Adrian Murphy

Adrian Murphy is Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast with research interests focused on predictive modelling, in particular developing methods to understand the influence of processes on product in-service performance and cost. His research has covered the structural and economic performance of laser beam and friction stir welding for metal aerospace structures, thermoforming, layup automation, load case analysis and lightning strike on composite aerospace structures. He has published over one hundred and forty journal and conference articles, and has secured and managed funding from the full range of competitive sources, including a significant number of projects on novel aerospace structural designs, manufacturing approaches and material systems. Much of this research has been in collaboration with industry enabling significant experimental validation of his work and enabling the integration of cost and whole-life analysis with structural design and manufacturing. He was a winner of the IMechE Thomas Hawksley medal in 2006, the Kenneth Harris James Prize 2006 and SAGE Best Paper Award 2012 (Journal of Materials: Design and Applications). He sits on the Royal Aeronautical Society Structures and Materials Specialist committee, ESDU Aerospace Structures Committee and IMechE Aerospace Materials & Structures Technical Activity Committee. Prof Murphy is deputy director of the Centre for Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing Systems (i-AMS), a member of the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering (NIACE) centre Management Board (an industrially led research centre). He is also the school liaison to the Northern Ireland Technology Centre, an industry facing research and technology unit.

Adrian joined the staff of Queen's in 2002; he has a Masters degree in Aerospace Vehicle Design from Cranfield University and an Aeronautical Engineering Bachelors degree and PhD from Queen's University Belfast.

Professor Murphy’s research interests are focused on predictive modelling, in particular developing methods to understand the influence of individual component and process parameters on product in-service performance and cost.

His key research interests can be divided into general but interconnected categories:

• Structural design and manufacturing

[keywords:- Laser Beam and Friction Stir Welding, modelling and design methods, multiphysics simulation, buckling and post-buckling behaviour, novel structural configurations, thermoplastic composites]

• Cost modelling

[keywords:- machined parts, DFMA, factory and supply chain modelling, simulation driven costing, production automation, composite component fabrication, composite materials, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, design tools]

• Multi-physics simulations

[keywords:- Laser Beam and Friction Stir Welding, lightning strike modelling, composites structures and materials]

Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE, 2016), Chartered Engineer (CEng, 2008), Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS, 2004), PGCHET (Queen's University Belfast, 2004)