Professor George Nadim Melhem is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, which is ranked 1
st in Australia and 19
th in the world (2024 QS World University Rankings). Holding a Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering (Honours), Master of Materials Science and Engineering by research and PhD from UNSW, he additionally conducts research there. Professor Melhem has been a board member for the past decade contributing to the UNSW strategic direction for teaching and research. He lectured in Materials in Architecture, metallurgical courses, laboratory research and development as well as postgraduate electives for final year students at the university 3 decades ago. As the lead author and expert on aerospace materials (and on behalf of UNSW), Professor Melhem has published several papers in international journals and chapters in Encyclopaedias. He specialises in the use of aluminium alloys, most steel alloys, metal matrix composites/graphite epoxy composites in aerospace applications - including solving and designing for complex civil and structural applications in major infrastructures. He has been a key contributor to commercial aircraft in aerospace materials science, structural engineering, tooling, and ground support equipment - and continues to service government sectors, providing design and consulting in major infrastructure projects involving civil and structural engineering.
Professor Paul Richard Munroe is currently a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Professor Munroe received his Bachelor of Science (Honours) and PhD in Metallurgy and Materials from the University of Birmingham, England. He taught (and continues to teach) a wide range of courses at UNSW, with his most significant contributions being in the field of microstructure-property relationships in advanced engineering materials. Areas of research conducted include functional thin films, intermetallic alloys, advanced metal-matrix composites, thermal spray materials, surface modification of materials and biochars. He was one of the founders, as well as the Inaugural Technical Director, of the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility. He has sat on a number of journal editorial boards and currently sits on the editorial board for the journal “Metals” - and served as a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts. Professor Munroe has authored over 600 papers and provides advice to industry through his expertise in microstructure-property relationships.
Mr. Akshay Vithal is an Aerospace Engineer, currently working as the Aerial Design Lead for Geodrones Australia. He was a former student under the guidance and mentorship of Professor Melhem in his company in the field of Aerospace Engineering, researching several aspects of material and structural effects in aircraft in supersonic flight. Having graduated from the University of Sydney (USYD), Mr Vithal specialises in the aerodynamic design, flight performance, and structural analysis of various Uncrewed Aerial Systems - consisting of multi-rotors, fixed wing, and rotary-wing aircraft. Mr Vithal has experience with designing and building wing structures, wind tunnel testing, Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling and testing, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
