Alejandro Martínez-Cava, Associate Professor at the School of Aeronautical and Space Engineering (ETSIAE) of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and an MSc in Aeronautical Engineering (UPM, 2019). Since 2018, he has been teaching undergraduate and master level courses, including Aerospace Technology, Aerodynamics, Advanced Aerodynamics, and Applied Computational Fluid Dynamics.

As a research member of the Applied Aerodynamics Group at Instituto Universitario Ignacio Da Riva (IDR/UPM), he has contributed to more than 25 R&D projects for the wind engineering and aerospace sectors, conducting theoretical, experimental, and numerical analyses of diverse aerodynamic designs and configurations. Some of this work has been critical to the proper design and maintenance of solar collector plants exposed to extreme wind conditions. Advancing knowledge in this field and extending the operational life of solar energy facilities significantly supports the achievement of the 7th and 9th Sustainable Development Goals.

Focusing on applied aerodynamics, his research career to date includes several scientific contributions: he has co-authored 23 JCR-indexed journal articles and 18 papers in international conference proceedings. These results stem from his involvement in 8 international and competitive research projects funded by the European Commission and the Government of Spain. Over the years, Alejandro has established a proactive network of collaborations, connecting ETSIAE research groups with the Experimental Turbine Aerothermal Laboratory at Purdue University (IN, USA), the Braun’s Engineering Factory for Advanced SupersonicTechnologies (BEFAST) at NC State (USA), the Fluid Mechanics Group at Mondragon Unibertsitatea (Basque Country, Spain), and the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University (Queensland, Australia).

Before joining academia, Alejandro worked in the aerospace industry as an Aerodynamics Research Engineer at Airbus Group Innovations UK. Over a two-year period, he was involved in several cutting-edge projects in aircraft aerodynamic design aimed at reducing the aerospace sector’s carbon footprint through the development of laminar flow technologies to minimize aerodynamic drag and, consequently, fuel consumption.