Professor Claudia Polese has a strong background in aeronautical metal structures and innovative aerospace technologies. She obtained her Masters and PhD at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Pisa, Italy. She worked as Research Engineer at the Institute of Materials Research of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany, and in two European Framework Programmes focused on advanced structural concepts. In 2009 she was appointed Associate Professor in Aerospace Manufacturing and Design at the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering of the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), Johannesburg, South Africa, and Advisory Aerospace Research Director of the National Aerospace Centre (NAC). A National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher from 2011 and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Prof. Polese is also deeply involved in the activities of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials (CoE-SM), and she is currently Head of Aeronautical Engineering Stream in the School. Prof. Polese has significantly strengthened the South African research in the area of cutting edge technologies, in particular Laser Shock Peening, in collaboration with the National Laser Centre of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Airbus, and several international institutions.