Faculty by Research Area

Graduate students pursuing the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees work closely with faculty in advancing the frontiers of knowledge in the following focused research thrusts:

 

AdvanceMaterialsProcessing (7K)

Applied Mechanics and Advanced Materials Processing: Mechanics of soft and hard matter, Properties of ceramic and metallic materials and coatings, optical ceramics, photonic crystals, optical fibers, thin films, polymer and composite materials processing, microfabrication processes.


Affiliated Institute:Institute of Materials Science

Faculty
Cassenti Brice Cassenti Professor-in-Residence
Research Area: Applied Mechanics, computational mechanics, supercomputing and advanced propulsion
Baki Cetegen, United Technologies Chair Professor and Department Head
Research Area: Combustion, Fluid Mechanics
Wilson K. S. Chiu, Professor
Research Area: Heat and Mass Transfer, Nanomanufacturing
Hanchen Huang, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor in Sustainable Energy
Research Area: Synthesis and properties of nanoscale interfaces, with focus on atomistic simulations
Eric Jordan, United Technologies Professor of Advanced Materials Processing
Research Area: Experimental and Theoretical Mechanics
Leila Ladani thumb Leila Ladani, Associate Professor
Research Area: Additive manufacturing, manufacturing of nanomaterial and micro/nanoelectronics, material characterization and mechanics, multi-scale modeling and simulation.
pierce David M. Pierce, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Applied mechanics, Bio related applications

FuelCellScienceandTechnology (10K)

Energy Systems: Experimental and computational research in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transport and combustion as applied to technologically important systems such as gas turbines, combustion systems, fuel cells, heat pipes and thermo-electric devices.  Other areas include research into alternative fuels and their utilization and emissions.  

Affiliated Center:Center for Clean Energy Engineering

Faculty
Thomas Barber, Professor-in-Residence
Research Area: Computational and Physical Fluid Dynamics
Baki Cetegen, United Technologies Chair Professor and Department Head
Research Area: Combustion, Fluid Mechanics
Wilson K. S. Chiu, Professor
Research Area: Heat and Mass Transfer, Nanomanufacturing
Mun Choi, Professor and Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Research Area: Combustion, Heat Transfer, Optical Diagnostics, Soot Processes
Amir Faghri, Professor
Research Area: Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics
kamal kumar thumb 
Kamal Kumar, Assoc. Professor in Residence
Research Area: Combustion, Fuel-chemistry, Energy conversion
Tianfeng Lu, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Combustion and Computational Fluid Mechanics
Ugur Pasaogullari , Associate Professor
Research Area: PEM Fuel Cells, Multiphase Transport Phenomena
Zhuyin Ren, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Computational Fluid Mechanics and Reacting Flow Simulations
Michael Renfro, UTC Associate Professor of Engineering Innovation and Associate Department Head
Research Area: Combustion, Optical Diagnostics
Chih-Jen (Jackie) Sung, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor in Sustainable Energy
Research Area: Combustion, Propulsion, Laser Diagnostics, Fuel Chemistry

DynamicsSensingandControl (9K)

Dynamics, Sensing and Control: smart materials for control and sensing, advanced sensors, vibration suppression, new perspectives in time-delayed systems and stability, high-speed machining chatter, non-linear vibrations, real-time detection and on-line monitoring.

Faculty
Chengyu Cao Assistant Professor
Research Area: Dynamics and Control, Adaptive and Unmanned Systems, Mechatronics
Robert Gao, Pratt and Whitney Chair Professor
Research Area: Sensing, Mechatronics, Biomechanics
Kevin Murphy, Associate Professor
Research Area: Nonlinear Dynamics, Vibrations
Nejat Olgac, Professor
Research Area: Control Systems, Vibrations
Jiong Tang, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Research Area: Structure and System Dynamics, Controls
Bi Zhang, Professor
Research Area: Precision Design and Manufacturing

ComputationalShapeModelingandDesign (5K)

Computational Shape Modeling,Design and Optimization: geometric modeling, computational design and design optimization, geometric reasoning, design methodologies for complex systems, gear systems and structures.

Faculty
Zbigniew Bzymek, Associate Professor
Research Area: Design, CAD Modeling
Horea Ilies, Castleman Associate Professor
Research Area: Computational Design, CAD/CAM/CAE
Kazem Kazerounian, Professor and Interim Dean
Research Area: Design, Kinematics, Robotics
Ikjin Lee, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Analysis & Design Optimization under Uncertainty
Bi Zhang, Professor
Research Area: Precision Design and Manufacturing

MicroandNano-scaleSystems (7K)

Micro and Nano-scale Systems: experimental, computational and theoretical studies on fluid and heat transport in micro devices, Micro electro-mechanical systems, mechanics of structures at nanometer length scales, nano-structured materials synthesis, carbon nanotubes.

Faculty
Wilson K. S. Chiu, Professor
Research Area: Heat and Mass Transfer, Nanomanufacturing
Amir Faghri, Professor
Research Area: Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics
Tai-Hsi Fan, Associate Professor
Research Area: Interfacial Fluid Mechanics, Biological Transport Phenomena
Hanchen Huang, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor in Sustainable Energy
Research Area: Synthesis and properties of nanoscale interfaces, with focus on atomistic simulations.
Eric Jordan, United Technologies Professor of Advanced Materials Processing
Research Area: Experimental and Theoretical Mechanics
Leila Ladani thumb Leila Ladani, Associate Professor
Research Area: Additive manufacturing, manufacturing of nanomaterial and micro/nanoelectronics, material characterization and mechanics, multi-scale modeling and simulation.
George Lykotrafitis, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Cellular Mechanics
Kevin Murphy, Associate Professor
Research Area: Nonlinear Dynamics, Vibrations
Bi Zhang , Professor
Research Area: Precision Design and Manufacturing
Pinar Zorlutuna Pinar Zorlutuna, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Research

BiomedicalRelatedApplications (10K)

Biomedical Related Applications: Cellular mechanics, Tissue engineering, Cellular micro-manipulations, Cell membrane mechanics and transport, Modeling of protein motion, Human skeletal motion analysis.

Faculty
Tai-Hsi Fan, Associate Professor
Research Area: Interfacial Fluid Mechanics, Biological Transport Phenomena
Robert Gao, Pratt and Whitney Endowed Chair Professor
Research Area: Sensing, Mechatronics, Biomechanics
Horea Ilies, Castleman Associate Professor
Research Area: Computational Design, CAD/CAM/CAE
Kazem Kazerounian, Professor and Associate Dean
Research Area: Design, Kinematics, Robotics
George Lykotrafitis , Assistant Professor
Research Area: Cellular Mechanics
Nejat Olgac , Professor
Research Area: Control Systems, Vibrations
pierce David M. Pierce, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Applied mechanics, Bio related applications
Wei Sun, Associate Professor,
Research Area: Tissue Biomechanics, Computational Biomechanics and Medical Device Design
Pinar Zorlutuna Pinar Zorlutuna, Assistant Professor
Research Area: Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Research
 
             

Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Connecticut
191 Auditorium Road, Unit 3139
Storrs, CT 06269-3139
Phone: (860) 486-2090, Fax: (860) 486-5088