Dyson provides funding for engineering research

The newly appointed Dyson professor of fluid mechanics will focus graduate- and undergraduate-level teaching, and research on the science and engineering behind air movement.

This is expected to lead to innovative technologies for high-efficiency and low noise in power ranges typically found in domestic, office and light industrial applications.

Philip Guildford, director of research in the Department of Engineering, said: ‘High-power applications, such as jet engines and aircraft, have naturally dominated research in fluid mechanics, yielding impressive returns in efficiency and performance.

‘The Dyson chair will bring world-class resources to bear on the smaller fans, compressors and other air-moving components that pervade our lives in factories, offices, and homes.

‘Some are hidden away in computers, printers, just behind the dashboard in our cars or buried within manufacturing processes.

‘Others are more easily seen in our fans and cleaners. But try adding up how many we see in a day and imagine the impact of making them all smaller, more efficient and quieter.