Biography

Alfi is a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, working under the supervision of Prof. Rhea Liem. He previously worked with Prof. Koji Shimoyama as a graduate researcher in machine learning for aircraft design at the Institue of Fluid Science, Tohoku University. His industrial experience includes working as a full-time structural analysis engineer at PT. Turkish Aerospace Indonesia, where he was involved in the Weight Reduction Work Package of ATA 27 Components (Flight Control System) of the TAI Hürjet (Advanced Jet Trainer). He also worked as a part-time aerodynamics engineer at teTra aviation corp, a Tokyo-based startup company, developing a commercial eVTOL aircraft.

His research primarily lies in the intersection between machine learning and aircraft design optimization. Specifically, he has concentrated on surrogate-based optimization and its applications in the design of transonic aircraft wings. Currently, he is pursuing research in the design and operations of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles, such as the Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, for a more sustainable future. He develops tools for exploring novel aircraft concepts using a multi-objective evolutionary robust approach. He aspires to contribute to the research and development of UAM vehicles for passenger transport.