Holger Babinsky

Professor Holger Babinsky serves as Head of Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery at the University of Cambridge Engineering Department and holds the position of Professor of Aerodynamics. A Fellow of Magdalene College, he previously served as Deputy Head of the Engineering Department (2013-2018) and has been with Cambridge since 1995.

His educational background includes:

• Dipl.-Ing. in Aerospace Engineering from Stuttgart University
• PhD in Hypersonic Aerodynamics from Cranfield University (1994)

With three decades of expertise in experimental aerodynamics, Professor Babinsky specializes in shock wave/boundary layer interactions. Current research encompasses:

• Aerodynamics of micro-air vehicles
• Road vehicle aerodynamics
• Engine inlet flows
• Advanced flow control techniques

Recent publications (2018-2019) focus on experimental analyses of shock-wave interactions in complex geometries and wing-gust encounters, building on his foundational 2009 work on microramp flow control and the widely cited 2003 educational paper "How Do Wings Work?".

His distinguished honors include:

• Reissner Preis (1990)
• Pilkington Prize for Teaching (2000)
• John Britten Prize (2000)
• AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper Award (2011)
• NATO RTO Scientific Achievement Award (2011)
• Elected Fellow of AIAA (2020)
• Elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2021)

Professor Babinsky has supervised over 40 PhD students and published more than 80 journal articles and 100 conference papers. As Editor-in-Chief of the Aeronautical Journal since 2018, he leads the world's oldest aeronautics-focused scientific publication.