University of the Highlands and Islands: Professor Andrew Rae Elected to Royal Aeronautical Society Council
Professor Andrew Rae, at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) who been elected to the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) for a three-year term. This election highlights Professor Rae’s significant contributions to the field of aeronautical engineering and his decarbonisation work on regional aviation, both within the academic community and the broader industry.
As Professor of Engineering at UHI, Professor Rae oversees engineering research and strategy while holding a personal Chair as Professor of Experimental and Applied Aerodynamics. He began his academic career as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Surrey. Recently, he was Chief Engineer for Ampaire Ltd, responsible for obtaining the permission to fly and for the conduct of flight testing of a hybrid/electric conversion of a Cessna 337.
He is an active member of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aerodynamics Specialist Group and was its Chair from 2018 to 2021, and he is a member of two subgroups of the UK Government’s Jet Zero Council ‘Zero-Emissions Flight’ Delivery Group. He sits on three NATO Science and Technology Organisation Advanced Vehicle Technology panels, is a member of the Group of Responsables for ‘Flight Mechanics, Systems and Integration’ within the Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe, and he is also an external examiner at the University of Nottingham.
In his new role on the RAeS Council, Professor Rae will play a crucial part in enhancing the society’s global influence, respect, and reputation. He will also contribute to sustaining and developing the society’s body of knowledge and learned output.
The RAeS Council is responsible for managing the professional, technical, and learned society affairs of RAeS, working alongside the board of trustees to support the strategic direction and leadership needed to achieve the society’s key objectives. It includes the president, president-elect, immediate past-president, presidents of the global divisions, chairs of the branches and specialist group committees, and 17 members elected by the society.