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:
- principles 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
Geometry and Modelling of Multi-stable Origami Bellows
Supervisors
Beetle Elytra Inspired Cellular Cores for Sandwich Structures
Supervisors
Numerical Analysis of a Morphing Fairing for Folding Wingtip Joints
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
01/02/2025Parametric design studies of GATOR morphing fairings for folding wingtip joints
Smart Materials and Structures
Wind Tunnel Testing of a Passive Gust Load Alleviation Spoiler
AIAA Journal
ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF SLENDER STRUCTURES WITH GEOMETRIC CONSTRAINTS
ICAS PROCEEDINGS 34th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences
A Passively Actuated Spoiler Using Sequential Interacting Instabilities
A Fully Passive Pop-up Leading Edge Spoiler for Gust Load Alleviation
Teaching
Dr Schenk teaches across all years of the MEng Aerospace Engineering programme. He is unit director for Engineering Science A, and teaches Newtonian mechanics (statics and dynamics) across the faculty of engineering. In later years he teaches 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 was previously 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
Mr Ed Wheatcroft
Senior Research Associate
School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering