Dr. Michael Lowe

Biography

Michael Lowe received his BSc degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1979, and his MSc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College in 1987 and 1993 respectively. From 1979 to 1989, he worked at WS Atkins (Consultant Engineers, Epsom, UK), specializing in the development of numerical methods for solving problems in solid mechanics. In 1989, he transitioned to a research position at Imperial College London, becoming a SERC Research Fellow in 1992 and joining the academic staff in 1994. His research primarily focuses on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), with particular interests in structure-guided ultrasound, wave theory, wave scattering, and materials characterization, as well as analytical and numerical modeling. In terms of teaching, he covers mechanics, stress analysis, mathematics, vibration, and Finite Element modeling. Currently, he is the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014. He is also the director of Guided Ultrasonics Ltd, a spin-out company aimed at commercializing research outputs related to ultrasonic guided waves, and the creator of DISPERSE, a leading software tool that calculates the properties of elastic and sound waves in guided structural forms such as plates and pipes. Additionally, he co-founded the UK Research Centre for Non-Destructive Evaluation (RCNDE) in 2003, which is a joint industry-university organization coordinating and delivering research in NDE.

Research Interests