Profile

Candidate CV questions (extra)

• Education:

  I was born in Italy (Sicily, to be specific) and went to school there until I was 18 years old. After finishing school, I moved to another region in Italy (Tuscany) to study at the University of Pisa (where the leaning tower is and where Galileo was a professor of mathematics a few centuries ago). There, I did a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, studying subjects like machine design, thermo-fluid dynamics, satellite instrumentation, space systems and rocket propulsion.

  Then, I moved to the UK, where I was a PhD research student for a few years. My PhD was on mechanical and manufacturing engineering, working on a project sponsored by Rolls-Royce Plc. on the manufacture of turbine blades for aero engines.

• Qualifications:

  As I grew up in Italy, I gained different qualifications while I was a little younger. For example, after finishing school, one will receive a mark with a total of 100. At Uni in Italy, one can get a maximum of 110 “cum laude” (or “with honors”).

  When I moved to the UK, I studied/researched for a PhD, so that is one UK qualification I have.

  I am about to be a “Chartered Engineer (CEng)”, which is a qualification an engineer can get to demonstrate their creativity and innovation when facing complex engineering problems.

• Work History:

  My very first job was an internship at a space propulsion company in Italy during my last year as an aerospace engineering student. During that period, I wrote my dissertation while doing structural analyses on a small plasma thruster. This is a propulsion system that uses electric currents to make a gas into a plasma at very hot temperatures and then accelerate it to very high speeds. The analyses I did focused on the mechanical loads associated to the launch in orbit using a rocket (static loads, vibrations, shocks).

  My second job was actually as a researcher for my PhD (sponsored by Rolls-Royce), where I worked on simulations, tests, data analysis, mechanical design and materials for a diamond tool used in machining turbine blades for aero engines. In this role, I took care of every part of the development process of that tool, from the creation of the 3D models to the material selection and the manufacturing of the same. I have produced the manufacturing drawings and worked with the manufacturing workshops.

  Following my PhD, I joined Rolls-Royce as a Development Engineer in Civil Aerospace, spending three years in several teams. Initially, I was part of the Turbines Team, where I was leading the systems and development strategy for turbine components such as blades and discs. In that role, I had to make sure experimental engines had the right components installed and were doing the right tests. I had to analyse the data from the test and report the results to other groups. the I also led root-cause investigations with several specialist departments following the discovery of unexpected part damage and/or engine performance deterioration.

  Then, I joined both the Performance Team and the Whole Engine Systems Team in Rolls-Royce, where I was involved the investigation of the performance of turbofan engines. In this role, I have also worked on 3D models of parts to be installed in experimental engines. Then, I joined the Engine Environmental Protection team, supporting research projects together with engine design, verification and certification, to protect the jet engine from the harsh environment in which it operates (e.g. rain & hail, ice crystals, volcanic ash, chemical pollutants and sand). In that role, I handled large amounts of engine data and dealt with physics problems, together with weather, meteorology and the extremes of the environment.

• Current Job:

  At NPL, I work on projects sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA) on instruments that one day will be used for space applications in areas such as future generation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), telecommunications, earth observation (gravity mapping) and fundamental physics.

  Together with other members of my team, I take care of all aspects of the development of instruments that use optics (mirror, lenses, etc.) and lasers. I work on the design of these systems and simulate them on a computer to make sure they can survive a lunch into space. Then, I make/buy the components of those systems and assemble them to create real-life working devices. Sometimes, I 3D print some components to make a prototype and do some checks ahead of building the real system(checking the geometry is right, the sequence of installation and that all the components can actually fit together). Eventually, I test these in a laboratory and make sure they work as expected.

     

• Employer:

  I work for the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and UK and European companies to develop optical systems (they are called “optical clocks”) in space. The projects I work on will improve satellite navigation systems and measurements of the changes in the Earth’s gravity field, as well as test fundamental theories of physics.