhD Lecturer in Aerospace/Spacecraft Engineering Modeling and autonomous control of multibody, variable mass dynamical systems with applications to: future space missions pertaining to on-orbit assembly; rocket flight; and the broad area of extreme environment robotics.  +44 (0) 20 7882 3757      a.nanjangud@qmul.ac.uk

Prof Hazel Screen BEng MRes PhD(Lond) CEng Professor of Biomedical Engineering My research aims to understand how our tissues are built to be able to withstand the loads they experience in the body. I am particularly interested in understanding tendon and heart valve; how and why they get injured, and ways to prevent this happening. By looking at the ways a tissue is supposed to work when it is healthy, we can identify how small changes in the structure, such as those which occur with age, can make injury more likely and look to prevent or treat these specifically.  +44 (0)20 7882 8875      h.r.c.screen@qmul.ac.uk

Prof John Stark BSc(Exon) MSc(Man) PhD(Lond) FRAS FRAeS Professor of Aerospace Engineering Electrospray technology, spacecraft propulsion, Spacecraft Design, Direct printing  +44 (0)20 7882 8875      j.p.w.stark@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Yi Sui PhD, MInstP, Fellow HEA Reader in Fluid Mechanics  +44 (0)20 7882 7763      y.sui@qmul.ac.uk

Prof Vassili Toropov PhD, FRAeS, AFAIAA, CEng Director of Division of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics / Professor of Aerospace Engineering - Development of design optimization techniques for large-scale engineering problems - Applications to various engineering systems - Improvement of reliability and robustness of engineering systems - Optimization of composite structures - Inverse problems  +44 (0)20 7882 6296      v.v.toropov@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Ranjan Vepa BTech(IITMadras) MASc(Wat) PhD(Stan) Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering Dynamic modelling, control engineering, simulation, space & biomimetic robotics & UAVs, biomedical control systems, aeroelasticity, smart structures, flow control  +44 (0)20 7882 5193      r.vepa@qmul.ac.uk

Prof Wen Wang PhD, CEng, FIMechE, FHEA, FAIMBE, FREng Vice-Principal and Executive Dean for Science and Engineering Vascular endothelial mechanics, cell mechanobiology, flow and solute transport in extracellular matrices, microcirculation, arterial haemodynamics, cell & tissue mechanics  +44 (0)20 7882 3031      wen.wang@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Pihua Wen BA MSc(CSU, Hunan) PhD(WIT) Reader in Computational Solid & Fluid Mechanics Solid and Fluid mechanics, fracture and damage, computational methods, numerical simulation in manufacturing and engineering  +44 (0)20 7882 5371      p.h.wen@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Yousef  Zawahreh BEng(Hons), PhD, PGCert, FHEA Senior Lecturer in Engineering Materials & Design My background is in materials, an area of that spans all other engineering disciplines (almost). My interests lie in identifying and commercialising design-related solutions that come from the boundaries between disciplines. Sustainability and healthcare are at the top of my list. Engineering education is another passion of mine. The current coronavirus pandemic upheaval has been challenging but perhaps in a good way. Innovation and progress are borne out of adversity and this situation is no different. I am extremely interested in how can we use this upheaval to advance engineering education in a post-COVID era.  y.zawahreh@qmul.ac.uk

Postdoc Research Associates

Dr Simon Grossemy Postdoctoral Research Assistant  s.grossemy@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Hazel Screen

Dr Vasily Gryazev Postdoctoral Research Assistant  v.gryazev@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Sergey Karabasov

Dr Hannah Heywood PhD Postdoctoral Research Fellow Circadian biology in mechanosensitive cells: My current research investigates the interaction between physiological and pathological mechanical stimuli and the circadian clock in mechanosensitive cells, such as the cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system. Bioenergetics and metabolism: I discovered the Crabtree metabolic phenotype in chondrocytes and studied the contribution of energy metabolism to chondrocyte phenotype. I devised my own techniques for characterizing the bioenergetic phenotype in living cells, which have been used to understand the metabolism of stem cells during differentiation, cartilage cells, cancer stem cells. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Focusing on tissue engineering and cell therapies for cartilage repair.  +44 (0)20 7882 5368      h.k.heywood@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Martin Knight

Dr Tim Hopkins Visiting Postdoctoral Research Assistant  tim.hopkins@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Martin Knight

Dr Catherine Kamal Ph.D, MSci. Postdoctoral Research Assistant I apply mathematical modelling to engineering challenges relating to soft particles, capsules or vesicles in liquids, with an aim to create testable models of the materials in flow for advance in industrial application. For example, an understanding on the characterisation over the state of aggregation, shape or orientation of the soft nanoparticles in flow could identify new methods used to charactering and sort nanoparticles by their thickness and aspect ratio. Such size and thickness is essential for optimising applications such as polymer reinforcement. I am also interested in modelling physical singularities, such as those involved in moving contact lines.  c.kamal@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Lorenzo Botto

Dr Weiqi Li BMed, MMed, PhD Postdoctoral Research Assistant My research focuses on the vascular biology and vascular engineering. Particular interest goes to the endothelial glycocalyx, a protective layer along the luminal surface of the blood vessel. I aim to elucidate how the glycocalyx develops and sheds under healthy and diseased vascular conditions. I also work on endothelial mechanics and directional cell migration on different types of substrate, with the ultimate gold of understanding the process of vascular stiffening and aging.  +44 (0)20 7882 7821      wei-qi.li@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Wen Wang

Dr Annabel Markesteijn BSc, MSc, PhD Postdoctoral Research Assistant Fluid Dynamics, Computational Aeroacoustics and Aerodynamics, Large-Eddy Simulations, GPGPU Computing, Multiscale Methods, Fluctuating Hydrodynamics, Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics, Droplet Formation  a.markesteijn@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Sergey Karabasov

Miss Megan McFie BA, MSc Postdoctoral Research Assistant  m.mcfie@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Martin Knight

Dr Joanne Nolan PhD Postdoctoral Research Assistant I am currently working on an interdisciplinary CRUK-EPSRC funded project across both SEMS and Barts Cancer Institute. This work, in partnership with Emulate, aims to develop a new organ-on-a-chip model of breast cancer bone metastasis which we will use to study the interactions which occur between breast cancer and bone cells. We believe the interactions occurring between these two cell populations influences the metastatic nice and secondary tumour development with the hypothesis that osteocyte ciliogenesis is crucial during these stages.  joanne.nolan@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Martin Knight

Dr Clare Thompson MBiochem, PhD Postdoctoral Research Assistant Mammalian cell culture, cell biology, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, confocal and super resolution microscopy, image analyses, PCR, molecular cloning, cell transfection, immunoprecipitation, , western blotting, ELISA, biochemical assays (various) and advanced data analyses.  +44 (0)20 7882 3603      clare.l.thompson@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Martin Knight

Dr Charlie Waugh Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow  c.waugh@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Hazel Screen

Dr Michal Weiszer Postdoctoral Research Assistant Optimisation, metaheuristics, operational research and their applications such as airport operations and intelligent sewer networks.  m.weiszer@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Jun Chen

Dr Danae Zamboulis DVM, PhD Postdoctoral Research Assistant I am a postdoctoral research associate with an interest in musculoskeletal biology and in particular the development of structure function in tendons. I completed a degree in Veterinary Medicine and an internship in Equine Medicine and Surgery from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and subsequently undertook a PhD at the University of Liverpool. I have expertise in tendon biology, molecular biology techniques, proteomics and a good understanding of biomechanics.  d.zamboulis@qmul.ac.uk  Supervisor: Hazel Screen

Professional Services

Dr Russell Bailey PhD, FRMS, SI Analytical Laboratories Manager Oversees the technical support provision within the analytical laboratories of the school. Facilitates support for research and teaching, in line with the universityâ??s long-term strategic objectives. Primary areas of expertise are electron and scanning probe microscopies, and mechanical testing.  +44 (0)20 7882 8468      r.j.bailey@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Erica Di Federico PhD Mechanical Testing Technician Provides comprehensive technical support for the mechanical testing facilities for academic staff, postgraduate, and undergraduate students within the School to enable the achievement of teaching and research aims and objectives. This comprises supporting appropriate research projects, managing contract testing and assisting with practical classes, demonstrations and in the development of prototypes and experimental equipment for teaching and research. Responsible for the operation and upkeep of the materials processing and mechanical testing laboratories. Responsible for the instruction, guidance, and supervision of staff and students in the use of laboratory equipment and techniques as appropriate.  +44 (0)20 7882 5054      e.difederico@qmul.ac.uk

Mr Nick Duggan Workshop Technician I'm a mechanical production engineer with many years experience in all aspects of mechanical maintenance, manufacture and workshop practice. I have wide experience in working on a range of equipment and plant in the chemical, process and mechanical engineering fields, specifically those in research, teaching and pilot plants.  +44 (0)20 7882 6836      n.duggan@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Benjamin Gridley MChem, PhD Technical Facilities Manager  +44 (0)20 7882 8740      b.m.gridley@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Shoghik Hakobyan PhD Materials Characterisation Technician  +44 (0)20 7882 6943      s.hakobyan@qmul.ac.uk

Mr Dennis Ife Mechanical Workshop Manager Provides comprehensive technical support for staff and students in the School to enable the achievement of teaching and research aims and objectives. Responsible for the operation and upkeep of the laboratory areas of CAD-CAM. Responsible for the instruction, guidance and supervision of staff and students in the use of laboratory equipment and techniques as appropriate.  +44 (0)20 7882 6383      d.ife@qmul.ac.uk

Dr Armando Lacerda PhD Research Laboratories Manager  +44 (0)20 7882 7461      a.m.lacerda@qmul.ac.uk

Ms Jun Ma BSc, MSc, MPhil Laboratory Technician Provides comprehensive technical support for staff and students in the School to enable the achievement of teaching and research aims and objectives. To be responsible for the operation and upkeep of the laboratory area of Instrumentation. Responsible for the instruction, guidance and supervision of staff and students in the use of laboratory equipment and techniques as appropriate.  +44 (0)20 7882 5057      j.ma@qmul.ac.uk

Mr Andrew McDonald Mechanical Workshop Technician Apprentice trained mechanical engineer providing support to students and staff in manufacturing and CAD/CAM processes.  andrew.mcdonald@qmul.ac.uk

Mr Danny Neighbour BSc,MSc,CEng MIEE Laboratory Technician Provides comprehensive technical support for staff and students in the School to enable the achievement of teaching and research aims and objectives. To be responsible for the operation and upkeep of the laboratory areas of Robotics and Servo PBL. Responsible for the instruction, guidance and supervision of staff and students in the use of laboratory equipment and techniques as appropriate.  +44 (0)20 7882 5056      d.neighbour@qmul.ac.uk

Mr James Searles Mechanical Workshop Technician I have 20 years experience in the manufacturing industry primarily in the f1 and aerospace industry  02078826577      j.searles@qmul.ac.uk

Current PhD Students

PhD Graduates