Dr Bahareh Zaghari receives Royal Aeronautical Society Written Paper Prize Award

Dr Bahareh Zaghari, Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Science and member of the Electrical Power Engineering (EPE) research group at the University of Southampton, has been awarded a Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Written Paper Prize as co-author of a recent study on battery-electric flight. 

The prize recognises the paper “Take-off performance of a single engine battery-electric aeroplane”, published in The Aeronautical Journal and co-authored with Professor Guy Gratton, Dr Thomas Delaney and Dr Gary Kendall. The work investigates the take-off performance of the 300 kg Sherwood eKub battery-electric aeroplane and shows that robust performance prediction must explicitly account for time at full throttle and battery state of charge. The study introduces the concept of a minimum indicated state of charge for take-off, linked to regulatory requirements on minimum climb performance, and demonstrates how these factors influence safe and efficient operation of electric aircraft. 

The RAeS Written Paper Prizes celebrate the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal in the preceding year, recognising contributions that advance and communicate aerospace science and engineering across the global community. 

Dr Zaghari’s success highlights the growing impact of EPE research in electrified aircraft, sensors and machine learning, and electrical power systems, and strengthens Southampton’s role in the development of low-emission aviation technologies.