Graeme J. Kennedy, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology

The application of optimization algorithms to aerospace vehicle design offers the potential to extract performance benefits in highly-coupled systems. Design optimization tools can be used to better understand complex trade spaces and to compare optimized concepts to achieve an unbiased comparison. However, large-scale design spaces produced from high-fidelity simulations place new computational demands on optimization tools. This presentation will address the development and application of new optimization algorithms and techniques, focusing on structural and aeroelastic design cases. These applications include the development of advanced topology optimization algorithms for aerospace structures, and the development of an aeroelastic design optimization tool, called FUNtoFEM, for fixed wing and rotorcraft applications.

About the speaker...
Graeme Kennedy is an Assistant Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he leads his research group focused on developing novel design optimization methods for structural and multidisciplinary aerospace systems. Before joining the Georgia Tech faculty, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan in the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization lab. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) under the supervision of Prof. Joaquim R.R.A. Martins in 2012 and his M.A.Sc. from UTIAS under the supervision of Prof. Jorn Hansen in 2007. He received his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2005. A complete list of papers and ongoing projects is available on Dr. Kennedy's website: http://gkennedy.gatech.edu/.