Richard A. Adjei is an Assistant Professor at the School of Aerospace, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Prior to his appointment in 2022, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Turbomachinery Laboratory, Tsinghua University. He received his PhD in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics at Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2020. His research involves aerodynamic design and optimization with focus on the development of intelligent systems and models for aircraft and gas turbine design. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and associate member of the International Society of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO).

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Aircraft and Gas Turbine Design

• Projection-based reduced order modeling (ROM) for accelerated shape optimization
• Multi-fidelity techniques for robust aerospace design.
• Uncertainty quantification for aerospace design and optimization
• Gas turbine aerodynamics and heat transfer

Electric and Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Systems

• Energy management analysis and control for hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion systems ( MPC, Reinforcement learning etc)
• Design methodologies and modeling for powertrain sizing and component analysis.
• Mission and performance analysis for various hybrid-electric propulsion systems (DEP, UAVs, VTOL etc)
• Automotive vehicle-level energy intelligence for low-carbon transport systems.

1. AERO1002 Fluid Mechanics and Aircraft Aerodynamics - 2022 to date

2. AERO3007 Advanced Aerodynamics -2024 to date

3. AERO1005 Aerospace Electronic Engineering and Computing -2023 to 2024

• Member, Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS)
• Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
• Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Associate member, International Society of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (ISSMO).

As part of a research collaboration with the University of Bath, we are actively seeking highly motivated Masters and PhD students to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of turbomachinery, fuel cells, and intelligent energy systems. The research will center on high-efficiency turbo-compressor systems for fuel cell applications, with particular emphasis on the complex role of condensation phenomena in real-world operating conditions.

Key research themes Include but not limited to:

• Integrated Fuel Cell–Turbo-Compressor–Energy Management Architectures
  System-level modeling and co-optimization of propulsion and energy subsystems for long-haul applications.
• Data-Driven and Physics-Informed System Optimization
  Leveraging reduced-order models and machine learning techniques to enhance performance prediction and design robustness.
• Real-Time Intelligent Energy Management for  Fuel Cell Systems in Long-Haul Vehicles
  Designing adaptive control strategies to balance efficiency, transient response, and component longevity under dynamic operating conditions.

Scholarship opportunities are available for PhD candidates at UNNC and eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. Students interested in these opportunities should contact me for further discussions and application details.