Tom S Richardson

Tom S Richardson is Professor of Aerial Robotics in the School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering at the University of Bristol, where he lectures in Flight Mechanics and Control. With over 105 research outputs and leadership in 7 projects including WildDrone (2023-2026) and WildBotics (2026-2029), his work bridges theoretical control systems and real-world UAV applications.

His educational foundation includes an M.Eng. and Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, establishing his expertise in aerospace engineering. Research interests focus on control systems spanning classical flight control to high-level autonomy, with significant contributions to UAV swarm coordination, real-time decision-making, and applications in wildlife conservation and emergency response. His fingerprint highlights Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Engineering (100%), Fixed Wings Engineering (65%), and Real Time systems (50%).

Recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward practical implementations: wildlife monitoring via real-time visual tracking and firefighting UAV swarms using mutual shaping frameworks. These works emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering mathematics and conservation biology, showing strong growth in Kenya and Ohio field deployments.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards 2010 for Autonomous Systems development

Richardson has supervised 11 students, including Nguyen Ngoc, D. and Meier, K. on the WildDrone project. His grant portfolio features nature conservation-focused initiatives like WildDrone (with Bullock, Watson, Burghardt, and Mirmehdi) and the RAIN expansion project, totaling over £1.2M in active funding. Current advising emphasizes UAV applications for ecological monitoring and disaster response.

He collaborates extensively through the University of Bristol's Dynamics and Control research group, with recent network activity spanning Guatemala (58%) and Kenya (33%) field sites. Public engagement includes The Sir Alan Cobham Lecture (2012) on UAV societal impacts.