Mark Westwood appointed Head of the Centre of Aeronautics at Cranfield

Mark Westwood will be joining @CranfieldUni from the Connected Places Catapult where he is currently the Chief Technology Officer. He will take up his post at Cranfield at the end of September 2021.

The Centre for Aeronautics at Cranfield University is one of the world’s largest centres for postgraduate education and research in aircraft design, aerodynamics, advanced modelling and simulation tools and methods.

Mark has spent his early career at QinetiQ, working primarily in aerospace research and development across a range of civil and military technology demonstrator programmes.  In 2010, Mark was appointed as Head of Systems Engineering for Air Division within QinetiQ, responsible for a team of systems engineers working across a wide range of technology projects. Mark joined the Transport Systems Catapult in 2015 to lead projects developing automated and autonomous vehicle technologies, before moving onto the position of CTO where he has led the development of the Catapult’s activities in drones and Advanced Air Mobility.

Professor Mark Westwood said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Cranfield University, an institution I have worked with for many years on some fantastic research projects.  With COP26 just six months away, the eyes of the world are on the aerospace and aviation industries. Cranfield, with its proud heritage, is at the forefront of driving technologies that can help deliver a Net Zero future.”

Professor Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, said: “Mark is a leading innovative thinker in autonomous vehicles and transport technologies. We are delighted that he is joining us where he will lead one of the world’s largest centres for postgraduate aeronautical engineering.”