Aerospace and mechanical engineering research

Research conducted in aerospace and mechanical engineering in the Fulton Schools runs the gamut from developing new aviation technologies to investigating thermodynamics and structural mechanics. Our researchers seek to advance knowledge in fields such as

  • climate modeling,
  • experimental fluid mechanics,
  • fixed-wing aircraft design,
  • laser-based advanced manufacturing,
  • human-robot interaction,
  • reduction of solar cell cost,
  • remote sensing of environmental flows and more.

Through this work, we endeavor to solve critical engineering problems for all sectors of society.

Aerospace and mechanical engineering faculty research interests

Adaptive materials, structures and systems

Aditi Chattopadhyay

Aditi Chattopadhyay
Regents’ Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Adaptive structures, structural health monitoring, composites, multiscale analysis, multidisciplinary design optimization and reduced order modeling

Xiangjia Li

Xiangjia Li
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Multi-scale nanocomposite printing with bioinspired design methodologies and programmable functional materials for potential applications in microfluidic devices, biomedical devices, and flexible sensors.

Yongming Liu

Yongming Liu
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures, probabilistic computational mechanics, risk assessment and management, multi-physics damage modeling and structural durability…read more

Houlong Zhuang

Houlong Zhuang
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Computational materials science, two-dimensional quantum materials, computational design of multi-principal-component alloys, computational electrochemistry.

Climate and environment

Ronald Calhoun

Ronald Calhoun
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Remote sensing of environmental flows, atmospheric boundary layers and wind energy systems for climate studies

Huei-Ping Huang

Huei-Ping Huang
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Climate modeling and predication; remote sensing and environmental predication; geophysical and environmental fluid dynamics.

Design and manufacturing

Leila Ladani

Leila Ladani
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Manufacturing process simulation and modeling and experiments, Additive manufacturing, Micro/nano manufacturing, Application of AI in manufacturing, Mechanic of metallic materials, Materials characterization, Fatigue and damage modeling and simulation

Xiangjia Li

Xiangjia Li
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Multi-scale nanocomposite printing with bioinspired design methodologies and programmable functional materials for potential applications in microfluidic devices, biomedical devices, and flexible sensors.

Qiong Nian

Qiong Nian
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Laser based advanced manufacturing and material processing, laser matter interaction and physical simulation. Advanced roll to roll and inject printing of transparent conductive films for photovoltaics and TFT application. 3D structures fabrication for energy storage and bio-sensors.

Yi Ren

Yi Ren
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Dr. Ren’s current research interests include optimization, product/configuration design, human-computer interaction and machine learning.

Jami Shah

Jami Shah
Professor Emeritus
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Computer aided design and analysis, Design computing & software development, Artificial Intelligence & Knowledge based Systems (AI/KBS) applied to design/manufacturing problems, DfM, geometric tolerance modeling, engineering informatics, Simulation software/FEA, Design theory & methodology, Cognitive studies of creativity & ideation.

Timothy Takahashi

Timothy Takahashi
Professor of Practice
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Fixed-Wing Aircraft Design, Aerodynamics, Aircraft Performance, Multi-Disciplinary Optimization, Legal Aspects of Aviation.

Dynamics, controls and robotics

Spring Berman

Spring Berman
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Modeling, analysis, control, and optimization of multi-robot systems including robotic swarms; analysis of collective behaviors in biology and biologically-inspired control of distributed systems

Hyunglae Lee

Hyunglae Lee
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Physical human-robot interaction, neuromuscular control of human movement, robot-aided neurorehabilitation, bio-inspired robotics, system identification for physiological systems

Marc Mignolet

Marc Mignolet
Professor
Graduate program chair, aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Structural dynamics, vibrations, modeling of uncertainty in structures, stochastic multiscale analyses.

Matthew Peet

Matthew Peet
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Analysis and control of dynamic systems including development of optimization-based tools for nonlinear differential equations; systems with hybrid, nonlinear and decentralized dynamics; sparse interconnection and delayed feedback; and models of tumor growth with emphasis on therapy.

Engineering education

James Middleton

James Middleton
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Student learning of mathematical concepts; motivation and mathematics learning; application of technology to mathematics teaching and learning.

Fluid and aero mechanics

Ronald Adrian

Ronald Adrian
Regents’ Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Turbulence, experimental fluid mechanics, laser diagnostics laser instrumentation micro detonation.

Kangping Chen

Kangping Chen
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Fluid mechanics and interfacial phenomena applied to flows in porous media, hydraulic fracture, multiphase flow and heat transfer.

Werner Dahm

Werner Dahm
Founding Director, Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI)
ASU Foundation Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Defense science and technology assessments/planning, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, turbulent flow, combustion science, advanced propulsion systems.

Marcus Herrmann

Marcus Herrmann
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Fluid mechanics; modeling and numerical simulation of atomization processes in turbulent multiphase flows; numerical methods for discontinuous interfaces; Richtmyer-Meshkov instability; numerical methods for massively parallel computer systems; premixed and partially premixed combustion.

Jeonglae Kim

Jeonglae Kim
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Large-eddy simulation of high-speed turbulent flows with multi-physics, aeroacoustics, flow control and optimization

Taewoo Lee

Taewoo Lee
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Energy system analysis, thermal and fluid process characterization, and fuel property measurements for energy systems.

Hamid Marvi

Hamid Marvi
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Bio-inspired robotics; bio-inspired design; mechanics of animal locomotion; active control of friction, adhesion, and drag forces; smart materials and structures; soft robotics; magnetic micro-robotics

Yulia Peet

Yulia Peet
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Research goals of our group are to investigate behavior of complex engineering and physical systems by developing and applying advanced high-performance computational tools combining different physical models through multicode/multiphysics coupling and integrative simulations on massively parallel computers.

Kyle Squires

Kyle Squires
Professor and Dean, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Research Interests
Computational engineering; turbulence simulation and modeling (DNS, LES, hybrid methods); particle-laden flows; engineering education; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and research.

Valana Wells

Valana Wells
Associate professor
Undergraduate program chair, aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Computational acoustics; rotary-wing aeroacoustics; noise control; rotorcraft design; aeronautical engineering education

Mechanical behavior and design of materials

Wonmo Kang

Wonmo Kang
Assistant Professor
Research Director, Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies
Electrical engineering

Research Interests
Conductors under extreme conditions; advanced manufacturing of graphene-metal composites; materials characterization; synthesis of multifunctional composites; dynamic responses of biological systems; cavitation in soft matter; mechanisms of mild traumatic brain injuries.

Jay Oswald

Jay Oswald
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Computational mechanics: finite element methods, molecular dynamics, and multiscale methods for applications in MEMS, material failure analysis, and material design.

Pedro Peralta

Pedro Peralta
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Mechanics of materials, fatigue and fracture of metallic alloys, dynamic and shock loading of metallic and intermetallic materials with emphasis on effects of anisotropy and grain boundaries on mechanical behavior and failure.

Jagannathan Rajagopalan

Jagannathan Rajagopalan
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Novel synthesis and characterization of metallic and metallic alloy films with tailored nanostructures for structural and functional applications; Mechanical behavior and deformation mechanisms of nanocrystalline metals and alloys; In-situ TEM tensile testing of thin films using MEMS; Microstructural evolution in immiscible, co-deposited alloys.

Kiran Solanki

Kiran Solanki
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
His research interest is focused on characterizing and quantifying process-structure property relationships across multiple length scales, with emphases that span from fundamental physics to the manufacturing of advanced multifunctional materials for extreme applications including radiation, high rate, fatigue, and creep

Thermal and solar energy

Beomjin Kwon

Beomjin Kwon
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Energy Transport and conversion in complex geometries, thermoelectric power generation, thermal management, microcantilever based sensors, addidtive manufacturing, MEMS.

Ryan Milcarek

Ryan Milcarek
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Advanced energy conversion, micro-tubular flame assisted fuel cells (mT-FFCs), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), microcombustion, two-stage combustors, micro cogeneration, building energy modeling, energy systems modeling and simulation

Patrick Phelan

Patrick Phelan
Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Sustainable cooling systems, thermal energy utilization & management, buildings of the future, smart manufacturing, and energy policy.

Konrad Rykaczewski

Konrad Rykaczewski
Assistant Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Measurement of nano/microscale mechanisms underlying thermofluidic and interfacial phenomena for design of nanoengineered solutions that enhance macroscale performance of a variety of industrial applications including energy systems, thermal desalination, and transportation systems.

Liping Wang

Liping Wang
Associate Professor
Aerospace and mechanical engineering

Research Interests
Selective control of thermal emission/absorption using meta-materials for energy harvesting. Near-field radiation heat transfer enhancement between meta-materials for thermophotovoltaic. Plasmonic-enhanced light trapping in Si thin film or Si nanowire arrays for photovoltaic. Nanophotonics, thermal system modeling, electronic cooling and optical characterization.

Robert Wang

Robert Wang
Associate Professor

Research Interests
Thermal energy conversion, storage, and transport in nanostructured materials; thermoelectric power generation; thermal storage media; heat transfer, and phonon optics. Custom-design of colloidal nanoparticles, chemical precursors