Dr David Galvao Wall

Areas of expertise

• Aeronautical Systems
• Autonomous Systems
• Computing, Simulation & Modelling
• Defence Sensors
• Flight Physics
• Systems Engineering
• Weapons Engineering

Background

Dr David Galvão Wall is Head of the Air Platforms and Weapons Group at Cranfield University, Defence and Security, and serves as Course Director for the Guided Weapon Systems MSc programme at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham. With nearly two decades of experience in aerospace engineering, his career spans advanced research, academic leadership, and strategic programme delivery in support of UK and allied defence capability.

His expertise lies in flight dynamics, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), and the engineering design and optimisation of autonomous systems. His research portfolio includes work on hypersonic vehicle flight dynamics and control, cooperative autonomy for loyal wingman platforms, and decision-making frameworks for sliding autonomy. He also leads investigations into inertial navigation, trajectory generation, and fault-tolerant control systems for aerial and ground vehicles operating in contested environments.

David holds a combined Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with Private Pilot Instruction from the University of Sheffield, and a PhD in Defence Engineering focused on autonomous robotic manipulator control and guidance. His doctoral work laid the foundation for his continued contributions to intelligent autonomy and control systems.

At Cranfield, David oversees multidisciplinary research and supervises postgraduate researchers working on next-generation defence technologies. He is deeply involved in the development and delivery of postgraduate education, lecturing across multiple MSc programmes and short courses in aircraft and ground vehicle dynamics, missile guidance, and sensor technologies for navigation and mapping.

A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, David is committed to advancing defence education and workforce development. His work supports the cultivation of technical talent and the integration of emerging technologies into operationally relevant defence systems.

Current activities

As well as being the head of the Air Platforms and Weapons group, David is currently carrying out research and supervising research students in the areas of aerial and ground vehicle guidance, navigation and control, decision making for sliding autonomy for vehicles, control optimisation and trajectory generation and inertial tracking.

David is heavily involved in the management and delivery of MSc courses, including being Course Director of the Guided Weapon Systems MSc programme. He delivers teaching in the fields of aircraft dynamics, control and guidance, as well as ground vehicle dynamics and control, and sensors for mapping and navigation across a large number of defence-based MSc programmes and short courses within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Clients

UK Ministry of Defence

Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

DSTL

QinetiQ

BAE Systems

Publications

• Articles in journals
• Conference papers