Year 13 at King's College School, Wimbledon

Hi, I'm Ashwin. I build things that have to work for real.

A student engineer in London working on EV chassis, CanSats and race cars, and curious about the economics that decide what gets built.

See my work ↗ Get in touch

Ashwin walking into the REGENT sea glider hangar — REGENT, Rhode Island

Ashwin on stage hosting an IGNITE session with a BP speaker — Hosting IGNITE

Ashwin performing a kick at the British Taekwondo Nationals — Taekwondo Nationals

Selected work

Things I've designed and built.

All projects ↗

Published research

4.6×Higher chassis safety factor

100+FEA iterations run

11Grade 9 (I)GCSEs

1550SAT score

Recently

What I've been up to.

Experience ↗

July 2026

Tech Mahindra

Platform economics client project for Bentley Motors

↗ 2026

Published in the National High School Journal of Science

My EV chassis research, also presented at Sigma Xi

↗ 2026

John Locke Essay Competition

Commendation in Economics

↗ 2026

BPhO Senior Physics Challenge

Gold Award

↗

Let's talk engineering.

Research collaborations, speakers for IGNITE, or just a conversation about EVs and F1.

Email me ↗ View resume

About

Curious about how things work, and why they fail.

I'm in my final year of school (Year 13) at King's College School, Wimbledon, where I study the IB Diploma. I'm most interested in the space where physics, engineering and economics meet.

Education

Where I study.

King's College School, Wimbledon

Year 13, final year of Senior School · Sep 2022 to Present · London

IB Diploma, Higher LevelMathematics AA, Physics, Chemistry

IB Diploma, Standard LevelPhilosophy, Chinese, English

Year 12 IB examsTop of year, 7s in all

SAT1550 · English 760 · Maths 790

(I)GCSEs

11 grade 9s, one of 116 students in the UK

I scored 100% in Further Mathematics
I won the L6th Physics Prize, placing 1st out of a cohort of 100+ physics students

MathematicsFurther MathsPhysics ChemistryBiologyComputer Science GeographyEnglish LanguageEnglish Literature MandarinFrench

Skills

What I work with.

Technical

CAD (Fusion 360)FEACFD PythonJavaScriptHTML 3D PrintingGraphic DesignDaVinci Resolve

Languages

EnglishNative

TamilMother tongue

FrenchProficient

MandarinProficient

Beyond the lab

When I'm not engineering.

Taekwondo

I'm a 2nd Dan black belt and national level athlete. I won Team Silver at the 2024 British Taekwondo National Poomsae Championships, and coach 12 juniors as an Assistant Coach at Putney Taekwondo Club.

A younger Ashwin playing a grand piano in concert

Music

I'm a classical pianist with ABRSM Grade 7 Distinction and won the All Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. I also produce my own tracks and play in The 22s, a rock band that performed an original song live to 400+ people.

Formula 1

F1 is where my interest in vehicle engineering started, and it still shapes how I think about chassis, aerodynamics and performance.

Want to see what I've built?

From structural analysis on a real EV to a CanSat judged by ESA.

See my projects ↗

Projects

Things I've designed, built and argued for.

My research and projects, from structural analysis on a real EV to a CanSat judged by ESA, to a question about who really controls money.

EV Chassis StratoSat F1 in Schools Economics Research

Research · Nov 2025 to May 2026

Payload Responsive EV Chassis

Independent author, with Accelo Mobility, an EV startup backed by SINE IIT Bombay

Published

CAD render of the semi spaceframe chassis — CAD model

FEA under load

The problem

I found a gap in commercial EV platforms. Most are retrofitted from petrol and diesel vehicles, and their rigid frames can't cope with loads that change at every delivery stop. That causes instability, faster wear and a real risk of battery fires.

What I did

I designed an optimised semi spaceframe chassis in CAD and ran more than 100 FEA iterations across the load conditions a delivery vehicle actually sees. I traded reinforcement against weld access and material cost so the design stays manufacturable and affordable in emerging markets.

The outcome

My design increased the safety factor by 4.6x over a ladder frame baseline. The research was published in the National High School Journal of Science, and I presented it at the Sigma Xi Student Research Conference.

Read the paper ↗ Sigma Xi showcase ↗

4.6×Higher safety factor

100+FEA iterations

~1%Journal acceptance rate

Sigma XiResearch conference presenter

Competition · Sep 2025 to Mar 2026

StratoSat: UK CanSat Competition

Project Manager and Recovery System Lead · Run by ESA and ESERO UK

Past UK Regionals

My role

I was Project Manager and Recovery System Lead. I led project planning and risk analysis, and wrote the design review documents we submitted to the ESA and ESERO judges.

What I built

I designed and built the recovery parachute from first principles, sizing the canopy area and measuring the opening shock loads myself. I also helped with the CAD and 3D printing of our PLA structure.

The outcome

Our team scored 100% in the Preliminary Design Review and 32 out of 34 in the Critical Design Review, and we made it past the UK regionals.

100%PDR score

32/34CDR score

ESAJudged competition

Competition · Sep 2025 to Mar 2026

F1 in Schools: Orca Racing

Team Leader and Aerodynamics Lead

Team Leader

My role

I led the Orca Racing team and owned the aerodynamics of our car.

What I did

I developed the full aerodynamic concept in CAD through iterative CFD analysis, all within the technical regulations.

The outcome

I built our engineering portfolio and helped deliver the technical presentations to the judges. We also secured corporate sponsorship for the team.

Independent Research · 2025 to 2026

Decentralised Finance and Payment Infrastructure

Independent economics research

John Locke Commendation

The question

I wanted to know whether a cashless economy is risky in itself, or whether the risk depends on who controls the payment infrastructure.

My argument

I compared payment systems in India, China, Nigeria and Sweden, and argued that control is what matters. I then extended the analysis to stablecoins, looking at how money moving outside banks could weaken monetary policy and dollarise deposits in emerging markets.

The outcome

My essay received a Commendation in Economics at the 2026 John Locke Essay Competition.

4Countries compared

2026John Locke Commendation

See where I've put this into practice.

My experience ↗

Experience

Learning from real engineering teams.

Work where I got to apply what I study, from chassis development at an EV startup to platform strategy for a luxury carmaker and the power system of an electric sea glider.

May 2024 to Present

Accelo Mobility

Mechanical Engineering and Chassis Developer · EV startup backed by SINE IIT Bombay

Engineering

The work

I develop chassis designs for Accelo's commercial EVs, balancing structural performance against what can actually be built.

What I did

I weighed torsional stiffness against Accelo's material cost targets and weld access, so the chassis stays easy to manufacture and affordable.

The impact

I cut chassis cost by 5 per cent, and the design is used across 50+ vehicles.

5%Chassis cost reduction

50+Vehicles using the design

Internship · July 2026 · London, UK

Tech Mahindra

Platform economics client project for Bentley Motors

Client Report

The brief

I analysed Bentley's commercial strategy for sharing a car platform with Porsche, and how the cancellation of a shared chassis platform affected its operating profit.

My analysis

I looked at how shared platforms fix suspension hard points and standardise aesthetics, which constrains the thing Bentley's customers value most. I benchmarked Bentley's platform strategy against peer OEMs.

What I delivered

I wrote a client report proposing a new pricing model based on production volume, to help decide when sharing car platforms is profitable.

Summer Work Experience · July 2025 · Rhode Island, USA

REGENT Craft & Defense

An electric sea glider company

Hands On

The REGENT sea glider prototype in its hangar

Who I worked with

I worked alongside an Electrical Engineer on REGENT's electric sea glider prototype.

What I did

I helped build and test the DC to DC converter that powers the sea glider's avionics.

Hands on

I wired the converter, bench tested it, and installed it on the physical airframe.

Engineering is better with other people.

Leadership ↗

Leadership

Building things for other people too.

The initiatives I've started and led, both at school and in my community.

Co-Founder · May 2023 to Present · Roehampton Cricket Club

Cricket4Life

Community

Why I started it

When state support ended, my Afghan refugee teammates were dispersed across the UK. I co-founded Cricket4Life to help them stay connected and build a future through the sport.

What I did

I designed and ran a weekly English programme, with worksheets built on the Level 1 English qualification syllabus they needed to coach.

The impact

2 of my teammates are now employed as paid club cricket coaches, and we raised £1,000+ worth of cricket kit for their coaching sessions.

2Teammates now paid coaches

£1,000+Of cricket kit raised

Founder · Sep 2025 to Present · King's College School

IGNITE Initiative

STEM Outreach

Ashwin hosting the IGNITE session with BP's Senior VP

The idea

I founded IGNITE, a design and innovation initiative, to connect students with engineering industry experts and make STEM career paths feel less mysterious.

What I've run

I directed a session with BP's Senior VP of Technology and Innovation, who works with Audi F1, for 50 students across 4 year groups. When our original speaker withdrew, I built a confirmed line up of 3 industry experts for the speaker series.

What's next

I'm building an international product design competition across partner schools in Bangkok, Monaco and the UK, judged by industry experts.

50Students at the first session

3Industry experts confirmed

3Countries in the competition

Dec 2024 to Present · King's College School

Mirror Board and Aerospace & Aviation Society

Student Governance

Aerospace Society

I co-founded the Aerospace & Aviation Society after I noticed demand from Years 7 and 8 that nobody was meeting. I ran 13 sessions for 15 pupils.

Mirror Board

I was selected as 1 of 14 from 231 students for the Mirror Board, the school's highest student governance body, chaired by the Headmistress.

The reform

With the Head of Co-curricular, I passed a reform for 150 clubs: a simpler way to start a club, digital advertising for younger year groups, and club awards.

1 of 14Chosen from 231 students

150Clubs reformed

13Society sessions run

Sep 2025 to Present · King's College School

Science Mentor, Community Projects

Teaching

What I do

I plan and deliver weekly interactive science lessons for gifted Year 5 and 6 students.

Who it reaches

40 students from 10 under resourced local schools.

40Students taught weekly

10Local schools

A few things I'm proud of.

Awards ↗

Awards

Recognition along the way.

Competitions and certifications across physics, maths, economics, sport and music.

11Grade 9 (I)GCSEs

1stL6th Physics Prize, of 100+

7sIn all Year 12 IB exams

1550SAT score

2026

BPhO Senior Physics Challenge

Gold Award

Physics

2026

John Locke Essay Competition

Commendation in Economics

Economics

2026

British Science Association

CREST Gold Award

Science

2025

UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge

Gold Award, qualified for the Senior Kangaroo

Maths

2024

British Taekwondo National Championship

Team Silver Medal

Sport

2024

ABRSM Piano Grade 7

Distinction

Music

2023

John Locke Essay Competition

Junior category finalist

Writing

Let's talk engineering.

Get in touch ↗

Contact

Let's build something together.

Whether it's a research collaboration, a speaker for IGNITE or just a conversation about EVs and F1, I'd love to hear from you.

Find me

EmailSwamy-A-22@kcs.org.uk

Based inLondon, United Kingdom

Download my CV ↗