The Aeronautical Society of South Africa (a division of the Royal Aeronautical Society) elected Dr. Michael Atkins to service as the president in March 2025.
He completed his MSc (with Distinction) in 2015 at the University of the Witwatersrand and PhD at the same institution in 2021. In 2012 he won the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) (UK) University Prize for the best graduating student. Presently, he is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering, at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he teaches Fluid Mechanics and Flight Dynamics undergraduate courses. His research interests are specialized in fundamental and applied aerodynamics, flow control, thermo-fluids in gas turbine engines, thermal-hydraulics in CANDU reactors, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC’s) transient heat transfer measurement techniques. He is a professional engineer (Pr.Eng) registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
He has authored or co-authored 20+ peer-reviewed journal articles, 3 book chapters and 10+ conference papers, and is a National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher. In 2024, he was successful in applying to the Royal Society International Science Partnerships Fund – International Collaboration Award together with colleagues at Queen Mary University London (QMUL).
