Hugues PerrinPhD Candidate @ ÉTS

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineer · Montréal

Simulation and optimization of thermo-mechanical systems

From racecar aerodynamics to hybrid rocket combustion — CFD, vehicle dynamics, and the correlation work that proves a model against real data. CAD, CFD/FEA, data analysis and manufacturing, taken end to end.

View projectsFull CV
External aerodynamicsCombustion simulationVehicle dynamicsThermo-mechanical optimizationManufacturingApplied fluid mechanics
Formule ETS team with their car at the Pittsburgh Shootout

MANIC-24 at the 2024 Pittsburgh Shootout

Maximum points in every event, first overall against 40+ teams

Research data and public reports are free to access.

Selected results

Podium finishes across various student competitions (FSAE, Solar, Baja)
10Podium finishes across various student competitions (FSAE, Solar, Baja)
Aerodynamics Design score, FSAE Electric 2025 - Michigan
15 / 15Aerodynamics Design score, FSAE Electric 2025 - Michigan
of hands-on experience, whether through academic or student R&D
4 yearsof hands-on experience, whether through academic or student R&D
Student engineers and research interns mentored (teams, TAs, etc.)
100+Student engineers and research interns mentored (teams, TAs, etc.)

Selected work

About

I’m a mechanical and aerospace engineer specializing in the optimization of thermo-mechanical systems. I turn complex problems into clean experiments, clear visuals and decisive engineering actions through carefully analyzed data.

My toolkit spans CFD (RANS, URANS, LES), instrumentation, data analysis and performance optimization. Correlation is the cornerstone of all of it — wind tunnel, on-track testing, or a carefully built methodology. A model nobody has checked against reality is a hypothesis, not a result.

Motorsport is where I want to work: the competitive spirit, the pressure and the attention to detail suit how I operate. I’m equally drawn to aerospace, particularly rocket propulsion alongside more classical aerodynamics. Being part of a team and pushing it to succeed is the part I care about most.

I am currently enrolled in a PhD program at École de technologie supérieure, in Montréal where I work on experimental fluid dynamics applied to internal bodily fluids through applied microfluidics.

Areas of expertise

  • Aerodynamics modelling by CFD
  • Combustion and propulsion
  • Surface and solid CAD
  • Project leadership for technical teams
  • Welding processes for manufacturing
  • Composites design and manufacturing
  • Vehicle dynamics — tyre and kinematics
  • Trackside tooling and telemetry
  • Lap-time simulation for aerodynamics
  • AI-based performance prediction
  • Data-engineering tooling

Experience

The recent and relevant record. The CV page carries the complete history, plus education and certifications.

Full CV

Aerodynamics & Chassis Lead, then Co-captain

Formule ETS

· Montréal, Canada

  • Led the 2025 aerodynamic package to a perfect 15/15 design score at FSAE Electric.
  • Built the automated aeromap and mesh generation pipeline, cutting a design iteration from days to hours.
  • Implemented and validated a parameterized cornering aerodynamics model, and derived it into a lap-time simulator.
  • Optimized the DELTA carbon-fibre monocoque for stiffness and aerodynamic integration, owning the Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet.
  • Co-captained a 30-person multidisciplinary team, running sponsorship, school relations and internal HR.
  • Ran cluster access for all CFD operations and trained the incoming aerodynamics members.

Master's Thesis — CFD and AI-driven optimization

LARCASE

· Montréal, Canada

  • Led a team of 12 interns through the creation and validation of CFD models, sustaining research output through high turnover.
  • Produced the CFD dataset behind an AI surrogate that predicts tubercle leading-edge performance without a full solve.
  • Ran adjoint optimization of the UAS-S45 wing towards in-flight morphing.
  • Modelled across RANS, URANS and LES.

CFD Simulation Department Founder

ROCKÉTS

· Montréal, Canada

  • Founded the CFD department of the ÉTS student rocketry team.
  • Correlated a paraffin–N2O combustion model to live-fire and in-flight data to within 3%.
  • Designed injector plates and nozzles that raised engine thrust, plus a new paraffin fuel cartridge method.
  • Designed and ran the live-fire test plans that the CFD validation depends on.

Education

PhD in Engineering

École de Technologie Supérieure · Current

Internal fluid dynamics, microfluidics, biology, medical sciences, experimental fluid dynamics

M.Sc Aerospace Engineering

École de Technologie Supérieure · 2024–2026

Aerodynamics, combustion, CFD, composites, thermodynamics, AI and neural networks.

M.Eng Mechanical Engineering

Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbéliard · 2019–2024

Design, modelling, additive manufacturing, materials science, FEA, CFD, fluid and solid mechanics, optimization.

Tools

Design

Rhinoceros 3DCATIA V53DEXPERIENCESiemens NXSolidWorksOptimumK

Simulation

STAR-CCM+ANSYS Fluent / Mechanical / ACPABAQUSOpenFOAMSU2-CFDnTop

Data and reporting

PythonMATLABParaViewMoTeC i2 ProLaTeXExcel

Languages

French (native)English (C1)Spanish (B2)Chinese (A2)

Get in touch

Open to roles in motorsport, aerospace and applied CFD research.

Email

For anything tied to a specific project — data, templates, papers, courses — the Archives page lists what is available and what can be requested. If you can’t find what you are looking for, feel free to send a contact form.

Send a message