Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester

Each of the former departments had long histories of excellence in engineering [3][4] including James Prescott Joule's part in the foundation of what was to become UMIST, Joseph Whitworth's contribution to founding both institutions and Osborne Reynolds's [5] study of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics in the 1890s.

[6] These in their turn were replaced in the 1960s by the Simon Engineering Building in Brunswick Street,[7] finished in mid-1962.

Staff expertise encompasses a wide range of topics including aerospace, manufacturing and laser processing, extreme loading and design, structural engineering, fire engineering, process industries, nano-engineering, energy, environment and climate change, management of projects and nuclear graphite technology.

As of 2018[update] the Head of School is Alice Larkin, Prof of Climate Science & Energy Policy.

The wide range of degree courses offered by the School are supported by extensive computational and experimental facilities such as the largest tilting flume in the world,[10] built in conjunction with the Mason Centre for Environmental Flows and a £6 million upgrade of the George Begg Building which was also recently[when?]