In a wide-ranging interview with City St George's News, Dr Rosti shares his insights into the field of fluid dynamics and quality STEM infrastructure.
By Dr Shamim Quadir (Senior Communications Officer), Published
On Wednesday 28 October, 2026, the School of Science & Technology at City St George's, University of London will honour four of its most outstanding alumni at its fifth, annual STEM Alumni Awards ceremony.
This year Dr Marco Edoardo Rosti (PhD Aeronautical Engineering in 2016) will receive the Excellence in STEM Achievement Alumni Award.
In a wide-ranging interview with City St George's News, Dr Rosti shares his insights into the field of fluid dynamics and quality STEM infrastructure.
Dr Rosti earned his PhD at the former City, University of London, and is currently a tenured Associate Professor at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), where he has led the Complex Fluids and Flows Unit since 2020.
He has received the RYUMON Award of the Japanese Society of Fluid Mechanics (2020), the Andrea Prosperetti Award of the International Journal of Multiphase Flow (2025), and the François Frenkiel Award for Fluid Mechanics of the American Physical Society (2025).
He is currently serving as Associate Editor of the European Journal of Mechanics B/Fluids, and he has earned recognition for excellence in reviewing from J. Fluid Mech. (Outstanding Reviewers 2023) and Phys. Rev. Fluids (Reviewer Excellence Award 2025).
CSG News: What were your motivations for studying at City St George's?
MER:
CSG News: What were the highlights and challenges during your PhD in Aeronautical Engineering at City St George’s?
MER:
"I was very fortunate to receive strong support from both Professor Pinelli, and my co-advisor, Professor Omidyeganeh, throughout my doctoral studies. I also met many other students and researchers at City, who made my time there both enjoyable and memorable.
"From a research perspective, one of the major highlights was learning to perform massive parallel numerical simulations of (air) flows around wings without relying on modelling assumptions. Being able to conduct simulations at such a large scale sparked my passion for numerical simulations and high-performance computing, which continues to be a central part of my research today.
"The main challenge was learning how to manage research projects that could take months to complete. Large simulations require substantial computational resources and long preparation and execution times, so I learned to plan carefully, work on several projects in parallel, and develop rigorous procedures to minimise mistakes. A small error in a code can otherwise mean losing months of work!
CSG News: How did your doctoral study at City St George’s assist you in transitioning to your present role?
MER:
"It also made me appreciate the rewarding role that a researcher can play in advising and mentoring the next generation of students. This experience ultimately convinced me to pursue an academic career, combining research with teaching and supervision.
"I particularly valued the international environment at City St George’s, and this has remained an important part of my career. Today, I continue to work with and mentor students and researchers from many different countries, and I am very happy to provide them with the kind of international research experience that was so valuable to me during my PhD.
CSG News: What have been your career highlights in the field of aeronautical engineering?
MER:
"This device addressed a critical safety need in coal mining by providing precise and reliable methane detection, and it has now been deployed in over 2,000 coal mines across China. These sensors became a vital part of the broader automation and safety IoT [Internet of Things] ecosystem, contributing to an 80-fold improvement in coal mine safety over the past 20 years.
"The same laser methane technology has also been adapted for lithium battery power storage facilities, providing early warnings of thermal runaway and helping prevent potential disasters. This work demonstrates how foundational measurement technologies can be applied to meet emerging critical safety challenges across industries.
CSG News: Why would you recommend City St George’s as a place to study STEM and specifically aeronautical engineering?
MER:
"In aeronautical engineering, I had the opportunity to work on challenging problems in fluid mechanics and computational aerodynamics, while developing advanced computational skills and becoming an independent researcher.
"As previously mentioned, I would also strongly recommend City St George’s for its international environment. It was my first experience living and working abroad, and interacting with students and researchers from different backgrounds gave me both valuable perspectives and the confidence to pursue an international academic career.
CSG News: What are the main issues facing the UK in terms of STEM from your perspective?
MER:
Another challenge is ensuring sustained investment in research and infrastructure. In fields such as computational science, progress depends not only on talented researchers, but also on access to state-of-the-art facilities, high-performance computing and long-term research support. Maintaining this infrastructure is very important to remain internationally competitive.
Attend the awards and panel discussion
Register your attendance to the STEM Alumni Awards 2026, Wednesday 28 October at City St George's, University of London's Clerkenwell campus.