Li He

Li He serves as Statutory Professor of Computational Aerothermal Engineering at the University of Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, where he directs the Oxford Thermofluids Institute and co-leads the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics. As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of GPPS and former Rolls-Royce Research Chair, he shapes global turbomachinery research through leadership in academic and industry partnerships.

His educational journey began with BSc and MSc degrees from Beihang University (1982, 1984), followed by a PhD from Cambridge University (1990). After postdoctoral research at Cambridge, he joined Durham University as Lecturer (1993), progressing to Professor (2000) while serving as Head of Thermofluids and Director of Research. His 2008 transition to Oxford marked expanded leadership in the Osney Laboratory and Rolls-Royce UTC.

Professor He's research pioneers unsteady aerodynamic, aeroelastic, and aerothermal prediction methods, most notably instigating Fourier methods for turbomachinery in the 1990s. These techniques now underpin commercial CFD codes worldwide. Current work focuses on spectral heat transfer coefficients, multi-scale modeling for conjugate heat transfer, and LES/URANS solutions for micro-structured surfaces, driving innovation in gas turbine design and optimization.

Analysis of his 2017-2025 publications reveals dominant trends in spectral methods for thermal design, multi-scale CFD for turbulent boundary layers, and conjugate heat transfer solutions. His work bridges fundamental fluid dynamics with industrial applications, particularly in cooling optimization for turbine components and micro-structured surface analysis.

His scientific accolades include six ASME best paper prizes across heat transfer (2009, 2017, 2020), turbomachinery aerodynamics (2015, 2020), and steam turbines (2017), alongside the GPPS best paper prize (2017) and ASME Gas Turbine Award (2020). He holds Fellowships from ASME (2006) and the Royal Aeronautical Society (2011).

Professor He has secured major grants including the EPSRC CDT in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics and Rolls-Royce UTC funding. His leadership transformed the Osney Laboratory through an 18-month relocation that doubled academic capacity, establishing the Oxford Thermofluids Institute. He serves as acting director for Rolls-Royce UTC and oversaw selection of the second-generation Oxford Turbine Rotor Facility.

The Oxford Thermofluids Institute, formally launched in 2010 under his headship, houses state-of-the-art turbomachinery facilities including the Oxford Turbine Rotor Facility. His Computational Fluid Dynamics research group collaborates with Rolls-Royce, Siemens, and NASA on next-generation gas turbine technologies, with recent focus on manufacturable roughness modeling and spectral heat transfer applications.