Farshad Arvin is a Professor of Robotics in the Department of Computer Science at Durham University. He received his BSc degree in Computer Engineering in 2004, an MSc degree in Computer Systems Engineering in 2010, and a PhD in Computer Science in 2015. Before joining Durham in 2022, he was a Lecturer in Robotics (2018-2021) and a Senior Lecturer in Robotics (2021-2022) in the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at The University of Manchester. He joined the University of Manchester in 2015 as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Robotics for Extreme Environments group at the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He was a Research Assistant at the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS) at the University of Lincoln, UK (2012 to 2015). He was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship for being involved in the FP7-EYE2E and LIVCODE EU projects during his PhD study. His research interests include Biohybrid Robotics, Bio-inspired Swarm Robotics, and Autonomous Multi-agent Systems.
Mark K. Quinn graduated from the University of Manchester in 2009 with an MEng(Hons) in Aerospace Engineering. He then went on to complete a PhD in Experimental Aerodynamics, particularly focused on unsteady compressible aerodynamics and flow diagnostics at the University of Manchester. During this time, he authored multiple journal papers and attended several international conferences, including hosting one in Manchester. During his PhD, he worked as a member of the UoM Widening Participation team focusing on outreach activities focused around engineering and science. Upon completing his PhD in 2013, he began work at the Aircraft Research Association on optical flow diagnostics. In late 2014, he returned to the University of Manchester as a Knowledge Exchange Fellow for Aerospace developing links between industrial partners and academic researchers. He was a Lecturer in the school from 2015 to 2020 and is currently a Senior Lecturer delivering teaching material based on his research interests of experimentation while continuing to work closely with the Aircraft Research Association and other industrial partners. His main research interests are transonic and supersonic aerodynamics, experimental aerodynamics, and experimental design, and has received funding from the European Commission, European Space Agency, InnovateUK, and several industrial partners.
