Dr John Kennedy coordinates PEGASUS, a €4.83 million Horizon Europe project (2026–2030) to build public trust in urban air mobility. Its 18 partners include drone operators Manna, Connect Robotics, TechnoSky and Dronamics, universities, social scientists, and Limerick and Cork councils. Drawing on 200,000+ drone missions, PEGASUS is building a Societal Readiness Score covering noise, privacy, safety, energy, climate and inclusivity, helping cities, regulators and operators judge where aerial services will be accepted. Demonstrations run in Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Bulgaria, with Ireland’s flagship at the FMCI vertiport in Shannon. The project tests payloads from 2.5kg to 350kg.

PEGASUS builds on Dr Kennedy’s two decades in aeroacoustics, spanning aircraft and drone noise, low-noise propulsion and public response to drones. He has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications and is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Member of the Institute of Acoustics.