Dr Unal Yildirim

I am a Lecturer in Engineering Management with a background shaped by the interface of academic research and industry-facing practice. My professional journey has taken me from the UK - where I developed expertise in systems engineering methodology through university research closely tied to the automotive sector - to China, where I was part of a Sino-British collaboration delivering joint engineering education.

Early in my career I contributed to industry-partnered projects alongside engineers at Ford Motor Company and, later, Jaguar Land Rover, tackling real-world challenges in complex systems design and failure prevention. These experiences have given me a practical appreciation for the gap between engineering theory and what actually works under industrial conditions - a perspective that continues to shape both my research thinking and my approach to working with students.

At the heart of my work is a long-standing interest in making complex engineering systems more predictable, safer, and better understood - particularly at the early stages of design, before problems become costly or dangerous. I am driven by a genuine interest in these challenges at a time when increasing autonomy, digital integration, and AI are raising fundamentally new questions about how we design, verify, and trust the systems around us.

My research sits at the intersection of systems engineering and engineering management, with a focus on how complex systems can be designed to avoid failure from the outset - rather than simply detecting or correcting faults after the fact.

A central theme of my work is Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA), a proactive design philosophy that embeds safety and reliability thinking into the earliest stages of system development. Alongside this, I apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) - an approach that uses structured, digital models to represent and manage the full complexity of modern engineering systems, replacing traditional document-heavy processes with integrated, living system descriptions.

Much of my applied work has been grounded in the automotive sector, where I contributed to the development of frameworks that support robust system design and rigorous safety analysis in real-world industrial contexts. More recently, my research has expanded towards autonomous systems - exploring how we can provide credible safety assurances for systems that make decisions independently, often in unpredictable environments.

I am also investigating the role of MBSE and FMA in two emerging and strategically important domains: Digital Manufacturing - where physical production processes are increasingly mirrored and managed through digital models - and Dual-use Technology Development, where engineering systems must satisfy both civilian and defence-related requirements simultaneously.

I welcome applications from prospective research students in the following (non-exhaustive) areas:

• Failure Mode Avoidance (FMA) in Complex Systems - developing and extending proactive safety methodologies for large-scale, safety-critical engineering systems
• Safety Analysis Methods for Autonomous Systems - formal, model-based, and AI-assisted approaches to assuring the safety of self-governing systems in dynamic environments
• Safety Assurance in Complex Cyber-Physical Systems - addressing the challenges of certifying systems where physical components are tightly coupled with software, networks, and data
• MBSE Integration in Digital Manufacturing - applying model-based approaches to improve traceability, consistency, and safety in digitally-driven production environments
• Dual-use Technology Development - systems engineering frameworks that navigate the regulatory, ethical, and technical complexity of technologies with both civilian and defence applications

I am also happy to support strong candidates applying for externally funded scholarships (e.g. CSC, Commonwealth). If you have a well-defined research interest that aligns with any of the above areas - or a related topic you would like to discuss - please feel free to get in touch via email. I am particularly interested in hearing from candidates with backgrounds in systems engineering, mechanical or electronic engineering, computer science, or engineering management.

Engineering Management and Business Simulation (EG2008)

Engineering Project Management (EG7311)

Lean and Quality Engineering (EG7322)

Academic Co-Lead, Formula Student Club

Academic Co-Lead, Innova Student Club

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

PhD, University of Bradford, UK (Field: Systems Engineering - Function Modelling of Complex Multidisciplinary Systems)

MSc, Automotive Engineering (Vehicle Technology and Management), University of Bradford, UK

BSc, Mechanical Engineering, Sakarya University, Turkiye