Irene Fernandez Villegas

Irene Fernandez Villegas serves as an Associate Professor in Aerospace Structures and Materials at TU Delft, where she has established herself as a leading authority in thermoplastic composites and welding technologies. After completing her aerospace engineering degree and PhD in Resistance Welding of Thermoplastic Composites at the Polytechnical University of Madrid (UPM) in 2005, she worked at Spain's National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) before joining TU Delft in 2008. Her research team has made groundbreaking advances in ultrasonic welding of composite structures over the past 12 years, with their technology now being recognized by Airbus for implementation in new aircraft designs. Her persistence and innovative approach led to the successful industrialization of ultrasonic welding technology, despite initial skepticism from industry leaders. Beyond technical innovations, she emphasizes the importance of combining technological advances with behavioral changes to achieve sustainability goals in aviation. Her current research interests extend to exploring how new technologies can be leveraged to design more sustainable aircraft structures, contributing to the aerospace industry's environmental objectives