Aeronautics hosts showcase event to highlight research expertise

Photo credits: Joel Trotter

Aeronautics PhD students and researchers hosted expert panels and displayed their latest research at the Department’s Research Showcase.

The Department of Aeronautics hosted its Research Showcase on 5 July, welcoming more than 150 guests including representatives from industry, government, the public and the wider Imperial community.

The event highlighted the breadth of innovative and exciting research undertaken at the Department, including, but not limited to aviation, space, wind energy, robotics and bioengineering.

James McMicking, Vice President for Strategy at ZeroAvia, joined as keynote speaker and discussed the disruptive strategies being adopted by ZeroAvia to achieve zero-emission aircraft, including opportunities beyond retrofits. 

Professor Rafael Palacios, Director of Research, said: “It was thrilling to see the Department coming together after more than two years of mostly remote work, and it was even more exciting to see how busy our researchers have been, and all they have to offer to the wider community.” 

PhD candidates and researchers were invited to submit posters, allowing them to display their most recent and best achievements within the field.   

Both students and staff enjoyed an afternoon of engaging with fellow experts and members of industry for general interest and the possibility of future collaborations. 

Dr George Rigas, led a panel of external judges, as they conferred to announce the winners of the poster competition. 

In highlighting the poster exhibition, Dr Rigas said: “We had 56 posters submitted, showcasing the cutting-edge research in progress within Aeronautics. It was a great opportunity for everyone to reflect on the breadth of disruptive innovation, creativity and collaborative spirit, which make the Department a unique place for tackling challenges at a fundamental and industrially relevant level.”

• First prize, Dilaksan Thillaithevan - Multistructural Optimization Under Manufacturing Uncertainty 
• Runner up, Danielle O’Driscoll, Development and Testing of HATHOR 
• Runner up, Yi-Rong Luo, Additive Manufacturing Constraints for Spatially-Optimised Fibre Reinforced Composites

All posters can be viewed in the Aeronautics Showcase Brochure. 

Dilaksan, was named as winner of the poster competition: “It was exciting to reconnect with students and staff in person. Having seen all the remarkable posters, I feel incredibly honoured to have been awarded this prize." 

The event also offered the opportunity of exploring some of our world-leading research facilities, with tours of the Flight Arena, T1, T2 and 10x5 Wind Tunnels, as well as Additive Manufacturing and Composite Manufacturing labs.