Visiting Professor of Aeronautics

Sheila Marie Evans Widnall (born July 13, 1938) is an American aerospace researcher and Institute Professor Emerita at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served as United States Secretary of the Air Force between 1993 and 1997, making her the first female Secretary of the Air Force and the first woman to lead an entire branch of the US military in the Department of Defense. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2003.

Widnall's research has been focused on fluid mechanics, in particular the aerodynamics of high-speed vehicles, helicopters, aircraft wakes, and turbulence. One of her most notable works is on the elliptical instability mechanism with Raymond Pierrehumbert. Widnall was a member of the board of investigation into the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She currently works with the Lean Advancement Initiative.

It is our pleasure to announce that Prof Sheila Widnall from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be delivering 3 lectures on the development of aeronautics and where the future lies in this exciting ‘space’.