IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Department of Aeronautics
CHAIR/READER IN COMPOSITE AEROSTRUCTURES
Further Particulars
1.
The College
Imperial College London consistently achieves one of the highest rankings nationally and
internationally, as listed in the Times Higher QS World University Rankings 2008.
The Rector, Sir Keith O'Nions FRS, is the College’s academic head and chief executive officer.
The Chairman of the Court and Council is Lord Kerr of Kinlochard.
The Mission
Imperial College embodies and delivers world class scholarship, education and research in
science, engineering, medicine and business, with particular regard to their application in industry,
commerce and healthcare. We foster interdisciplinary working internally and collaborate widely
externally.
Strategic Intent

To remain amongst the top tier of scientific, engineering and medical research and teaching
institutions in the world
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To continue to attract and develop the most able students and staff worldwide

To develop our range of academic activities to meet the changing needs of society, industry
and healthcare

To establish our Business School as one of the leading such institutions in the world
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To communicate widely the significance of science in general, and the purpose and ultimate
benefits of our activities in particular
Formation and History
Imperial College was established in 1907 in London’s scientific and cultural heartland in South
Kensington, as a merger of the Royal College of Science, the City and Guilds College and the
Royal School of Mines. St Mary’s Hospital Medical School and the National Heart and Lung
Institute merged with the College in 1988 and 1995 respectively.
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School
merged with the College on 1 August 1997 to form, with the existing departments on the St Mary’s
and Royal Brompton campuses, the Faculty of Medicine.
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The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology became a Division of the Faculty of Medicine in 2000.
The integration of basic science research and clinical facilities is unique in rheumatology in
Europe.
Imperial College was an independent constituent part of the University of London up until the end
of June 2007. With effect from 1 July 2007, the College withdrew from the University of London to
become wholly independent, coinciding with its Centenary year.
In 2007 the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust was formed by merging Hammersmith and St
Mary’s Hospitals’ NHS Trusts with the College, forming the country’s largest NHS Trust. This also
established the UK’s first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) bringing together healthcare
services, teaching and research for maximum synergistic benefits.
The academic structure of Imperial College is divided into 3 faculties, the Faculties of Engineering,
Natural Sciences and Medicine. The College’s other major academic unit is the Business School.
Staff and Students
The academic and research staff of 2,970 includes 68 Fellows of the Royal Society, 74 Fellows of
the Royal Academy of Engineering, 72 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences, one Fellow of
the British Academy, four Crafoord Prize winners and two Fields Medallists. Fourteen Nobel
Laureates have been members of the College either as staff or students.
The College has over 12,200 students, around one third of whom are postgraduate. Thirty percent
of the total come from outside the European Union. External assessment of the College’s
teaching quality in many different subject areas has been judged to be of high standard. The
proportion of women students has increased to 37 percent of the total.
Research
The quality of the College’s research has been judged consistently to be of the highest
international standard and the proportion of income from research grants and contracts is one of
the highest of any UK university.
The concentration and strength of research in science, engineering and medicine gives the
College a unique and internationally distinctive research presence.
Generous support for the College’s work comes from a wide variety of sources. From industry
there are donations towards certain senior academic posts, advanced courses, bursaries and
scholarships. The single largest contribution to the College from industrial concerns is in the form
of contracts to carry out research. The College also gains considerable support from research
councils and charities to undertake research.
Teaching and Learning
The College’s overall educational aim is to ensure a stretching and exhilarating learning
experience and, while maintaining its traditional emphasis on single honours degree courses, it
also aims to give students the opportunity to broaden their experience through courses relevant to
student and employer needs.
In its MSc course provision, the College seeks to provide a wide range of specialist courses in
areas in which it has particular expertise. Many of those offered by non-medicine departments of
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the College emphasise the valuable interaction between scientific/technological training and
industrial experience, whilst those offered by the medical divisions focus on subjects at the
interface between basic science and medicine and on specialist education for doctors and other
health professionals in training. In addition, the College’s wide range of PhD programmes reflect
its aim of pursuing research at the frontiers of scientific, engineering, management and medical
knowledge and the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of this research.
The Centre for Educational Development raises and consolidates the profile of learning, teaching
and educational development throughout the College. Newly appointed non-clinical lecturers must
enrol upon the Certificate of Advanced Study for Learning and Teaching and there are many
learning and teaching activities for more experienced staff.
The Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine is the focus of postgraduate education and
research in these areas. It maintains, enhances and monitors quality, and disseminates best
practice, whilst initiating and developing new programmes, particularly those with an
interdisciplinary slant.
The Graduate School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (GSEPS) is the focus for
postgraduate education and research in the Engineering and Natural Sciences faculties and has
quality assurance responsibilities for the 2 non-faculty departments, Humanities and the Business
School.
Location
The College now has one of the largest operational estates of any UK University. It includes 6
central London campuses; the main South Kensington campus, Charing Cross campus, Chelsea
and Westminster campus, the Hammersmith campus, the Royal Brompton campus and St Mary’s
campus.
Silwood Park, a postgraduate campus at Ascot in Berkshire, houses the Ecology and Evolution
Section of the Biology Division, in the Department of Life Sciences. The successful Master’s
Courses in Crop Protection, Forest Protection and Ecology, Evolution and Conservation are run at
Silwood together with the newly created Master’s course in Conservation Science which started in
October 2007, and there is a thriving postgraduate community. The campus houses excellent
research facilities and a wide range of natural environments. The NERC funded Centre for
Population Biology is also based at Silwood, together with a Business Centre.
2.
The Faculty of Engineering
The Faculty of Engineering is one of 3 faculties within Imperial College London and is led by the
Principal, Professor Stephen Richardson. The Faculty comprises 9 departments together with the
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and is one of the largest engineering faculties in the UK, with
around 1,200 staff, over 5,000 students and research income of £60M. In the 2008 Times Higher
Education Supplement World University Rankings for Engineering and IT Universities, we were
placed 2nd in Europe and 7th in the World.
The Faculty offers courses in the complete range of engineering disciplines, with members of the
Faculty working with people studying and researching every aspect of engineering.
The Faculty was formed in August 2001 and formally inaugurated in August 2002.
Please see the Faculty of Engineering web pages for further information:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/engineering
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3.
The Department of Aeronautics
Aeronautics was first taught at Imperial College in 1909, with the first chair of aviation occupied in
1920 by Sir Richard Glazebrook. It is now one of the largest such Departments in the country. It
has 21 full time academic staff (one as a joint appointment with the Department of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering) and 2 Research Fellows supported by some 18 technical, administration
and clerical staff. The Department has a reputation for excellence in its teaching and research. It
has consistently achieved the highest possible rating in all national assessments of research. In
this latest exercise, the results of which were published in December 2008, Aeronautics was one
of six departments within Imperial College to achieve the highest, top-rated status; 30% of the
department’s research was defined as “world leading” and a further 50% was deemed to be
“internationally excellent”. In all the previous RAE’s, it has received the top 5* research rating. In
the last Teaching Evaluation of the HEFCE Quality Assurance Agency in 1998 it was awarded 22
points out of a maximum of 24.
The Head of the Department is Professor Ferri Aliabadi, Professor of Aerostructures. The
Department is sub-divided into two main sections, Aerodynamics headed by Professor Jonathan
Morrison and Aerostructures headed by Professor Ferri Aliabadi.
Undergraduate Course
The Department offers 4-year undergraduate courses for the MEng degree with a current total
undergraduate population of about 300. These courses cover the main fields of aircraft
aerodynamics, aircraft structural analysis, control and design. Students may study entirely in the
Department or may take their third year in collaborating French or German Universities. The third
year for those studying in the Department contains a significant group design project and the final
year a four-month final individual project which can be taken outside the Department, often outside
the UK, in industry or academic institution. Courses are accredited by both the Royal Aeronautical
Society and by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Postgraduate Taught Courses
The Department offers two taught postgraduate (MSc) courses. One, entitled "Advanced
Computational Methods for Aeronautics, Flow Management and Fluid Structure Interaction", is
taught in collaboration with the Mathematics Department. The second MSc course is in ‘Composite
Materials’. Both MSc courses offer full-time (1 year) and part-time (2 year) options. They provide
two terms of advanced lectures, which are examined through coursework and conventional written
examinations together with a 5-month research project leading to a research dissertation.
Currently the Department has about 74 students on these two MSc courses.
Research
The current postgraduate population is approximately 80 research students and Research
Associates. There is a wide range of wind tunnels, structural testing machines, manufacturing
facilities, workshops and electronic instrumentation. Several suites of computational programs for
solving problems in solids, fluids and systems exist and these are backed by a range of
departmental computers including a substantial network of PCs and access to several High
Performance Computer clusters in the College as well as to the National Computing Centres.
The main research areas of the Aerodynamics Section include both low speed aerodynamics, with
particular emphasis on separated and turbulent flows and also high speed flows. In all these areas
the Department is strong in both experimental methods and in CFD and application areas include
hypersonic flows, rotorcraft, fluid-structure interaction and flow control. Non aeronautical aero- and
fluid-dynamics include road vehicle aerodynamics, atmospheric and oceanic flows, wind
engineering and wind turbine aerodynamics, physiological flow studies and many areas of the
hydrodynamics of marine technology. Staff of the aerodynamics section also includes specialists in
control, optimisation and aerospace vehicle design.
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Within the Aerostructures Section, the strengths of the Department lie in computational modelling
and analysis, in experimental techniques, particularly in Composite Structures and in using each to
validate the other. The Department's suite of finite element programs play a key role in our
research and, allied to commercial CAD packages, put us in a strong position to model and design
in both research and in undergraduate courses. There is now considerable expertise in the field of
Boundary Element Methods and their applications to structural integrity and durability analysis.
The Aerostructures section also has research interests in fluid-structure interaction (hydraulic
shock in cfrp wing boxes), non-linear dynamics (mechanical systems with friction, beam
assemblies with large displacements) and in structural aspects of the biomechanics field
(structural analysis of artery stents, head impact modeling).
The current areas of interest in the Composites Structures field include experimental and
computational research into: test method development, impact and compression after impact,
damage tolerance and notch sensitivity, buckling and post-buckling, crashworthiness of aircraft
and automotive structures, fatigue, ‘smart’ composites and non-destructive evaluation.
4.
The Post
The post is based within the Aerodynamics Section of the Department but provides every
opportunity and encouragement to link with other research disciplines within the Department and
Faculty and to foster new developments. The person sought will be expected to help maintain the
highest caliber of research activity and will be able to contribute both by academic input and also
by obtaining substantial funding.
Teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level will also be required and the Department
expects the post holder to deliver the highest standards of teaching.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Reader or Chair in Composite Aerostructures
Reporting to:
Head of Department and Head of Aerostructures Section
Key working relationships:
Head of Aerostructures Section and Head of Department
Academic staff in the Aerostructures Section
Departmental Administrator and other administrative staff
Technician staff
Grade:
Level D (Reader) / E (Chair) in the Research and Education Job
Family
Summary of the Post:
The Department is very active in Composite Aerostructures research including novel composites
development, fractography, experimental investigation and characterisation of damage in
composites (including recycled composites), finite element and boundary element methods and
their application to structural integrity and durability, general non-linear finite element analysis,
multiscale modelling and adaptive/smart structures. Much of this research is motivated by the
energy and environmental challenges facing aviation today.
The successful applicant will ideally have a strong research reputation in one of the above fields
but applicants able to demonstrate excellence in other complementary areas of aerostructures
research (including for example processing and process modelling for complex composites
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component manufacture, 3D composite perform design and manufacture, design and optimisation
of large scale composite structures) are encouraged to apply. The potential to make milestone
contributions to aerostructures is of the greatest importance. The appointment will be made at
Reader or Chair level, depending on experience. The successful applicant should have a strong
research reputation in one of the above - the potential to make milestone contributions to
aerostructures is of the greatest importance.
Teaching Responsibilities:
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Teaching across the broad remit of Aerostructures and Composites and possibly in
ancillary Aeronautics subjects such as mathematics, mechanics and numerical analysis if
appropriate, subject to the candidate’s skill base
Contributions will be expected at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. The subject
to be taught will depend on the successful candidate’s expertise and interests, and will
encompass lectures, seminars, coursework, tutorials, field courses and supervision of
projects
Acting as personal tutor to a number of students
An interest in innovative and novel teaching methods would be welcome and very much
encouraged
The appointee will be required to:
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Plan and review his or her own approach to teaching
Contribute to the development of teaching, teaching methods and assessments to enhance
the quality of teaching
Develop approaches to teaching which are innovative and reflect best practice developing
elsewhere
Develop course proposals and contribute to curriculum development
Supervise research projects at both undergraduate and master’s levels
Research Responsibilities:
The Department is recognised worldwide for the quality of its research and it will be a key
responsibility of the successful candidate to be research active. This will include:
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Personal scholarship
Interaction with other academics
Development of a research group, based on the supervision of research students and staff
Attraction of grants and contracts to fund these activities
Administrative work:
We have a number of Officers who are responsible for procedures and practices necessary for the
smooth running of the Department, and in due course, the successful candidate will be expected
to contribute to this work. Examples include:
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Course management
Admissions
Examinations
Quality assurance
Industrial Liaison
Where there is an element of crossover in the job description/person specification a
summary of the different levels is outlined below:
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Chair:
Roles at this level reflect internationally recognised leadership and a substantial and sustained
reputation in research and education by outstanding contributions to its advancement. In research,
there will be a sustained international reputation based on an extensive track record of research,
with a major influence on the discipline or profession and a significant impact shown, for example
a sustained influence on research income. In education, specialists at this level will have
broadened and deepened their impact on teaching methods and systems, both internally and
externally and there will be evidence of creative and scholarly work which has had a significant
impact. For either role, there will be significant leadership responsibilities on behalf of the
department and/or the College and a significant management contribution.
Reader:
Roles at this level commonly reflect extensive professional experience. Individuals will have a
substantial reputation in their field and make a significant impact on their discipline or profession
through effective and innovative academic leadership in research and/or education. Roles which
focus on research will involve an established national and international reputation through original
research work and a clear record of impact shown, for example in substantial and sustained
research income. Other roles will combine an established research profile with a focus on
teaching, research student supervision, course development and departmental leadership and
management activity.
The postholder is expected to observe and comply with all College policies and
regulations, for example, Health and Safety, financial regulations, data protection
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity, equal treatment and to eliminating
discrimination. All employees are expected to adhere to the principles set out in the Equal
Opportunities in Employment Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy, Disability Policy, Gender
Equality Policy, and all other relevant guidance and good practice frameworks.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Applicants are required to demonstrate that they possess the following attributes:
Qualifications:
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A good honours degree from a UK university (or equivalent experience), or its equivalent
abroad, in Aeronautical engineering or a related engineering discipline, or in Mathematics or
Physics
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A PhD (or equivalent) in an area of Aerostructures and Composites of relevance to the
department
Experience and Knowledge
The candidate should have:
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A good track record in securing research grants and contracts
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Experience of teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the Aeronautics field
Skills and Abilities:
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Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following:
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A proven ability in an area of structures and composites
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Ability to conduct internationally-leading research
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Ability to secure research grants and contracts
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Ability to supervise research students and research associates
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Ability to publish research findings
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Willingness to undertake administrative duties
Interpersonal Skills:
The candidate will be able to:
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Relate to undergraduate and postgraduate students and research associates in an academic
and social context, to fulfill the role of teacher, personal tutor and supervisor
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Present herself/himself to potential funding agencies with authority and coherence
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Interact with academic colleagues as part of a team in research and teaching
5.
Salary and Conditions of Service
A full set of terms and conditions will be given to the successful candidate, together with the
College’s most important policies which affect staff. The principal terms and conditions are as
follows:
Staff appointed on level D (for Readers) or level E (for Chairs) of the Research and Education
Family are appointed on fixed salaries. There are no automatic increments and any future salary
increases or bonus payments are performance related and are determined in line with College
procedures. The level D minimum salary is £52,130. The level E minimum salary is £66,490.
These figures will change in line with any cost of living increases that are implemented by the
College.
All appointments have a probationary period of six months.
Salary is payable on the 24th day of each month (the exception being December) by transfer to a
bank or building society account. Deductions in respect of income tax and National Insurance
contributions will be made from salary at the statutory rates.
Academic appointments are conditional on medical clearance by the College Occupational Health
Service that the candidate is fit for employment.
Academic staff normally take annual leave during College vacations and by arrangement with the
Head of Department in the light of academic and departmental requirements. Annual leave
entitlement is 39 days for full time staff (pro rata entitlement for part time staff). This is inclusive of
eight days for Public holidays and a total of six days each year when the College is closed over
Easter and Christmas.
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In some years, because of the day of the week on which Christmas Day falls, a decision may be
made to increase the College closure to seven days. In these circumstances the annual leave
entitlement will be increased to 40 days for full-time staff (again pro-rata for part-time staff).
At the beginning of the leave year staff will be required to allocate the appropriate number of days
of their mandatory leave entitlement to cover the College Closure days and Public holidays that fall
within that leave year. For part-time staff the allocation should cover their normal working days
that fall upon a College closure day, bank or public holiday during that leave year.
The College Closure days and Public Holidays are listed on the HR website.
The occupational pension scheme is the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Staff who
are already members of the Federated Superannuation System for Universities (FSSU) or the
National Health Service Superannuation Scheme (NHSPS) may, if they are still eligible, retain their
membership in these schemes.
Unless stated otherwise in the offer of employment, or agreed by the Head of Department, the
appointment may be terminated by either side by giving a minimum of three months’ notice in
writing. The last day of service should fall on one of the following dates: 31 December; 31 March;
30 June or 30 September or at the end of a term by agreement with the Head of Department.
As stated in the Core Terms and Conditions of Service, the normal retirement date is 30
September following the 65th birthday or on 30 September if the birthday is that day.
6.
Applications
Our preferred method of application is online via our website at the following link:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/employment (select “Job Search” and enter the job reference no
EN20100092). Please complete and upload an application form as directed and submit any other
relevant supporting documents such as your full CV.
Alternatively, if you are unable to apply online, please contact Mrs Maria Monteiro, email
m.monteiro@imperial.ac.uk, to request an application form and further particulars of the post.
Applicants must complete a College application form and attach to it a copy of their CV, which
must include the following information:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
Applicant’s full name, private address and private telephone number
A confidential e-mail address and/or fax number, where possible
Degrees (including University and dates)
Membership of Professional Bodies
Past and present posts
List of publications
Brief description of main areas of teaching and future research plans
Information on research grants and contracts which have been obtained, student
supervision, etc.
Names, addresses and, where possible, fax numbers and e-mail addresses, of three
referees.
Candidates are asked to provide one hard copy (collated) of the application form with an
original signature on it and a CV. Please also submit the above documents by electronic
mail.
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All candidates will be contacted after the shortlist is completed and shortlisted candidates will be
invited for interview. It is anticipated that interviews will be held in mid/end July. If you anticipate
any difficulties with this interview time, please make this clear in a covering letter when you send in
your application. The format for interviews will include a formal panel interview with senior
members of the Department and the College, and will involve giving a seminar, in which
candidates will be asked to talk about their main research interests and about what they feel they
can contribute to our teaching programmes.
Applications should be posted to:
Maria Monteiro
Senior Appointments Coordinator (Professors and Readers)
Human Resources Division
Level 3, Faculty Building
Imperial College London
Exhibition Road, South Kensington
London SW7 2AZ
Tel: 00 44 (0) 207 594 5498
Fax: 00 44 (0) 207 594 5543
email: m.monteiro@imperial.ac.uk
Closing date: 14 June 2010
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