Photo of Professor Mark White

Professor Mark White PhD, FRAeS, FHEA

Professor Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

About

Personal Statement

Prof White obtained his PhD at The University of Liverpool in the field of structural crashworthiness and is the Head of the Aerospace Division in the School of Engineering. He has 30 years of research experience publishing over 100 conference and journal papers on human factors, rotorcraft simulation, fidelity requirements, handling qualities of personal aerial vehicles, motion platform tuning, training in Virtual Reality environements and helicopter operations in harsh environments. His rotorcraft fidelity research activities include collaboration and flight testing with the National Research Council of Canada. For the last 10 years he has led the development of real-time simulation tools for helicopter operations in harsh environments. He leads the piloted simulation activities in the area of the helicopter-ship dynamic interface, developing fidelity requirements to support First of Class Flight Trials and Ship Helicopter Operating Limits for future Royal Navy vessels and improved ship aerodynamics for helicopter launch and recovery operations. His work is being used to inform the design of the UK's new Type 26 frigate and the F-35B clearance case for the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. He is also conducting research in helicopter operations in fixed-wing, rotary wing and wind turbine wakes through a Marie Curie ITN, NITROS, and work with the Civil Aviation Authority.

His collaborations include working with BAE Systems, dstl, QinetiQ, Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, NASA Ames, DSTG Australia, NLR, ONERA, NRC Canada, CAE and Thales.

He lectures on the Pilot Studies and Flight Handing Qualities modules and has published a number of papers on the use of flight simulation in support of Engineering Education.

He is the deputy-chair member of American Helicopter Society’s Modelling and Simulation Technical Committee, is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Simulation and Rotorcraft Specialist Groups and GARTEUR’s Helicopter Group of Responsables. He is vice chair of NATO RTG AVT-296 "Rotorcraft Flight Simulation Model Fidelity Improvement and Assessment" and is a member of a the NATO AVT-315 on "Comparative Assessment of Modeling and Simulation Methods of Shipboard Launch and Recovery of Helicopters".

Prizes or Honours

  • BAE Systems Executive Committee Innovating for Success Award (BAE Systems, 2019)
  • BAE Systems Chairman’s Innovating for Success Award (BAE Systems, 2018)
  • Best Paper in Session: Preliminary Progress in Establishing Motion Fidelity Requirements for Maritime Rotorcraft Flight Simulators (American Helicopter Society: Modeling and Simulation Committee, 2018)
  • NATO AVT Panel Excellence Award in recognition of the extraordinary scientific contribution (NATO, 2017)
  • Best Paper (Society of Automotive Engineering, 2005)