Dr Shaun Shen

Senior Lecturer

School: Engineering, Physics and Mathematics

Dr Shaun Shen, who publishes as Xiang Shen, is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) and a Chartered Engineer (CEng). He is a Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamics at Northumbria University, where he serves as Academic Lead of the Northumbria University Aerodynamics Laboratory (NUAL) and Theme Lead for Automotive Engineering within the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics.

His research combines wind tunnel experiments, computational fluid dynamics and aerodynamic optimisation to investigate complex flows and develop practical engineering solutions. His principal interests include boundary-layer control, dynamic stall, aeroacoustics and bio-inspired aerodynamic design, with applications across wind energy, aerospace and automotive engineering. His work connects fundamental understanding of flow behaviour with improvements in aerodynamic performance, energy efficiency and noise reduction.

Dr Shen leads WHOWL, a UKRI EPSRC-funded project investigating whale- and owl-inspired aerodynamic and aeroacoustic control for wind turbine blades. He has also led research projects funded by the Royal Society, UKRI NERC and Northern Accelerator, and co-leads Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. His PhD supervision covers wind turbine aerodynamics, dynamic stall and AI-assisted turbulence modelling, including research supported by the EPSRC-funded ReNU+ Centre for Doctoral Training.

He obtained his PhD in Aerodynamics from Queen Mary University of London and subsequently worked at Newcastle University on aerodynamic and thermal design. His international research experience also includes research exchanges such as in Tohoku University, Japan.

As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), Dr Shen integrates experimental and computational methods into engineering education, and supervises doctoral and postgraduate research across aerodynamics and related engineering disciplines.

Dr Shen has served as an invited reviewer for the European Research Council and as a guest editor for Applied Sciences and Machines. He also reviews for journals including Physics of Fluids, Energy, Ocean Engineering and The Aeronautical Journal. Through NUAL, he works with academic and industrial partners on aerodynamic research, wind tunnel testing and engineering applications.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Experimental and Computational Aerodynamics: Wind tunnel testing, flow visualisation and numerical simulation of boundary-layer behaviour, flow separation and unsteady flows.
Flow Control and Bio-inspired Design: Passive flow control, dynamic stall mitigation and biologically inspired aerofoil and blade design.
Aeroacoustics and Noise Reduction: Understanding aerodynamic noise generation and developing design strategies that improve aerodynamic and acoustic performance.
Wind Energy Aerodynamics: Wind turbine aerodynamics, blade aeroelasticity, wake interactions and floating offshore wind systems, including AI-assisted turbulence modelling.
Sustainable Aerospace and Automotive Aerodynamics: Aerodynamic design and optimisation for aircraft, propulsion systems and road vehicles.
Thermal Management and Energy Efficiency: Heat transfer enhancement and cooling design for electrical machines and industrial engineering systems.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Influence of curvature distribution smoothing on the reduction of aerofoil self-noise, Shen, X., Avital, E., Ikram, Z., Yang, L., Korakianitis, T., Dala, L. 24 Apr 2023, In: International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow
Effects of the height and chordwise installation of the vane-type vortex generators on the unsteady aerodynamics of a wind turbine airfoil undergoing dynamic stall, Zhu, C., Feng, Y., Shen, X., Dang, Z., Chen, J., Qiu, Y., Feng, Y., Wang, T. 1 Mar 2023, In: Energy
An efficient discrete velocity method with inner iteration for steady flows in all flow regimes, Yang, L., Shu, C., Wu, J., Liu, Y., Shen, S. 1 Feb 2022, In: Physics of Fluids
Comparison of Blade Aeroelastic Responses between Upwind and Downwind of 10 MW Wind Turbines under the Shear Wind Condition, Kang, H., Xu, B., Shen, X., Li, Z., Cai, X., Hu, Z. 8 Mar 2023, In: Energies
Experimental Study of Surface Curvature Effects on Aerodynamic Performance of a Low Reynolds Number Airfoil, Shen, X., Avital, E., Paul, G., Rezaienia, M., Wen, P., Korakianitis, T. Sep 2016, In: Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Research on the mechanisms of dynamic stall of the wind turbine blades equipped with vortex generators, Shen, S. (Principal Investigator), The Royal Society, 18/05/20 - 31/03/22, £12,000.00

PGR Supervision

Vlad Volodkovic Dynamic Stall Mitigation in Wind Turbine Blades Using Bio-Inspired Aerodynamic Modifications Start Date: 06/01/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Frank Wigglesworth Next-Generation Wind Turbulence Modelling with AI Integration Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Frank Wigglesworth Next-Generation Wind Turbulence Modelling with AI Integration Start Date: 25/03/2026
Vlad Volodkovic Dynamic Stall Mitigation in Wind Turbine Blades Using Bio-Inspired Aerodynamic Modifications Start Date: 06/01/2025