Episode #34: Dr. Francesca De Domenico talks about sustainable transportation, hydrogen powered planes, and green infrastructure

Dr. Francesca De Domenico is an Assistant Professor in Novel Aircraft Propulsion at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft. She has a passion for flames and sustainability and her research goal is to disruptively change the way in which we power aircrafts, to make them greener and more sustainable. Specifically, she is interested in developing airplane engines which safely and efficiently use hydrogen as green alternative to kerosene-based jet fuels. She obtained her BSc and MSc in Aerospace Engineering (summa cum laude) from the University of Padova (Italy). Subsequently, she obtained her PhD in Engineering at the University of Cambridge, with her research investigating the sound generated by the flames in combustion chambers (thermo-acoustics). Subsequently, she became a Junior Research Fellow in Engineering at Gonville and Caius College (University of Cambridge), where she worked on developing advanced diagnostic tools for flames (laser-based measurement techniques) and for humans (novel sensors for measuring blood pressure). For her research, Francesca was awarded several prices and fellowships, such as the Amelia  Earhart Fellowship (for the 30 best female PhD researchers in Aerospace Engineers worldwide), the APS DFD award, the ASME SACTA award, the Acoustics Society Award, and she was invited to speak at national and international conferences. Francesca is also an active STEM ambassador. She enjoys outreach activities with school pupils and she actively contributes to initiative to promote gender-inclusivity in the education system. In her free time, Francesca enjoys all kinds of outdoor sport and activity, especially running, cycling and hiking. She loves travelling around the world, discovering new places, experiencing new cultures, and admiring the amazing beauty of nature.