“At Imperial there are lots of opportunities to be creative.”
Satpal Sangha is a Research Design and Manufacturing Manager in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has worked at Imperial since 2012.
Consultant for all mechanical engineering design projects
Satpal has been in his current role since 2023, managing a team of seven technicians at a workshop in the City and Guilds Building. The team supports a wide range of academics and researchers, playing a vital role in making their projects a reality.
“I manage the research workshops and ensure the facilities operate as efficiently as possible to deliver the vital aspects of our departmental academics’ project requests. I also enjoy acting as a consultant for their designs, advising on what can be practically achieved from their conceptual designs.”
The projects Satpal advises on are extremely varied, including supporting the creation of a new design for a knee implant. He said: “This was very difficult design to manufacture, we needed to make numerous adaptations to make something possible from the concept and it was a real team effort.”
Another success included understanding a research team’s requirements to design and manufacture a complex valve system that could be manufactured rapidly at low cost and used within health systems specifically in economically developing nations.
Working with the world’s best minds and engineers
Prior to joining Imperial, Satpal gained extensive experience in industry with companies including Nestle and British Airways. His career at Imperial began at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies, which at the time was working closely with the British military who had ongoing operations in Afghanistan.
As part of his role, Satpal managed a complete redesign of their showpiece rig Anubis, which simulated injuries from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The rig’s speed and acceleration were increased to replicate stronger explosions and better simulate the greater impacts of more powerful IEDs; the modified rig resulted in numerous published studies and a better understanding of lower limb injury mechanisms.
He said: “I had always been keenly aware of Imperial and was attracted by the opportunity to work with some of the world’s best minds and engineers.
“At Imperial there are lots of opportunities to be creative. I found working for the Centre for Blast Injuries very fulfilling and felt real ownership of my work.”
Enabling Imperial to compete in Formula Student
In 2021 Satpal moved to the Pit Garage in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team designs and manufactures light-weight racing cars and competes in Formula Student and the Shell Eco-Marathon.
Satpal said: “One of my proudest achievements at Imperial is helping the teams from the Pit Garage compete again. Seeing them continue to progress and compete feels like my legacy continuing.”
From Brentford’s junior ranks to season ticket-holder
Outside of Imperial Satpal is an avid football fan, having played semi-professionally until he was 27. He is now a season ticket holder at Brentford, where he once played in the junior ranks. He is passionate about motorcycle racing and has attended many Moto GPs, including in Europe in Valencia, Mugello, Brno and at Saxon Ring.
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