Dr Mark Schenk
PhD(Cantab.), MSc(Delft)
Current positions
Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Contact
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Biography
Subsequently he undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge and the University of Surrey (working on deployable structures for small satellites), before starting his lectureship in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bristol in 2014.
Research interests
Mark Schenk's research interests broadly cover applications of nonlinear structural mechanics, with a specific expertise in the analysis of engineering origami.
His active research areas include:
- priniciples of structural mechanics;
- analysis of engineering origami structures, with applications in shape-adaptive and multi-stable structures;
- modelling and applications of nonlinear structures (e.g. compliant, morphing, deployable structures) with a specific interest in exploiting structural instabilities for functionality;
- use of composite materials to achieve functionality in nonlinear structures;
- advanced experimental methods for nonlinear structures.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
8034 EPSRC INSTITUTIONAL SPONSORSHIP
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Department of Aerospace EngineeringDates
01/08/2016 to 31/01/2017
Thesis supervisions
Morphing Mechanisms Based on Nonlinear Helical Composite Elements
Supervisors
Fabrication of Tough Stretchable Light-Responsive Hydrogels and their Application as Biohybrid Robots
Supervisors
Composite compliant shell mechanisms
Supervisors
Exploiting stiffness matrix based methods for the design and analysis of tensegrity structures
Supervisors
Improving Atomic Oxygen Resistance of Composite Materials for Flexible Deployable Structures in Space Applications
Supervisors
A design approach for super-efficient Wrapped Tow Reinforced Hierarchical Space Frames
Supervisors
Publications
Selected publications
29/01/2020Beyond the Fold
Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Structural Function from Sequential, Interacting Elastic Instabilities
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Embedded Actuation for Shape-Adaptive Origami
Journal of Mechanical Design, ASME
Recent publications
08/05/2024A Passively Actuated Spoiler Using Sequential Interacting Instabilities
A Fully Passive Pop-up Leading Edge Spoiler for Gust Load Alleviation
Effect of atomic oxygen exposure on polybenzoxazine/POSS nanocomposites for space applications
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
Out-of-plane engineering constants of beetle elytra inspired sandwich cores
Thin-Walled Structures
Parametric Studies of Flexible Sandwich Panels As a Compliant Fairing for Folding Wingtip Joints
ASME 2023 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems
Teaching
Dr Schenk teaches across all years of the MEng Aerospace Engineering programme, including first-year mechanics (statics and dynamics) taught across the faculty of engineering, principles of structural mechanics and analysis (2D elasticity, composite laminate analysis) and structural stability and lightweight structures.
Dr Schenk was selected for the 2019 Best of Bristol (BoB) lecture series, which was “an annual initiative showcasing the best of the University of Bristol's lecturers”. He was shortlisted for the 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 Bristol Teaching Awards (BTA) for outstanding teaching. He was awarded the 2024 Bristol Teaching Award for Inspiring and Innovative Teaching.
Dr Schenk is the Programme Director for the Aerospace Engineering undergraduate programmes.
Related people
Professor Fabrizio Scarpa
Professor of Smart Materials & Structures
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Professor Alberto Pirrera
Professor of Nonlinear Structural Mechanics
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Dr Rainer Groh
Senior Lecturer
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering
Dr Jiajia Shen
Research Associate
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering