Profile

Photo:

Robert Mills

Curriculum Vitae

  • Education:

    Winston Churchill Secondary School, Godalming College, Southampton University

  • Qualifications:

    GCSEs, A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, Degree in Aerospace Engineering

  • Work History:

    Ski instructor while I was at uni and then I joined my current job straight after uni

  • Current Job:

    Aerodynamics Engineer at Airbus

  • Employer:

     

    • About Me

      I'm a 26 year old engineer who designs aircraft for a living and loves being active in the outdoors

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      I’ve lived in Bristol for the last three years with my girlfriend. In my spare time I like to go sailing, and I also enjoy running, cycling and playing squash. During the lockdown I have also been working with some friends to design a surfboard that can foil above the waves!

    • My Work

      I design the way the air flows around an aircraft with the aim of reducing the amount of fuel it burns in flight

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      My job is about reducing the amount of fuel that an aircraft needs to burn when it is flying. I do this by improving the wing shape so that it creates the right amount of lift and minimises the amount of drag it is producing.

      To do this I use computer software to help with designing the shape of the wings, and then I use something called Computational Fluid Dynamics to simulate the way the air will flow around the aircraft. This is like a wind tunnel in a computer and produces lots of data and pictures to show me what the flow looks like.

      I also spend a lot of time working with other people in my team to discuss the best way to improve the design, and I also have to work with people from other teams who design other parts of the aircraft, like the structures team who make sure that the wing is strong enough.

    • My Typical Day: At the moment I am working from home, so I usually log on at around 9am to start my work day. Usually I will spend some time working on a new wing design and running some simulations, with some time spent in meetings with colleagues to share my results and decide on which studies to focus on next

    • Read more

      My job involves lots of different activities which is partly why I think it is so interesting.

      Some days I will focus on design work and running simulations, while other days I will spend more time in meetings or workshops with colleagues to decide on the best strategy for a new design.

      Occasionally I will also get to visit a wind tunnel test or even a flight test where we get to test our designs in real life and compare the results to the simulations we have made.

    • What I'd do with the money

      I would work with the Aerospace Bristol Museum to design a hands-on activity that could be done by students to learn more about how aircraft fly

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      I would work like to create a hands-on activity with the Aerospace Bristol Museum that could be done by students anywhere. This could be something similar to the glider projects that can be found online, but I would like to make it something linked to the Concorde aircraft that can be found at the museum.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        sporty aircraft-loving engineer

        What's the best thing you've done in your career?

        Leading a team of engineers to help design a new wing that we want to flight test in 2023

        What or who inspired you to follow your career?

        My grandfather - he was an aerospace engineer too

        What was your favourite subject at school?

        Maths and Physics

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        An aerospace engineer

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Not too much - only a few detentions

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I would choose to work in sailing, maybe in boat design or being a sailor

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        At the moment, Imagine Dragons

        What's your favourite food?

        Pizza

        What is the most fun thing you've done?

        Flying an aircraft solo without an instructor

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        More time, my own boat, better at squash

        Tell us a joke.

        I asked a flight attendant to change my seat because of a crying baby next to me. It turns out you can’t do that if the baby is yours.

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