Professor Kontis is the Chair in Aerodynamics and Shock Physics, Deputy Director of the University of Manchester Aerospace Research Institute (UMARI), Head of the Aerospace Research Group, and Head of the Advanced Flow Diagnostics & Instrumentation Expert Group and the Aero-Physics & Measurement Technology Laboratory at the University of Manchester. He studied for a PhD in compressible aerodynamics at Cranfield University (1994-1998) under the technical and financial support of MOD/DSTL, where he investigated the performance, stability and control of various aerodynamic configurations by hypersonic wind tunnel testing and CFD simulations. Then, he received a European Commission fellowship to perform research on advanced laser diagnostics (pressure-temperature sensitive paints) and scramjets in the Gas Dynamics Laboratory, Nagoya University, Japan (1998-1999) in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. After the completion of his work in Japan, Prof Kontis joined UMIST as a Lecturer in 2001. He participates in a number scientific and professional committees in Europe and abroad. He is also visiting Professor in Tohoku University and Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan. His research areas are aerodynamics and compressible gas dynamics, flow and load control, flow-structure interactions, flow diagnostics and instrumentation, shock physics including multi-phase flows.
Specific research interests
Subsonic, transonic/supersonic and hypersonic vehicle design inc. projectiles, missiles and rockets
UAV, MAV and NAV design, aerodynamic performance and optimization Flow and load control technologies and actuators.
Fundamental studies on incompressible and compressible flow structures
Engine intakes, inlets and exhausts including scramjets
Energy deposition systems including plasma technologies
Fluid-structure interactions Shock physics, multiphase flows and multi-disciplinary problems Laser diagnostics
Flow measurement, monitoring systems and planar visualization methods
Design and development of wind tunnels and shock tubes
CFD simulations
Statistical thermodynamics
Application of quantum mechanics and relativistic concepts in fluid flows
Quality and environmental standards in the design of aerospace vehicles |
