Professor Wesley Cantwell is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and the Director of the Aerospace Research and Innovation Center at Khalifa University. He was awarded his MSc (1982) and PhD (1985) degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College, London. Following his graduate studies, he joined the Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne (EPFL) Switzerland, where he worked for nine years as a research scientist. He then joined the University of Liverpool, where he worked as a Lecturer, Reader, and Professor until joining Khalifa University in 2012. During this time, he directed a research group focusing on the mechanical properties of lightweight materials and structures. He has published 230 journal papers on composites, fracture, manufacturing technologies, and non-destructive testing. He is a member of the editorial board of a number of international journals, including Composites Science and Technology and the International Journal of Impact Engineering.