Michel Guillaume

Michel Guillaume serves as Professor and Head of the Centre for Aviation at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) School of Engineering, concurrently leading the Centre for Aircraft System Design and Integration. His academic responsibilities include lecturing in aerodynamics, structural integrity, systems engineering, and unmanned aviation, while directing the Master's programme profile commission for MSE in Aviation and coordinating the MSE Advanced Aircraft System Design module.

His research centers on sustainable aircraft development through collaborative digital engineering and establishing drone testing infrastructure (indoor/outdoor). Key interests span structural integrity, fatigue analysis, unmanned aerial systems, aerodynamics, and systems engineering, with emphasis on damage tolerance methodologies for aging aircraft and AI-driven drone technologies. Current projects include the Aviation Research Ecosystem Advanced Novel Approach and LINA (Shared Large-scale Infrastructure for Autonomous Systems).

Recent publications (2023-2024) demonstrate evolving focus from traditional fatigue analysis toward AI-integrated drone systems and structural risk assessment frameworks. His work consistently bridges theoretical research with practical aviation applications, particularly evident in Swiss aeronautical fatigue reviews and drone safety validation studies.

Guillaume directs multiple funded projects including the completed Engineering Documentation for Junkers Ju-52 and Safety Analysis for Structural Integrity of Ageing Airplanes. As Director of the Aviation Research Center Switzerland (ARCS), he manages contractual research efforts through ZHAW consulting projects with annual fixed budgets.

He actively participates in professional networks including the International Committee on Aeronautical Fatigue (ICAF) as Swiss national delegate, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and Swiss Aerospace Cluster, while developing ZHAW's drone test infrastructure as critical research infrastructure for the Swiss aviation ecosystem.