Towards a Silent Aircraft

Professor Dame Ann Dowling
President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cambridge

Date: Wednesday 17 June
Time: 12.30 Lunch reception with lecture to follow at 13.30
Venue: G34 Sir Alexander Fleming building, South Kensington Campus

RSVP to Amna Siddiq
Please forward this invitation to any colleagues who may be interested in attending.

Abstract

In her lecture ‘Towards a Silent Aircraft’ Professor Dowling will describe her career fusing engineering research with industrial practice, and share insights into aircraft noise, which has been a recurring focus of her work. Although aircraft noise has reduced considerably since the introduction of high speed jet transport, it is still a major societal concern.

Professor Dowling will discuss what generates noise in modern civil aircraft and ways in which noise is being reduced in the development of next-generation aircraft. She will consider whether a radical re-think of aircraft configuration, integrating many technologies into the design, could in the long term result in substantial noise reductions combined with a reduced fuel burn.

Biography

Professor Dame Ann Dowling is President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where she was Head of the Department of Engineering from 2009 to 2014 and ran the University Gas Turbine Partnership with Rolls-Royce from 2001 to 2014. She has served on a number industry and government advisory committees and is currently a non-executive director of BP plc, a non-executive member of the Board of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.

Professor Dowling’s research focuses on efficient, low emission combustion for aero and industrial gas turbines and low noise vehicles, especially aircraft and cars.