Roland Schmehl graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1994 and received a PhD degree in 2003 from Karlsruhe University. He continued his research on computational modelling of multi-phase flows as a post-doctoral research fellow and then as a propulsion engineer at the European Space Agency, investigating, among others, a start-up anomaly of Ariane 5’s hypergolic upper-stage engine. In 2005, he started working as a software architect with TNO Automotive Safety Solutions in Delft, developing a simulation tool for airbag deployment, and in 2009, joined the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of Delft University of Technology as an associate professor. Leading the pioneering Kite Power research group, he focuses on the multi-disciplinary challenges of airborne wind energy. In 2016 with Johannes Peschel, he co-founded the university spin-off company Kitepower BV, which is developing a 100 kW kite power system.