Elsie Murimi

Thesis research into the effect of shark-skin inspired surface textures on reducing friction drag on aircraft surfaces.

• Currently designing optimised airfoil models with micro-riblet surface textures with the aim of achieving up to 7% drag reduction.
• Conducting wind tunnel experiments at UNSW Aerolab to observe and optimise the drag reduction performance of the riblet textures.
• Researching scalable, sub-millimetre surface fabrication methods such as laser cutting for the commercialisation of the textures.

Provides project administration support and monitors product development processes at UNSW.

• Designed a new digital network sub-infrastructure using Raspberry Pi scripting for commissioning of new IoT devices.
• Supported and managed the deployment of over 150 environmental sensors across 12 buildings to enhance real-time monitoring of occupancy and air quality as part of UNSW’s Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) initiative.
• Created and updated architectural models for 10+ UNSW buildings using AutoCAD to accurately document sensor placements and integration points.

Worked within a team of 4 students embedded within the Purchasing Team of Gate Gourmet Japan, a global aviation catering provider operating across 19 airlines and producing up to 12,000 meals daily at Narita and Haneda airports.

• Conducted stakeholder consultations with the GGJ Purchasing Team and applied double diamond and 5W1H frameworks to systematically define the root causes of recurring out-of-stock and substitution failures affecting their operations.
• Applied Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) to map causal relationships between ten procurement KPI variables, constructing adjacency and binary matrices from stakeholder survey data to demonstrate how failures in their supply chain propagate from root causes to downstream outcomes.
• Collaborated with my team to design and deliver a Master KPI Excel reporting tool using VBA macros and automated data visualisations, replacing manual monthly workflows and enabling data-driven purchasing decisions.
• Produced a 7 module procedure handbook to standardise team workflows and support scalable, sustainable adoption of the new reporting system across the purchasing department.

Competed in the 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) competition.

• Led in the Ground Mission in the AIAA competition in designing the wing internal structure to stand the extreme mission loads.
• Assisted in performing FEA analysis using Ansys software on the aircraft wing structure to optimize the rib design to withstand a test weight of up to 30% of its maximum aircraft weight.
• Optimised the wing assembly such that extra features such as the jamming antenna could be attached within 2 minutes with minimum bending stress and strain on the wings.

Elected as the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Grievance officer at UNSW Aerospace Society.

• Led in coordinating and running a mentoring program for young Aerospace Engineering students to discover their career goals.
• Worked with our Executive Team to plan 5 Aerospace site visits to support the professional growth of our student members.
• Organised the collaborations with various industry partners such as Airbus to hold networking events with experienced engineers and connect our members with suitable career mentors.

Engineering intern at the Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) museum.

• Received mentorship from retired Qantas pilots and aircraft engineers to develop my career goals at an early stage.
• Assisted in a 6 month restoration project of the 1954 Queen’s DC-3 plane by conducting tests and repairs of the flight controls, instrumentation and replacement of the starter motor, hydraulic pumps and actuators.
• Led in CAD design of a seat lock system using SolidWorks for the CA-25 Winjeel pilot seat using 6061 T-6 aluminium due to an in-flight latch system failure.
• Led in the RAAF-707 project to overhaul the interior of the aircraft with Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic and replace cabin seats with modern furnishings.