Category: Faculty Highlights

Decisions in Milliseconds In high-stakes environments, success often depends on decisions that take less than a second to make: a slight adjustment to a propeller, a correction to a flight path, a split-second response to changing conditions. Made in milliseconds, these decisions collectively influence mission outcomes, emergency response efforts, and ultimately, human safety. “You don’t […]

Though it may sound like science fiction, Amor Menezes, Ph.D., and his team are using E. coli to help manufacture plastics in space. In a DARPA-funded project, the microbes synthesize plastics that can then be autonomously 3D-printed into tools in resource limited environments. This is just one of many ways that Menezes combines biological and […]

With a lot of ingenuity, some creative engineering and a few off-the-shelf items, a University of Florida team led by a virologist and an engineer have created an inexpensive, quick and accurate handheld device that can detect seven mosquito-borne illnesses. Their design could help clinicians in low-resource or remote settings — from clinics in rural […]

Though physics lays the foundation, becoming an engineer takes far more than understanding F = ma. Here at MAE, faculty and staff are committed to building a rich curriculum for students. Master Lecturer and Instructional professor Matthew Traum, Ph.D. and academic undergraduate advisor, Eunice Chung Carter, were recognized by the UF Division of Student Life […]

Recognition for Excellence The University of Florida Industrial Training and Assessment Center (UF-ITAC), housed in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and directed by S.A. Sherif, Ph.D., has been named the 2026 U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Training and Assessment Center of the Year, the highest recognition awarded among ITACs nationwide. The Center of […]

University of Florida Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Amor Menezes has been appointed to the Standing Committee on Advances and National Security Implications of Transdisciplinary Biotechnology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The committee brings together experts from academia, industry and government to examine emerging biotechnologies and their potential to […]

When astronauts travel deeper into space, every drop of fuel becomes critical, and keeping those fuels stable for months or even years is one of the biggest engineering challenges facing future missions. Now, University of Florida researchers have uncovered a surprising behavior in boiling liquids that could help solve that challenge. The findings, published July […]

A cross-disciplinary research team led by the University of Florida won a prestigious federal grant on Wednesday to develop an autonomous artificial intelligence platform that could fundamentally change how new materials are discovered.   Selected from more than 5,000 applications, the project is one of 278 chosen under the U.S. Department of Energy’s highly competitive Genesis Mission Request […]

Curtis Taylor, Ph.D., joins the 2026 class of Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors – one of the highest distinctions presented within the organization. A pioneer in both nanomechanics and engineering education, Taylor leads the Advanced Structures (AS) and Immersive Engineering Education (IEE) laboratories simultaneously. The scope of his research spans the study […]

Looking Beyond the Surface Some engineering problems are easy to see. Others remain hidden deep within rocket engines, medical devices, and components so small that conventional tools cannot physically reach them. Those invisible challenges are exactly what fascinates Hitomi Yamaguchi Greenslet, Ph.D. “If I ask you to put your finger inside a hypodermic needle, you […]

Elementary school students across Florida are using robotic fish to learn one of science’s most fundamental skills: asking questions. A partnership between the University of Florida Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Thompson Earth Systems Institute at the Florida Museum of Natural History is developing hands-on classroom kits that help students investigate scientific concepts through […]

Students participating in the University of Florida’s Center for Precollegiate Education and Training (CPET) recently took part in a hands-on rocketry experience led in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Instructional Professor Matthew J. Traum, Ph.D. The activity gave students the opportunity to design, build, and launch model rockets while exploring […]

For Yu Wang, Ph.D., engineering has always been about more than technology. It’s about people. Long before receiving one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for early-career faculty, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Wang was fascinated by a simple question: How can we teach autonomous systems to be safer, more reliable, and more beneficial […]

Subrata Roy, a University of Florida professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering has been selected for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his pioneering work developing plasma‑based technologies that address challenges in areas including health care, food safety, water treatment and space exploration. Roy’s inventions have been patented, commercialized and applied beyond the laboratory, leading […]

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering proudly congratulates our Interim Chair, Douglas E. Spearot, on his induction into the prestigious University of Florida Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars (ADTS). This outstanding recognition highlights Dr. Spearot’s lasting impact as an educator, researcher, and mentor, and reflects his unwavering commitment to student success and excellence in […]