Dr Tore Butlin

Dr Tore Butlin, MA, MEng, PhD. Associate Professor in Dynamics and Vibration and Hugh Champion Fellow in Engineering.

College

Supervisions at Queens’ college for first and second undergraduates are organised so that students have fewer supervisors covering several courses, providing more continuity and a broader perspective. I supervise second year Engineering students for Electrical Circuits, Electrical Power, Electromagnetic Waves, Linear Systems and Control, Communications, Signal and Data Analysis, Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Probability.  This combination reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the Cambridge Engineering course: my own research area is Mechanical Engineering, but these topics are all interconnected.

Research

My research aims to predict, understand, exploit and control vibration across a wide range of contexts. I work on active noise control, predicting audio-frequency vibration propagation through automotive suspension systems to improve active noise reduction in cars. In the area of energy harvesting, I find novel ways to improve the power output of small- and large-scale devices that can extract vibrational or wave energy from their surroundings. Another area of interest is turbine blade dynamics, where I develop novel tools for predicting vibration of periodic arrays of blades with friction damping when there is uncertainty and complex loading. I investigate friction-induced vibration (e.g. vehicle brake squeal) and I am interested in developing new techniques to measure and model friction interfaces between vibrating surfaces. More broadly, I work on finding new ways to combine Machine Learning techniques with mechanical models to make best use of data and physical knowledge. A common theme of my research is to integrate theory, numerical modelling, data-driven methods, and experimental testing to develop predictive tools and physical insight for structurally complex and challenging systems.

Department

I am a member of the Division C (Mechanics, Materials and Design) teaching staff for the Department of Engineering, where I lecture first-year mechanics as well as third- and fourth-year courses on vibration. In 2025 I received the Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching, an annual award to academic staff who have been nominated by Departments within the University.