Rate My Professor Nicola Bailey

Dr. Nicola Bailey is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering at King’s College London. She earned her PhD in Analysis of Dynamical Performance and Contact for a High Speed Thrust Bearing including Slip Effects from the University of Nottingham in 2015 and an MMath from the same university in 2014. Bailey's research focuses on understanding and advancing complex nonlinear mechanical systems, with applications in next-generation technologies including robotics, ultra-precision manufacturing mechanisms, assistive technology, and turbomachinery. Her specific interests encompass precision control of autonomous systems in robotics and manufacturing, development of upper limb prosthetics and devices for people with limb difference, prediction of behaviour in complex non-linear systems such as fusion energy devices, and advancement of novel bearing and seal technologies. She contributes to key research groups at King’s, including Design & Mechatronics, Computational Engineering, Manufacturing, Materials & Systems, and the Centre for Robotics Research, addressing challenges in society through robot-centric approaches and supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Good Health and Well-being, and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

Bailey has secured funding for several projects, including as Principal Investigator for the MRC-funded 'Scanning the world; an accessible and sustainable approach for limb difference care' (2025–2026), EPSRC-supported 'Affordable myoelectric hand prosthetic to improve the users experience' (2024–2025), and others on sustainable seals and digital manufacturing strategies. Her notable publications include 'Modelling and analysis of non-contacting mechanical face seals with axial disturbances and misalignment' (Tribology International, 2026), 'The nonlinear characteristics of large deflection multi-section flexure-based compliant mechanisms' (Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2026), 'Demystifying upper limb hybrid prostheses—a scoping review' (Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 2025), and contributions to prosthetic foot analyses and demographic studies from Sri Lankan databases (2025). She has received prestigious awards such as the EPSRC Doctoral Prize (2014), Global Power & Propulsion Society Early Career Award (2022), EPSRC WES Ambassadors for Women in Engineering (2023), Best Application Award (2024), and British Applied Mathematics Colloquium Best Student Poster Prize (2012).