More than 25 years of teaching recognised

 

He has taught students from first year undergraduates to postgraduates since 1986; modules have included aircraft propulsion, thermodynamics and hypersonic and high temperature gas dynamics, the last of these being one of his main research interests. He also teaches on the Space Systems Engineering short courses provided for ESA and industry by the Faculty's Astronautics Research Group.

A Southampton alumnus who took his bachelor's and PhD degrees at the University, Graham spent two years in industry before returning as an academic.

He still relishes lecturing and enjoyed the opportunity to teach the comprehensive first year module "An Introduction to Aeronautics and Astronautics" in the last academic year.  "120 first years joined us in autumn 2011, which I think is a record. Our students are highly talented and engage well with their lecturers. I believe the quality of our intake is now higher than when I was an undergraduate here," he says.

Graham frequently meets Southampton alumni when he takes today's students on visits to Rolls-Royce in Derby or Bristol.  "It is always good to find out what they are doing; keeping in touch with former students and seeing how their careers develop is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an academic" he says.