Miss Ifrah Mussa

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Ifrah Mussa
About
Teaching and learning
Research

About

I am a Lecturer in Aerodynamics at Kingston University's Department of Aerospace and Aircraft Engineering. My academic journey began here in 2013 when I pursued a Master's in Aerospace Engineering (MEng), engaging in various research projects such as developing aircraft fuel burn model for London Luton Airport, boundary layer transition using bio-inspired micro-features, Grid generation around iced aerofoils and aerodynamic analysis of wind turbine blade. Following my MEng, I embarked on a PhD at Kingston, investigating ice formation on wind turbine blades.

My experience extends beyond academia, having worked as a Summer Research Intern at the university, Navigation Approvals Officer at the Civil Aviation Authority, and various roles on campus including Student Support Worker and Events Assistant. As a Student Ambassador, I took an active role in STEM Outreach, a passion I continued into my PhD. Here an insight into some of the work I have done over the years:

  • News article for KU – Kingston University students, staff and alumni share their stories and role models on International Women in Engineering Day (https://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/article/2342/23-jun-2020-kingston-university-students-staff-and-alumni-share-their-stories-and-role-models-on-international-women/)
  • Blog for ECE Newsletter – Faculty Funds PhD student to attend WES Student Conference, November 2021 (https://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/sec/2022/02/14/faculty-funds-phd-student-to-attend-wes-student-conference-november-2021/)
  • Podcast for Women's Engineering Society – My participation was highlighted in the ECE Newsletter which includes the link to the podcast. Podcast featuring Ifrah Mussa in the ‘Engineers in Conversation' series (https://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/sec/2022/10/20/podcast-featuring-ifrah-mussa-in-the-engineers-in-conversation-series/)

During my PhD, I supported undergraduate and postgraduate learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and contributed to aerodynamics, propulsion, and engineering design education. I mentored undergraduate and postgraduate students. I also spent six months at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China, focusing on icing research.

This year I contributed to NewScientists, shedding light on my role as a Lecturer in Aerodynamics and how I manage it alongside my research. (https://www.newscientist.com/nsj/article/what-does-a-lecturer-in-aerodynamics-do-)

Academic responsibilities

Lecturer in Aerodynamics

Qualifications

  • MEng in Aerospace Engineering
  • Fellow Member of Higher Education Academy
  • Chartered Engineer (CEng), Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
  • Affiliate Member, Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS)
  • Associate Member, Energy Institute (EI)
  • Member, Women's Engineering Society (WES)

Teaching and learning

As lecturer, I teach aerospace and astronautics students across various stages, from Level 4 (first-year) to Level 6 (third-year). My teaching responsibilities include leading and delivering modules in:

  • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics at Level 4
  • Computer-Aided Aerospace Engineering Design at Level 5
  • Further Aerodynamics at Level 6

Additionally, I oversee aircraft design group projects in project management for Level 5 aerospace and aviation students. I also supervise a few individual undergraduate and postgraduate projects, guiding students in their specialised research and design endeavours.

Qualifications and expertise

  • Aerodynamics
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics

Undergraduate courses taught

Postgraduate courses taught

Research

My research outreach has included contributions to the ECE newsletter and Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) blogs, aiming to illuminate my research journey and inspire others. A highlight was receiving a British Council Scholarship for a six-month PhD placement in China, emphasizing the dynamic nature of research beyond the confines of a desk, fostering international collaboration, and enhancing societal impact. I shared insights from this placement and my experiences at Kingston University in dedicated blog entries.

  • Blog for ECE Newsletter – Spotlight On… Ifrah Mussa (https://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/sec/2019/03/26/spotlight-on-ifrah-mussa/)
  • Blog for DTA – The DTA is International- Part 2 (https://www.unialliance.ac.uk/2019/09/17/dta-is-international-2/)
  • Blog for ECE Newsletter – International Women In Engineering Day – Ifrah Mussa (https://blogs.kingston.ac.uk/sec/2020/05/21/international-women-in-engineering-day-ifrah-mussa/)

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I won first place in the university-level Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, an achievement detailed in a blog post that narrates the challenge of simplifying complex ideas for a broad audience and overcoming personal fears with Kingston University's support.

  • Blog for DTA – 3 years in 3 minutes: DTA student success in the 3MT (https://www.unialliance.ac.uk/2020/09/08/overcoming-my-fears-for-the-3mt-competition/)

I have also secured faculty funding to supervise a few summer research internship projects over the years. This funding enabled me to provide targeted mentorship to BAME students, facilitating their engagement in high-level research and contributing to the diversification of the academic community.

  • Numerical investigation of ice accretion using FENSAP-ICE on an RG-15 aerofoil - Level 6 - 2023
  • Ice prediction on inboard section of CRM65 hybrid swept wing - Level 6 - 2023
  • Ice prediction on mid-span section of CRM65 hybrid swept wing - Level 6 - 2023
  • High-lift devices Icing Prediction - Level 5 - 2022

In 2022, I joined the 2nd Ice Prediction Workshop (IPW2) as a committee member organised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Areas of specialism

  • Computational aerodynamics
  • Icing on aircraft, wind turbines and UAVs
  • Boundary layer transition and Laminar flow control techniques

Publications

Jump to: Conference or Workshop Item
Number of items: 2.

Conference or Workshop Item

Mussa, Ifrah, Wang, Qiao, Lin, Yujing and Wang, Jian (2021) Comparison criteria for ice accretion on an aerofoil surface. In: 14th World Congress of Computational Mechanics and ECCOMAS Congress; 11-15 Jan 2021, Held online.

Abbadi, Muram, Mussa, Ifrah, Lin, Yujing and Wang, Jian (2020) Preliminary analysis of ice accretion prediction on wind turbine blades. In: AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum; 06 - 10 Jan 2020, Orlando, U.S..

This list was generated on Wed Apr 24 07:25:01 2024 BST.

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