Ajoy Kumar Kundu graduated with Mechanical Engineering degree from Jadavpur University, India, followed by studying in the United Kingdom (Cranfield University and Queen's University Belfast) and in the United States of America (University of Michigan and Stanford University). His professional experience spans more than thirty years in the aircraft industries and nearly 20 years in academia. In India, he was Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; and the Chief Designer at the Hindustan Aeronautics, Bangalore. In North America, he served as Research Engineer for the Boeing Aircraft Company, Renton and as Intermediate Engineer for Canadair Ltd. His aeronautical engineering career began in the United Kingdom with Short Brothers and Harland Ltd., retiring from Bombardier Aerospace-Belfast, as Assistant Chief Aerodynamicist. He is currently associated with Queen's University Belfast. He has authored the book title Aircraft Design published by Cambridge University Press. He held British, Canadian and Indian Private Pilot's License. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, UK.
Professor Mark Price is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. Formerly he was the Head of School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering having progressed through his academic career as a Professor of Aeronautics teaching aircraft structures and design, and leading a research team in design and manufacturing. He graduated in 1987 with a 1st Class Honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Queen's University Belfast before taking up a post as a stress engineer in Bombardier Aerospace. He returned later to QUB to undertake a PhD in Mechanical Engineering after which he joined TranscenData Europe as a software engineer and project manager to implement his research in their product CADFix. In 1998 he returned to QUB lecturing in aircraft structures and design. With a strong focus on design applications and integrated performance and cost models, including manufacturing processing effects in design simulations, he received the 2006 Thomas Hawksley medal from the IMechE. He has published over 200 articles and supervised 20 PhDs to completion. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, UK.
David Riordan commenced employment with Short Brothers PLC in 1978 as an Undergraduate Apprentice. He then graduated in 1982 from Queen's University Belfast, with a 1st Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering. In 1986 he attained an MSc in Advanced Manufacturing Technology from the Cranfield Institute of Technology, England.
David was appointed Chief Technical Engineer during 2002; in which position provides leadership at the Bombardier Belfast site for all activities associated with the technical engineering fields of aerodynamics, thermodynamics, fire safety and noise; mechanical systems, electrical systems, reliability & safety. David is also functionally responsible for the department of Airworthiness and Engineering Quality.
Responsibilities cover all products associated with Bombardier at Belfast, including metallic fuselage barrels (business jet and regional aircraft applications); composite aerostructures (including the composite wing for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft) and engine nacelles (including the complete nacelle system for the PW1400G-JM propulsion system powering the IRKUT MC-21 aircraft).
