J. Rafael (Rafa) Castrejon-Pita is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. Rafael’s career includes a PhD from Imperial College, 9 years in the University of Cambridge as an Isaac Newton Trust fellow, and a Senior Lectureship in Queen Mary University of London. Rafa’s research activities are focused on the science of droplets, inkjet and additive manufacturing. In particular, his studies are centred on the topic of droplet formation, impact and coalescence, which are important in several practical contexts and are major themes of research in fluid mechanics. Among other works, his experiments have been used to confirm whether a liquid can breakup or not into drops, or can splash or not on impact.  His recent studies have also demonstrated the breakup universality of inviscid and viscid fluids. In the field of 3D printing, his experiments have shown that peptide-based bio-gels can be printed by inkjet methods to produce complex skin cell structures. In fact, his studies are often covered by the wider international media such as the New Scientist, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics, Physics World, and Wired. 

Rafa’s industrial reach is extensive and includes spin-off collaborations with companies such as Airbus, Inca Digital Printers Ltd, Domino Printing Science, and Dstl. Rafael currently leads two Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in collaboration with Xaar plc and Archipelago Technology, and co-leads the EPSRC Special Interest Group in Droplet dynamics.