Dr Simon Hayes
MRAeS, CEng, PhD, MEd, BEng
Multidisciplinary Engineering Education
Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Materials
Director of Aerospace Engineering
+44 114 222 5516
Full contact details
Multidisciplinary Engineering Education
The Diamond
32 Leavygreave Road
Sheffield
S3 7RD
- Profile
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I graduated from Surrey University with a Materials technology degree, specialising in polymers and composites. I then moved to Brunel University to complete my PhD in smart composites and was the first person to demonstrate optical self-sensing using the reinforcing fibres to monitor damage level in composite structures.
Having completed my PhD, I moved to the University of Sheffield, initially as a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, studying adhesion in composites, and then as a lecturer in aerospace materials, where I continued to work on self-sensing systems and also developed and patented self-healing technologies. I went on to develop systems for the direct electric cure of composites, reducing the power requirement for the manufacture of composite parts by a factor of 10.
Throughout my career, I have been associated with the Aerospace Engineering course, which is a multidisciplinary course delivered by 3 partner schools. I have also been a passionate advocate of practical learning via projects and design studies. Due to this interest, in 2014, I moved to the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering Education as a specialist in Aerospace Engineering, leading the flight simulation and propulsion facility, and working in the project space to enhance workshop skills. In that time I have taught materials and mechanics and led a number of group design projects in which students design and manufacture their own aircraft, acros years 1, 2, 3 and MSc. I also continue to teach aerospace materials selection and processing and also design and manufacture of composites for the school of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and for the school of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.
I have held various administrative positions in the Aerospace Engineering degree programme, most recently being appointed as MSc programme lead, overseeing the future development of the programme and admissions.
- Qualifications
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- MRAeS
- CEng
- PhD, MEd, BEng
- Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence 2021 (HEA)
- Teaching interests
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I have a broad range of teaching interests and a passion for practical engineering education (One reason that I was on the organising committee of a conference with that name). In my role as previous role as Director of Aerospace Engineering I made practical engineering a fundamental part of the course at all levels, and introduced group design projects in years 1, 2 and 3 of the course. This has continued with my move to postgraduate programme lead, where the practical elements of the course are being emphasised.
I have also actively developed the aerospace engineering labs for Diamond Engineering, where I have worked with companies to develop a facility with state-of -the-art equipment for design and testing of aircrafts, and facilities that allow students to learn to operate them, be they UAVs or full-sized aircraft. The propulsion testing facilities are also constantly developing, with active projects to further develop testing systems for jet propulsion, internal combustion engines and rocket motors, as well as a longer-term desire to introduce electrical drive systems and battery power testing.
My interest in practical application of engineering knowledge has also led to me supporting several co-curricular groups at the university, notably:
- Avus Drone Labs, who are developing UAVs for entry in to national and international competitions.
- Solotron, who are looking at alternative fuels for aviation
- Projects including SunrIde, SunSat, Sheffield Eco Motorsports and Project Falcon where I act as a materials and manufacturing advisor.
- Teaching activities
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I teach design in Materials and design aerospace engineering:
- I lead the MSc group design project (MAC499), where students design, build and test a UAV for disaster relief applications.
- I lead the 1st year areospace group project in Aerospace Engineering Design, Build and Test (ELE101) where students design and build a round-the-pole aircraft.
- I teach composite materials in the Aerospace Materials module (CMB227), I am academic tutor for Professional Studies - Pilot Training (MAC333), I lecture 4th year and MSc students on Design and Manufacture of Composites (AER476/MAT6104)
I also develop and lead labs which focus on jet propulsion, and am developing a commercial laboratory test bench for gas turbine engines, along with Turbine Solutions, a local company. The jet engine test cell in which it sits allows students to explore first hand how engines operate, and also allows them to take measurements to explore the thermodynamics of the engine.
I manage the Aerospace teaching labs where I have 10 flight simulators on which students can test aircraft they have designed, learn to operate aircraft using conventional control systems and learn to fly drones in remote and FPV modes. In the lab, I also have netted areas in which students can test UAVs and learn to operate them in a safe environment.