17 Oct 2018
Academic says being awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair is "career highlight"
A leading Loughborough University academic has been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair.
Professor Roy Kalawsky, Director of the Advanced VR Research Centre in the School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, says he is “delighted” to receive the honour and to be recognised as an exceptional engineering researcher by the Academy.
The Academy’s Research Chairs are prestigious five-year appointments that aim to strengthen the ties between academia and industry.
They provide a platform to enable academics to address some of the biggest challenges faced by the engineering industry and awardees are expected to establish world-leading research groups in their field of engineering.
Each Research Chair position is co-sponsored by an industrial partner and focuses on industry-relevant research.
Professor Kalawsky’s appointment is in collaboration with Airbus and his official title is ‘Airbus/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Digital and Data Engineering Information Systems’.
Professor Kalawsky is developing exciting next-generation digitalisation technologies – including advanced modelling, simulation and visual analytics – to help accelerate aircraft design and production processes.
His work with Airbus will include new engineering information systems, which will be combined with Industry 4.0 concepts such as digital-twin, novel immersive technologies involving augmented and virtual reality systems, to enable engineers to predict how an aircraft design will behave at every stage of its lifecycle.
A key focus of the project will be to improve the way users interact with complex digital data and information.
Commenting on the Research Chair appointment, Professor Kalawsky said: "I am delighted and feel deeply honoured that my work has been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
“Receiving the extremely prestigious Academy’s award of Research Chair is the highlight of my academic and industry career to date.
“I am especially indebted to Airbus and Loughborough University for not only acknowledging and supporting my research but for giving me a unique opportunity to tackle some of the biggest engineering challenges that face industry today.”