51cg

Dr Peter Dunning

Dr Peter Dunning
Dr Peter Dunning
Dr Peter Dunning

PhD, FHEA, CEng MIMechE

Lecturer

Accepting PhDs

51cg
Email Address
peter.dunning@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 272614
School/Department
School of Engineering





Biography

2019: Became a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

2016: Achieved Chartered Engineer status with IMechE.

2015: Joined 51cg as a Lecturer in the School of Engineering.

2014-2015: Research Associate at University of Bath, UK. Research areas: Mulit-scale topology optimisation, buckling constrained topology optimisation and simultaneous material-topology optimisation.

2013-2014: Research Scholar at National Institute of Aerosapce, VA, USA. Contracted to NASA Langley Research Center. Main reserach area: Aeroelastic topology optimisation.

2011-2012: Structural analyst at Eatec Ltd (Engineering consultancy company, Yate, UK)

2007-2011: PhD from University of Bath, UK. Thesis title: Introducing Loading Uncertainty in Level Set-Based Structural Topology Optimisation 

2002-2007: MEng in Aerospace Engineering from University of Bath, UK

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships
  • Programme leader for Mechanical Engineering

Previous:

  • School of Engineering outreach activities coordinator
  • Member of college ethics board
External Memberships

Reviewer for several journals:

  • Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization
  • International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering
  • Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering
  • AIAA Journal
  • Computers and Structures
  • Journal of Fluids and Structures
  • Composite Structures
  • Engineering Optimization
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
  • Applied Mathematical Modelling
  • Aerospace Science and Technology
  • Advances in Engineering Software
  • Engineering Structures

Latest Publications

  • Multiobjective Optimization of UAV Winglet Performance Using Surrogate Models and CFD

    Almutairi, M. A. M., Dunning, P., Maheri, A.
    Engineering with Computers, vol. 42, no. 1, 18
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Optimizing UAV Winglets: A Multiobjective Approach with Surrogate Models

    Almutairi, M. A. M., Dunning, P., Maheri, A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Automatic projection parameter increase for three-field density-based topology optimization

    Dunning, P., Wein, F.
    Structural and multidisciplinary optimization, vol. 68, no. 2, 33
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Design optimisation of floating offshore wind turbine mooring systems

    Macnamara, C. J., Kapitaniak, M., Dunning, P., Karadimos, A., Milano, D., Crawford, J. C.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Efficient multiscale framework for reliability analysis of unidirectional FRP composites using onset theory

    Allen, S., Dunning, P., Sriramula, S.
    Contributions to Conferences: Papers

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

Nominated for several teaching awards:

  • Best Supervisor (Postgraduate Research) (2019/20) – runner-up
  • Best Undergraduate Lecturer (2020/21) & (2019/20)
  • Best Supervisor (Postgraduate Research) (2018/19)
  • Excellence in Postgraduate Teaching (2017/18)
Research

Research Overview

DesignOptHeader.png


Research Areas

ResearchAreas.png


Research Projects

Multiscale Reliability-Based Optimisation of Composite Materials

Improving the design of composite structures by combining multiscale analysis, uncertainty propagation, surrogate modelling and reliability-based optimisation.

Multiscale_Comp_RBDO.png

Geometric Nonlinear Topology Optimisation

Developing robust and efficient methods for including geometric nonlinear effects in topology optimisation

Cant_lam1_300kN_sol.png      Column_results.png

Metamaterial Design and Optimisation

Improvement, or invention of metamaterial designs via optimisation

ExOctet.png 

Aeroelastic Optimisation

Improving the structural design of aeroelastic problems by exploiting fluid-structure interaction

LS_3Dwing.png    WingWake1.png    Pareto front for winglet design showing trade-off between RBM and L/D

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Engineering.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Engineering

  • Supervising
  • Accepting PhDs

Research Specialisms

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Structural Mechanics
  • Composite Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is , published under the licence.

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Engineering.

Current PhD Students

Craig MacNamara (started 2023) - Multi-Objective Design Optimisation of Floating Offshore Wind Systems

Simon Allen (started 2022) - Advanced Design of Fibre Reinforced Composites, using Multiscale Reliability Analysis and Optimisation

 

Former PhD Students

Mohammed Almutairi (2025) "Surrogate-Based Multi-Objective Optimisation of UAV Winglet Designs: Integrating Aerodynamic Performance and Structural Integrity through High-Fidelity Simulation"

Alicia Terrero-Gonzalez (2023) "Novel Nonlinear Pendula Devices for Wave Energy Extraction" (Lead supervisor - Prof. Marian Wiercigroch, joint with Curtin University)

 (2021) "Computationally efficient geometrically nonlinear aeroelastic analysis methods for highly flexible aircraft wings"

 (2020) "Efficient Multi-scale Reliability Analysis of Fibre Reinforced Composites"

Teaching

Programmes

Teaching Responsibilities

Current

EG1012 Fundamentals of Engineering Materials - Co-ordinator (100% teaching)

EG15H1 & EG15H2 Fundamentals of Engineering Materials (Harbin partnership) - Co-ordinator (100% teaching)

EG4578 BEng Group Design Project - Supervisor

BEng & MEng Individual Projects - Supervisor

MSc Individual Projects - Supervisor

Previous

EG55P6/Q2 Engineering Risk and Reliability Analysis - Co-ordinator (100% teaching)

EG55M1/96 Finite Element Analysis - Contributor (50% teaching)

EG5565 MEng Group Design Project - Supervisor

Publications

Page 4 of 5 Results 31 to 40 of 48

  • Topology optimisation for stress using level set method

    Brampton, C. J., Dunning, P. D., Alicia Kim, H.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Aeroelastic tailoring of a plate wing with functionally graded materials

    Dunning, P. D., Stanford, B. K., Kim, H. A., Jutte, C. V., Dunning, P.
    Journal of fluids and structures, vol. 51, pp. 292-312
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Multi-objective robust topology optimization with dynamic weighting

    Riley, M., Dunning, P. D., Brampton, C. J., Kim, H. A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Optimal topology of aircraft rib and spar structures under aeroelastic loads

    Stanford, B. K., Dunning, P. D.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Aerostructural level set topology optimization for a common research model wing

    Dunning, P. D., Stanford, B. K., Kim, H. A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Aeroelastic tailoring of a plate wing with functionally graded materials

    Dunning, P. D., Stanford, B. K., Alicia Kim, H., Jutte, C. V.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Robust Topology Optimization: Minimization of Expected and Variance of Compliance

    Dunning, P. D., Kim, H. A.
    American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal, vol. 51, no. 11, pp. 2656-2664
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • A new hole insertion method for level set based structural topology optimization

    Dunning, P. D., Kim, H. A.
    International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 118-134
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Multidisciplinary level set topology optimization of the internal structure of an aircraft wing

    Dunning, P. D., Brampton, C. J., Kim, H. A.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
  • Robust topology optimisation for expected compliance and variance using level-set method

    Dunning, P. D., Alicia Kim, H.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Conference Proceedings
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