Recently, SIMULIA introduced the 2020 SIMULIA Champions, the inaugural team of brand ambassadors whose expertise and passion position them to advance the future of simulation technology. In this series of blogs, we will be introducing some of our individual SIMULIA Champions, finding out more about their history – and future – with the technology.
Dr. Feng Feng is a Technical Fellow in Structural Discipline with Collins Aerospace, based in Connecticut. He is a longtime user of Abaqus, going back to his time in graduate school. Dr. Feng received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in China, then moved to the United States to pursue a doctorate at UCLA, a university of which he is very proud.
After receiving his doctorate in Solid and Structural Mechanics and working for a while in a postdoc position at UCLA, Dr. Feng accepted a position with SIMULIA, where he worked as an Advanced Application Developer, offering technical support and consulting. He made several valuable contributions to the company with the development of new algorithms and customizations.
He would then move on to Collins Aerospace, which is one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense product suppliers.
“We make almost all of the components in an aircraft,” says Dr. Feng. “All travelers in the air should know Collins Aerospace, because every aircraft has Collins products.”
Dr. Feng also helps develop curriculum and improve training processes for his employer. From a young age, he was interested in science and wanted to be an engineer.
“All we are doing is trying to make something real,” he says. “That is the purpose of engineering; we want to create a real product for our society, for our world. I really like to help society and the environment…I really hope that from engineering work we can help the world, help the earth.”
He gives the reduction of aircraft weight as an example of how engineering has helped the environment. Less weight means not only lower cost but less fuel, which reduces greenhouse gases.
One of his greatest challenges was the failure of a check valve, an aircraft component that helps keep air pressure and oxygen stable in the cabin. A failed check valve could potentially have cost Collins Aerospace a great deal of money, but by using simulation, Dr. Feng and his team were able to assess the failure location and life of the component, finding and fixing the problem and saving the company millions of dollars.
Technology never stops changing, which is what drives Dr. Feng’s passion for his work.
“Curiosity toward new technology is the key in making me go to work,” he says. “I enjoy solving challenges and problems and learning new technology.”
He admits, however, that his dream job was always to be a college professor, and he hasn’t ruled out the idea of one day becoming an adjunct professor at a university.
“When I was in college or graduate school, I saw what the professors were doing – research, teaching people, sharing their knowledge with students, helping students to get their careers developed,” he says. “I really liked what they were doing.”
Outside of work, Dr. Feng enjoys spending time with his 11-year-old son, as well as playing chess – Chinese chess or international chess – and cooking.
SIMULIA is pleased to welcome Dr. Feng Feng into the 2020 SIMULIA Champions program and excited to continue working with him in the future. Stay tuned to the blog to learn more about our other 2020 SIMULIA Champions.
SIMULIA offers an advanced simulation product portfolio, including Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, Tosca, Simpoe-Mold, SIMPACK, CST Studio Suite, XFlow, PowerFLOW and more. The SIMULIA Learning Community is the place to find the latest resources for SIMULIA software and to collaborate with other users. The key that unlocks the door of innovative thinking and knowledge building, the SIMULIA Learning Community provides you with the tools you need to expand your knowledge, whenever and wherever.
