Contact Professor Panagiotis Laskaridis

Areas of expertise

  • Aeronautical Systems
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
  • Engines, Powertrains & Alternative Fuels
  • Flight Physics
  • Gas Turbines & Propulsion
  • Power Systems & Turbines

Background

Head Hybrid Electric Propulsion Group

Director EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Aviation

Panos is leading a team of 15 academics and researchers focusing on the development and integration of green and sustainable aircraft propulsion and power generation technologies. He is also the Director and PI of the newly founded EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Net Zero Aviation, a £15 million partnership with Cranfield, Strathclyde and Cardiff Universities that is jointly funded by EPSRC and 40 industrial and research partners. During the next 7.5 years the Centre will train 64 PhD researchers developing the future leaders and disruptive technologies required to decarbonise aviation by 2050. Pano's research activities include electrification of aircraft propulsion systems, aerodynamic integration of novel propulsion architectures including BLI, distributed propulsion and wing tip propellers as well as the life cycle analysis and management of aero and land based gas turbines. Panos has been a module leader for several postgraduate teaching modules and director of multiple continuous professional development short courses. He has also prepared and delivered a number of customised and in-house international short courses for industrial organisations. He is contributing to several technical committees and advisory boards, acting as external reviewer to government and international organisations as well as being editorial member and reviewer for international journals. He has been contributing, managing and leading projects funded by FP7, CS, CS2, Horizon2020, ATI-Innovate UK, EPSRC and industrially funded research projects. Panos has supervised 32 PhD researchers and more than 100 MSc projects. He is working closely with international industrial and research partners including: NASA, Airbus, Safran, BAE Systems, Embraer, Rolls Royce, GKN, Lufthansa Technik, RWE, Boeing, GE-Alstom, BP and others.

Education

Panos holds a BEng Hons Degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering from Coventry University (1999), an MSc in Aerospace Vehicle Design from Cranfield University (2000) and a PhD in Performance investigations and systems architectures for the more electric aircraft, from Cranfield University (2005).

Teaching & Student Supervision

Panos has a long experience in the development and delivery of educational and taught programmes. He has been the module leader for several courses on thermodynamics and mechanical integrity of gas turbines. More than 1000 postgraduate students have attended his lectures, more than 500 engineers have attended his continuous development programmes and has supervised more than 100 MSc projects. He has also supervised 4 Masters by Research and 32 Phd researchers - currently supervising 9 PhD researchers.

Journal Editorial Boards and Reviewer

Panos is a member for the following editorial boards:

Guest Editor: MDPI Aerospace Special Issue on Gas Turbines and the Environment: Towards Net Zero Emissions

Guest Co-Editor: IET Electrical Systems in Transportation special issue

Guest Co-Editor: IEEE Electrification Magazine special issue

Guest Co-Editor: MDPI Aerospace special issue "Boundary Layer Ingesting Turbo-Electric Distributed Propulsion Systems-Innovations and Challenges"

Associate Editor, Transportation Emissions, Frontiers in Future Transportation

He is also acting as a reviewer for several journals including: ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Elsevier Journal of Aerospace Science & Technology, Elsevier Journal of Applied Thermal Engineering, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering, Royal Aeronautical Society The Aeronautical Journal, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power.

Publications & Patents

Panos has published more than 70 international journal and conference papers. He is also the co-inventor of 2 patents with Rolls Royce.

Awards & Honours

IMEchE - Kenneth Harris James Prize for the best paper on an aerospace subject published by the IMEchE in 2013.

Research opportunities

Aircraft Electric Propulsion Technologies for Zero Emission Aircraft PhD

Advanced Aerospace Systems: Novel Electric Actuator for Aerospace Applications with BAE Systems PhD

Advanced Technology Concepts for Hydrogen Fuelled Environmental Friendly Aircraft with GKN - PhD

Advanced Energy Management Strategies for Zero Emission Aircraft PhD

Current activities

Director EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Aviation - The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Net Zero Aviation is a collaboration with Cardiff and Strathclyde Universities and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science. The CDT will be delivered in partnership with industry, training 64 students over a period of 7.5 years and driving research into novel, disruptive solutions that will decarbonise aviation. This is the first Centre of Excellence for Net Zero Aviation Education, Training & Research and will help establish the UK as an international hub for technology, innovation and education for net zero aviation. The £15 million Centre is supported jointly by EPSRC as well as university and industrial partners.

Head of Group - Hybrid Electric Propulsion: The Group focuses on the development and integration of novel, green and sustainable propulsion technologies that include electrification and highly integrated airframe and propulsion architectures.

Research on electrification of aircraft propulsion systems includes electric and hybrid technologies along with the development of integrated solutions that explore the synergies of closely coupling gas turbines with electrical systems and components including batteries, fuel cells, motors, generators, thermal management system, etc. Work focuses on identifying and developing enabling technologies as well as integrating, modelling and assessing architectures and integrated solutions at component, system, aircraft and mission level.

Research on novel configurations and aerodynamic integration focuses on the development and implementation of energy and exergy based methods for the modelling, design space exploration and assessment of novel configurations including BLI and distributed propulsion and wing tip propellers at installation, aircraft and mission level.

Director for Centre for Gas Turbine Diagnostics and Life Cycle Analysis: Leading multi-disciplinary and cross functional teams for the development and delivery of operational solutions used by gas turbine manufacturers, operators and maintenance organisations to manage their engines, powerplants and maintenance procedures. Research includes the development and implementation of gas turbine lifing methods and tools, health monitoring and diagnostics solutions, performance assessment methods, active engine life and degradation control strategies, fleet management and optimisation of maintenance scheduling. Industrial partners include Lufthansa Technik, RWE, Rolls Royce, Boeing, GE, Emirates, BP, Shell, Alstom-GE.

Sample Projects:

NASA Grant: Techno-economic, Environmental and Risk Assessment of N3-X concept, NASA NNX13AI78G

FlyEco - Horizon Europe Project

Sublime: Supporting Understanding of BLI Model Experiment, Clean Sky 2

Futrpint 50: Future Propulsion & Integration towards a Hybrid Electric 50 seat regional aircraft, Horizon 2020

PINES: Powerplant Integration of Novel Engine Systems, Innovate UK/ATI

APROCONE: Advanced Product Concept Analysis Environment, Innovate UK/ATI, Airbus

PIPS: Powerplant Integration with Platform Systems, Innovate UK/ATI

MegaFlight: Innovate UK/ATI, Rolls Royce

Assessment of turbo-electric propulsion architectures for aircraft, EPSRC & Rolls Royce

Industrial Gas Turbine Air System Modelling, RWE

Gas Turbine Hot Section Lifing, Lufthansa Technik

Gas Turbine Advance Diagnostics and Health Monitoring, Lufthansa Technik

BLI Assessment, GKN

Alternative Power Sources, BAE

Continuous Professional Development Programmes:

Panos is the Director for the following CPD short courses:

Mechanical Integrity of Gas Turbines

Gas Turbine Technology for Operations and Maintenance Engineers

Fatigue & Fracture

He has also developed and delivered customised in-house CPD programmes for Airbus, Safran, GE, US Navy, AIAA and Siemens.

Links to short courses:

Gas Turbine Technology for Operations and Maintenance Engineers

Mechanical Integrity of Gas Turbines.

Clients

  • NASA
  • Airbus SE
  • Safran SA (Snecma)
  • BAE Systems PLC
  • Embraer SA
  • Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC
  • GKN Ltd
  • RWE AG
  • Deutsche Lufthansa AG
  • Boeing Co
  • GE Power
  • BP PLC

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers