Meet Xiao He, Katopodis Prize winner

Every year, the Department of Mechanical Engineering awards prizes to recognise the achievements of our PhD students.

The Katopodis Prize is awarded to the best PhD thesis within the Thermofluids division. The prize is named after Spyridon ("Spyros") Katopodis, an industrial case student in the Thermofluids division who passed away in 2009.

The current holder of the prize is Xiao He, let’s get to know him better:

Can you say a few words about the award you’ve received?

The annual competition for the Katopodis Prize is very competitive, with many of the previous awardees having achieved great success in their future academic career. It is a great honour for me to win this prize in 2023.

 Why did you decide to study for a PhD?

Growing up I was always a curious kid. During my junior year at Tsinghua, I was fortunate to join a start-up lab as a UROP student. I gained fundamental training in research there, and most importantly, learned the fun side of academic research - exploring unknowns of human knowledge. My two-year UROP research has yielded three papers in prestigious journals and helped me win the Excellent Bachelor Thesis Award and the Honored Graduate Award. This experience confirmed that I like doing research and I am good at it. In the summer semester of my junior year, I also spent two months in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial as an overseas UROP student. It was then that I found Imperial Mech Eng was one of the best places for Computational Fluid Dynamics research.

After three years of MSc study at Tsinghua for experiment-based research, I applied for a PhD position in both the USA and the UK and I secured a full scholarship from an Ivy League university and Imperial. Eventually, I chose Imperial because of previous connections, compatibility with my supervisor, and the prestigious Imperial College President’s PhD scholarship I was offered. So far, I am happy with the decision I made.

What is your research about, in a nutshell?

My research developed a novel turbulence model that accurately predicts the instability onset of aero-engine compressors. The key enabler is the use of cutting-edge machine learning algorithms and the high-fidelity data of industrial turbomachines. Based on the novel model, the design of the next-gen compressors and fans of aero-engines can be accelerated due to fewer bench tests needed.

The major contribution of the thesis was presented at ASME Turbo Expo 2022 and won the Turbomachinery Committee Best Paper Finalist (20 papers selected). After the presentation, industry partners showed strong interest in the model, and concurrent research with industry partners is testing the model further in more industrial machines. In previous Turbo Expo conferences, I was awarded the Young Engineer Turbo Expo Participation Award (2021, 2020) and the Student Advisory Committee Travel Award (2019) to present my research, and I have won the People’s Choice Best Student Poster Award (2019). I was also awarded the 2022 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad (50 students selected in the UK) due to the research excellence.

How would you describe your experience during your PhD in the department?

My overall experience in pursuing a PhD with the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been pleasant and valuable. The college and department's research facilities, teaching opportunities, administrative support, and supervision have all been excellent.

What would you say about the supervision you received?

My supervisor, Professor Mehdi Vahdati, has granted me a great deal of freedom to develop my PhD thesis. The guidance I received was top-notch, and our discussions often began with “Is this phenomenon physical or numerical” to the very nature of the physics and the numeric. Dr Fanzhou Zhao, a Research Associate in the group, serves as my second supervisor. We've had discussions on technical details, such as code development and in-depth analysis. This dual supervision approach has significantly improved my abilities as an independent researcher.

What were the most difficult challenges? What did you enjoy most about the experience?

The most challenging aspect of my PhD journey was dealing with mental loneliness, especially during the pandemic. Research often feels like trekking through uncharted territory alone. Normally, one would meet fellow explorers at conferences, share the sights they've seen, and offer encouragement. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible during the pandemic. Thankfully, I successfully collaborated remotely with colleagues worldwide, some of whom I haven't even met in person before. I still maintain contact with some colleagues and co-author papers with them.

Given the computationally intensive nature of my research, I most enjoyed the HPC system and the support from the ICT team at Imperial. The HPC system provides powerful CPUs and GPUs that are freely accessible for PhD students. The ICT team not only organises training courses for efficient research code development, but also offers one-on-one consultations for code development. Both these resources and support have significantly eased my research work.

What are you planning to do now and in the future?

I am currently working as a Research Associate at Department of Aeronautics at Imperial to continue my research in data-driven turbulence modeling and my training as a principal investigator. I plan to establish my own research lab within the following five years. The long-term objective of my research is to enhance safety, efficiency, and environmental considerations throughout the energy harvesting process of humankind.

What are your interests beyond Engineering?

I am an amateur hiker and I have left my footprints in many of the National Trust walking trials and beautiful towns near London. In days not suitable for outdoor activities, I enjoy playing open world role-playing games.