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Engineering Discipline:
- Mechanical Engineering
Biography:
Ignazio Maria Viola is Professor of Fluid Mechanics and Bioinspired Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Edinburgh; Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University; Adjunct Professor at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna; and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
He has authored more than 300 scientific outputs, including journal articles in Nature, Nature Communication, eLife, Renewable Energy, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, etc. For his publications, Viola was awarded two Medals of Distinction and one Medal of Exceptional Merit by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, a Gold Rating for the Best Journal Article by the International Marine Energy Journal, as well as the Covid-19 Hero Medal of the School of Engineering of the U. of Edinburgh for significant contribution to solving Covid-19 challenges.
Overall Viola has contributed to securing research grants in the excess of £18M of which £6M were allocated to his institution and £7M as Principal Investigator. He is currently leading a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant fellowship (101001499), an ARIA grant, and the EPSRC-funded project Morphing Blades (EP/V009443/1). Viola is Co-Investigator (Co-I) and Director of Responsible Research and Innovation of the £6M Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind & Marine Energy Systems & Structures (EP/S023801/1).
He is the Functional Vice President Alt. of Knowledge Management of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (ASME), and a member of several Executive Committees, including the Group on Energy Research and Applications of the American Physical Society, the EPSRC UK Fluids Network, the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network, and he is a member of the Academic Board of the National Robotarium.
Viola is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sailing Technology of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (ASME). He is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (ASME), and of the Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy (Springer). He is a member of the Executive Committee of the ECCOMAS International Conference on Computational Methods in Marine Engineering (MARINE) conference series, and of the Innovation in High-Performance Sailing Yachts (Innov'Sail) conference series.
Curriculum Vitae
Research Group: VOILAb
Academic Qualifications:
- 2008, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Experimental and Numerical Aerodynamics of Sailing Yachts, Politecnico di Milano
- 2001, Master of Engineering, Naval Architecture, Università degli studi di Genova
Professional Qualifications and Memberships:
CEng, Chartered Engineer Registered by the Engineering Council (UK), no. 584133 (2010)
Dott. ing., Italian State Examination to practice as ‘Ingegnere’ (engineer) (2001)
EUR ING, European Federation of National Engineering Associations, no. 31153 (2010)
FRINA, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, no. 00174260 (member since 2009)
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Sailing Technology, SNAME (2016-date)
Associate Editor, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, ASME (2023-date)
Associate Editor, Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy, Springer (2023-date)
Functional Vice President Alt. of Knowledge Management, Society of Naval Arch. and Marine Eng. (2024-date)
Executive Committee, Group on Energy Research and Applications, American Physical Society (2023-date)
Executive Committee, UK Fluids Network (2020-date)
Academic Board, National Robotarium (2024-date)
Executive Committee, EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Network (2024-date)
Teaching:
- Fluid Mechanics
- Marine Energy
- Naval Architecture
Research Interests:
VOILAb: Vortex Interaction Laboratory
Our research is in fluid mechanics and it focuses on those conditions where the forces on a body immersed in a fluid are due to the formation of vortical flow structures. This often occurs in nature, where natural evolution has led to optimal solutions for complex problems. Hence, we seek inspiration from the fluid mechanics of plants and animals to develop new technology. Vortices, for instance, are exploited by natural flyers to fly stably and efficiently in the turbulent wind. Similarly, the forces on very thin surfaces, such as the wings of small drones and the sails of a yacht, are dominated by vortex flow. Our research aims to understand and, when possible control, the formation, stability and interaction of these vortices in order to improve performance, efficiency and survivability of different engineering systems.
To know more about our research, visit VOILAb at https://voilab.eng.ed.ac.uk
Specialities:
Aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, including
- Aerodynamics
- Biomechanics
- COVID Aerodynamics
- Sail Aerodynamics
- Wind and Tidal Energy
