Rowan Gollan

Dr Rowan Gollan was awarded his PhD in the field of Aerospace Engineering from UQ in 2009, where he was awarded the 2010 John Simmons Prize for best thesis in the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering and The University of Queensland Dean's Award for Outstanding Research Higher Degree Thesis. From August 2008, while his thesis was under examination, Rowan took up a position as a research scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center in the United States, working in the Hypersonic Airbreathing Propulsion Branch. Rowan returned to UQ in January 2012 in a position funded by the Defence Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO). In his role as an aerodynamic analyst, Rowan uses state-of-the-art hypersonic analysis techniques to simulate an experimental flight vehicle. Dr Gollan was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), which he commenced in 2014. DECRA Project summary: Next-generation launch vehicles using high-speed jet engines will make it cheaper and more reliable for humankind to engage in activities in space. This project will contribute to the technology of high-speed jet engines by developing optimised air intake systems. The research aims to advance the use of computational engineering and apply this to improve the design of air intake systems. The outcomes of this project will advance the technology of high-speed jet engines with the goal of replacing existing rocket systems. Hypersonic aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking, scramjet propulsion, boundary layer transition, nonequilibrium reacting flows

[2026] Flight envelope analysis of hypersonic leading-edge using electron transpiration cooling. Gibbons, Nicholas, Damm, Kyle and Gollan, Rowan (2026). Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, 40 (1), 177-188. doi: 10.2514/1.t7072 [2025] Lua and lunar re-entry: experiences with Lua for modelling and simulation of high-speed aerodynamics. Gollan, Rowan J. and Jacobs, Peter A. (2025). Journal of Computer Languages, 85 101356, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.cola.2025.101356 [2025] Altitude-optimised magnetic field strength for enhanced magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking during venus entry. van Oeveren, Sebastiaan B., Gildfind, David E., Wheatley, Vincent and Gollan, Rowan (2025). AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum, Orlando, FL, United States, 6-10 January 2025. Reston, VA, United States: American Institute of Ae