About me
Aerospace engineer
I began studying engineering at the University of Liège, in 2010. During my Bachelor, which I completed in June 2013, I chose to focus on mechanical and electrical engineering sciences. I then joined the Master in aerospace engineering, from which I graduated in June 2015. Afterwards, I started a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering with Prof. Grigorios Dimitriadis and Prof. Vincent Terrapon. I performed my Ph.D. in their research groups (i.e. AEA and MTFC), and in collaboration with the R&D department of Embraer S.A., the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. Alongside my research, I also taught some classes and supervized different projects. The goal of my thesis was to investigate the effect of the different levels of fidelity in aerodynamic modeling on aerostructural calculations applied to preliminary aircraft design. The main outcome of the research work is the development and implementation of an efficient aerodynamic modeling tool: DARTFlo. I obtained my doctoral degree in aerospace engineering in December 2020.
I currently work at the University of Liège where I continue to collaborate with Embraer as a post-doctoral researcher. Our goal is to develop a new, fast and flexible, aerostructural optimization framework, able to tackle the challenges posed by modern aircraft design. Besides, I also continue to supervize Master students through the Aerospace Design Project, and through their Master thesis. Additonally, I also acted as Substitue Professor for the course of Flight Dynamics during the academic year 2022-2023.
Private pilot
When I was 15, I used to dream about becoming a fighter pilot. Even if I eventually decided to be an aerospace engineer, I never really forgot about flying aircraft. In September 2017, during my Ph.D., I started to take classes to get my Private Pilot License. After two years of spurious flight sessions (thanks to the famous Belgian weather!), I successfully passed my skill test and got the license in September 2019. Right after that, I passed my night rating in December.
I currently conduct flights from Liège Airport (EBLG). In the past, I also flew from the aerodrome of Namur (EBNM), where I followed classes to get an aerobatic rating.
Martial artist
I started practising martial arts in 2008, when I was 16. I first studied Aïkido under the direction of Yves Thelen for three years. I then decied to follow one of his former students: Arnaud Lejeune. I have been practising with Arnaud since then, at the Jisei Budo Kai dojo, where he now teaches several martial arts. Later in 2011, I had the chance to meet Léo Tamaki, thanks to Arnaud, and to discover his work. Léo is the founder of the Kishinkaï Aïkido style and school. Following his teaching, I could travel to Japan and practice with several masters, shuch as Kuroda Tetsuzan, Hino Akira, Kono Yoshinori, Royama Hatsuo, etc.
Aside from work, Aïkido is probably the field to which I dedicate most of my time. I strongly believe that Aïkido, if practiced conscientiously and with dedication, gives the right tools to educate an individual and make him evolve.
As a martial art, the scope of Aïkido mainly consists in finding the most effective ways to stop a conflict. However, learning techniques to neutralize another person is only a first step. I understand that the real purpose of Aïkido, as a martial way, is to raise the level of awerness, consciousness, and kindness of an individual, through the application of deadly techniques. With sufficient practice, this teaching can then be exported outside of the mat, and applied to deal with the harsh situations that we sometimes have to go through in our life.
