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Thermal Transport, Thermodynamics and Power » Alumni

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Z
Photo of Dr. S. “Bala” Balachandar Dr. S. “Bala” Balachandar Newton C. Ebaugh Professor, Distinguished Professor
(352) 392-8909

Education

PhD, 1988, Brown University,

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Member
American Physical Society, Fellow 2006
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow 2008
American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers, Member

Teaching Interests

Computational fluid science (aka CFD), Large scale simulation of complex flows, transition and turbulence, multiphase flows, environmental flows

Photo of Dr. Jacob N. Chung Dr. Jacob N. Chung Andrew H. Hines, Jr./Florida Progress Corporation Eminent Scholar
(352) 392-9607

Dr. Chung is currently the Andrew H. Hines, Jr./Progress Energy Eminent Scholar Chair Professor at the University of Florida. He joined the University of Florida in 1998 after 19 years on the faculty at the Washington State University. Dr. Chung holds both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Nuclear Engineering and had spent 6 years working as a nuclear reactor safety engineer in the industry before receiving his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Dr. Chung’s research activities have been in the general areas of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Dr. Chung is a co-author for a book entitled “Transport Phenomena with Drops and Bubbles”. He has authored and co-authored over 170 archival journal papers and received the College of Engineering Research Excellence Award in 1988 at the Washington State University. He was awarded the University of Florida, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award in 2008. Recent he received the 2014 ASME Heat Transfer Memorial award. Dr. Chung has served as a technical consultant to the Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Dr. Chung is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Education

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1979,M.S. University of Missouri-Columbia, Nuclear Engineering, 1973,B.S. National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, Nuclear Engineering, 1970

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Member
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow 1996

Teaching Interests

Thermodynamics, heat transfer, phase change heat transfer and two-phase flow, energy conversion.

Research Interests

Dr. Chung’s research activities have been in the general areas of fluid mechanics and heat transfer with a special focus on bubble dynamics, phase change heat transfer, multiphase flows, microgravity boiling, turbulence in heated flows, micro-scale thermal transport, fuel cell thermal transport, space cryogenic line chilldown, storage and Transport, energy conversion, hydrogen Energy, biomass and solid waste conversion to clean energy by steam gasification.

Photo of Dr. Claire Grégoire Dr. Claire Grégoire Assistant Professor

Claire Grégoire is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, US, and her M.S. from the University of British Columbia, CA. Her research entails the experimental study on combustion processes while developing detailed chemical kinetics model that are crucial for sustainable transportation energy and safety of next-generation lithium-ion batteries. She is an expert in laser absorption spectroscopy and optical diagnostics, specializing in their application in shock tube experiments to investigate reaction chemistry at conditions relevant to advanced combustion systems and solid rocket propellants. 

Education

Ph.D., 2024, Texas A&M University, US

MS, 2018, University of British Columbia, CA

BS-MS, 2015, Université d’Orléans, FR

Teaching Interests

Compressive Flow, Combustion, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Optical Techniques. 

Research Interests

Combustion, Gas Dynamics, Chemical Kinetics, Laser Diagnostics and Spectroscopy, Shock Tubes, Micro-Flow Reactors, Detonation, and Multiphase Flows.

Awards

•  John H.S. Lee Young Investigator Award, ICDERS (2025)

  Dissertation Fellowship, TAMU (2023)

  Mike Walker ’66 Impact Award, TAMU (2022)

 Ralph-James Fellowship, TAMU (2021)

Selected Publications

•  Mathieu, C. Grégoire, E.L. Petersen. Assessment of Detailed Kinetics Models for CO Formation in Ethylene Combustion via Time-Resolved Laser Absorption. Fuel 405 (2025) 136641.

•  Grégoire, E.L. Petersen. Laser Absorption Measurements of HCl in a Shock Tube for Investigating the Chemical Kinetics of Rocket Propellants. AIAA SciTech 2025 Forum (2025) AIAA 2025-1381.

•  Grégoire, O. Mathieu, J. Kalman, E.L. Petersen. Review and Assessment of the Ammonium Perchlorate Chemistry in AP/HTPB Composite Propellant Gas-Phase Chemical Kinetics Mechanisms. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 106 (2025) 101195.

•  Mathieu, C. Grégoire, E.L. Petersen. Shock-Tube Study of the Oxidation of Ammonia by N2O. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 40:1-4 (2024) 105250.

•  Grégoire, Y.M. Almarzooq, M. Khan-Ghauri, P. Diévart, L. Catoire, E.L. Petersen, O. Mathieu. Enhancing Lithium-Ion Battery Safety: Investigating the Flame-Retardant Efficacy of Bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) Carbonate during Ethyl Methyl Carbonate Combustion. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 40:1-4 (2024) 105559.

•  Grégoire, S.P. Cooper, M. Khan-Ghauri, S.A. Alturaifi, E.L. Petersen, O. Mathieu. Pyrolysis study of dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethyl methyl carbonate using shock-tube spectroscopic CO measurements and chemical kinetics investigation. Combustion and Flame 249 (2023) 112594.

 

Photo of Dr. Ryan W. Houim Dr. Ryan W. Houim Associate Professor
(352) 392-7164

Ryan Houim received his BSME from North Dakota State University and his MS and Ph.D. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University.  He was a National Research Council post-doctoral fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory and a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland prior to joining the University of Florida.  His research is focused on understanding the dynamics of multiphase and chemically reactive flows using numerical simulation techniques.  Applications of this work include dust explosions, detonation initiation, detonation engines, and the combustion of solid propellants and metal particles.

Education

Ph.D., 2011, The Pennsylvania State University

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Member
American Physical Society, Member

Teaching Interests

Fluid mechanics, combustion, heat transfer, thermodynamics, computational fluid dynamics

Research Interests

Combustion and multiphase flows including detonation initiation and propagation, dust explosions, propulsion, spray combustion, solid propellant and metal particle combustion.

Photo of Dr. Sunjae Kim Dr. Sunjae Kim Assistant Professor

Originally from Korea, Sunjae moved to West Lafayette, IN in 2020 for his doctoral study at Purdue. Following his graduate work, he started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida in January 2026.

His research focuses on understanding the effects of gravity on multiphase thermal-hydraulic characteristics, with a particular emphasis on cryogenic flow boiling physics. His primary goal is to leverage multiphase fluid-thermal science to innovate in-space thermal management systems. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked as a Research Engineer at the Agency for Defense Development, a national lab in South Korea, where he focused on developing advanced thermodynamic systems for naval defense applications.

Education

Ph.D., 2025, Purdue University

M.S., 2017, Mechanical Engineering, Korea University

B.S., 2015, Mechanical Engineering, Korea University

Research Interests

Cryogenic Propellant Management (CFM)

Two-phase Thermal Management Systems

Boiling and Condensation

Parabolic Flight Experiments

Ultra-High Power Electronics Cooling

Teaching Interests

Heat Transfer

Thermodynamics

Fluid Mechanics

Two-phase flow and heat transfer

Research Groups

Space Systems

Thermal Transport, Thermodynamics and Power

Energy

Fluid Dynamics and Acoustics

Photo of Dr. Saeed Moghaddam Dr. Saeed Moghaddam William F. Powers Professor
(352) 392-0889

Education

Ph.D., 2006, University of Maryland

Research Interests

Micro/nanoscale transport and nanotechnology for energy science and health applications; nanoengineering of functionalized membranes for energy conversion and storage and filtration/separation applications; heat and mass transfer in micro/nanostructures; microfluidic reactor platforms for fundamental energy research and reaction engineering; portable power

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Member
American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Member
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow 2020
Institute of Electrics and Electronics Engineers, Member

Photo of Dr. Jing Pan Dr. Jing Pan Assistant Professor
(352) 294-6869

Jing Pan received his PhD from Purdue University in 2017. His research focuses on developing nanoscale machineries for biotechnology applications. He conducted his postdoctoral research at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he demonstrated translational impact of his work in novel biosensors and molecular diagnostics.

Education

Postdoc, 2019 Stanford University
Ph.D, 2017 Purdue University
B.S, 2011 Xi’an Jiaotong University

Teaching Interests

Heat and Mass Transfer; Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics; Modern Optics and Imaging System Engineering; Biodesign

Research Interests

Macromolecular Machines; Directed Evolution; Self-assembly and self-organization; Bio-nanotechnology; Synthetic Biology; Medical Technology.

Photo of Dr. Subrata Roy Dr. Subrata Roy Professor
(352) 392-9823

Professor Subrata Roy studies ionized gas physics and its various applications: (1) Atmospheric plasma actuators for flow mixing, propulsion, and turbulent flow control; (2) Hypersonic flows; (3) Space propulsion; and (4) Hydrodynamic models for micro and nanofluidics by incorporating Knudsen’s theory. Prof. Roy is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Fellow of the ASME, and an Associated Fellow of the AIAA. He serves as a member of the Editorial Board of Nature Scientific Reports and Actuators. He has over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and bound volumes and holds over 30 patents including one on Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle. Prof. Roy is also a nation appointed member to the NATO Science and Technology Organisation working group on plasma actuator and signature technologies. He served as the Forum Technical Chair for SciTech in 2018, Technical Discipline Chair for the 2016 SciTech Plasma Dynamics & Lasers Conference. Prior to his academic career, he spent several years in industry.

EDUCATION

PhD, 1994, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Associate Fellow 2001
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow 2004

Royal Academy of Engineering, Distinguished Visiting Fellow 2013
Royal Aeronautical Society, Fellow 2015

National Academy of Inventors, Inducted Fellow 2021

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer, Hypersonics, Magnetogasdynamics, Plasma Based Flow Control, Electric Propulsion, and Micro/Nanoscale Flows.

Photo of Dr. Jonathan R. Scheffe Dr. Jonathan R. Scheffe Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
(352) 392-0839

Jonathan Scheffe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. Prof. Scheffe’s research is focused on the conversion and storage of solar energy in the form of renewable fuels/electricity through thermochemical routes. He is the former chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Solar Energy Division and has co-authored more than 35 peer received publications in the field of solar thermal energy conversion. Prof. Scheffe receives research funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, Florida Department of Transportation, Qatar National Research Foundation and Industry.

Education

Ph.D., 2010, University of Colorado, Boulder

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Member

Teaching Interests

Thermodynamics, heat transfer, kinetics, solar engineering

Research Interests

Solar thermochemical and electrochemical energy conversion, defect chemistry and thermodynamics of nonstoichiometric oxides

Photo of Dr. Corin Segal Dr. Corin Segal Professor
(352) 392-6132

Education

Ph.D., 1991, University of Virginia

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Member
Combustion Institute, Member

Research Interests

Combustion, fluid diagnostics, Fluid mechanics, aircraft design.

Photo of Dr. S.A. Sherif Dr. S.A. Sherif MAE Excellence Term Professor
(352) 392-7821

Education

Ph.D., 1985, Iowa State University

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Associate Fellow 2002
American Society for Engineering Education, Member
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Fellow 2002
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Fellow 2000
Royal Aeronautical Society, Fellow 2017
American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers, Fellow 2023
International Association for Hydrogen Energy, Member
International Institute of Refrigeration, Member
International Solar Energy Society, Member

Research Interests

Heat and Mass Transfer, Thermodynamics, Thermal System Design and Optimization, Refrigeration and Cryogenics, HVAC, Solar and Hydrogen Energy

Links

Photo of Dr. Jingjing Shi Dr. Jingjing Shi Assistant Professor
(352) 294-1193

Dr. Jingjing Shi’s research focuses on understanding energy transport and conversion to solve thermal challenges in different systems, with an emphasis on wide and ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor devices for future power and radio-frequency applications. Her work utilizes multiscale modeling and experimental methods to understand effects of different mechanisms like atomistic structures and defects on energy transport in materials and at interfaces. The findings are leveraged for the electro-thermal codesign of power and RF devices to maximize their performance.

Dr. Shi is now a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Electronics Manufacturing and Reliability Laboratory in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, and her bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering from Tsinghua University.

Photo of Dr. Youngsup Song Dr. Youngsup Song Assistant Professor

Youngsup Song is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. He obtained his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, where he investigated multiphase heat transfer. Following his graduate work, he trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before joining the University of Florida.

Education

Ph.D., 2021, Mechanical Engineering, MIT

M.S., 2012, Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University

B.S., 2010, Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University

TEACHING INTERESTS

Heat transfer, Thermodynamics, Renewable energy

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Thermo-fluid science, Energy system, Advanced materials, Interfacial phenomena

Photo of Dr. Xin Tang Dr. Xin Tang Associate Professor
(352) 294-1194

Professor Xin Tang received his Post-doctoral training from Harvard University and Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research centers at the interface of engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. His lab studies cell and molecular mechanics in cancer, cardiovascular system, and neurons; unconventional mechano-electrophysiology; quantitative in vivo/vitro functional bio-imaging; AI/ML-powered bio-nanotechnology; and development of new biophysical tools to probe biological function/structure. His research is supported by NIH, NSF, AFOSR/DoD, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Opportunity Funds, and etc. He was awarded the NIH Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award (R35), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Tumor Microenvironment (TME) Junior Investigator, Researcher of the Year 2024 Award in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, NIH/NCI-designated UF Health Cancer Center Rising Star of the 2024 Year Award, and Faculty Advisor/Mentor of the Year 2025 Award in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.

Education

Postdoc, 2017, Harvard University
Ph.D., 2013, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Teaching Interests

Active Soft Matter Biophysics; Biomechanics at Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Scales; Quantitative Optical Bio-imaging; Continuum Mechanics; and Finite-element Analysis

Research Interests

Biomechanics, Mechanobiology and Soft Matter: Cell and molecular mechanics in cancer development and metastasis, cardiovascular system, and neurons; unconventional mechano-electrophysiology; quantitative in vivo/vitro functional bio-imaging; bio-nanotechnology; and development of new biophysical tools to probe biological function/structure.

Recent Publications

Yin Xin, Keming Li , Miao Huang, Chenyu Liang, Dietmar Siemann, Lizi Wu, Youhua Tan, and Xin Tang, Biophysics in tumor growth and progression: from single mechano-sensitive molecules to mechanomedicine. 2023, Oncogene (Nature), https://www.nature.com/articles/s41388-023-02844-x.pdf.
Note: This article is selected as “The best of Oncogene 2023″.

Chenyu Liang, Qian Zhang, Xin Chen, Jiawei Liu, Mai Tanaka, Shu Wang, Sharon E. Lepler, Zeyuan Jin, Dietmar W. Siemann, Bo Zeng, and Xin Tang, Human cancer cells generate spontaneous calcium transients and intercellular waves that modulate tumor growth, Biomaterials (Impact Factor: 15.3), 2022, 290, 121823, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014296122200463X.

Chenyu Liang, Miao Huang, Tianqi Li, Lu Li, Hayley Sussman, Yao Dai, Dietmar W. Siemann, Mingyi Xie, and Xin Tang, Towards an integrative understanding of cancer mechanobiology: calcium, YAP, and microRNA under biophysical forces, Soft Matter (Impact Factor: 4.1), 2022,18, 1112-1148, https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/sm/d1sm01618k

Photo of Dr. James A. Trainham Dr. James A. Trainham Professor Emeritus (Department Time: 2018 – 2024)
(352) 392-0826

Professor Emeritus (Department Time: 2018 – 2024)

Professor Trainham’s research interests are in renewable energy.  Before joining UF, Trainham spent most of his professional career in industry: four years as chief technology officer JDC Phosphate, four years as vice president,      distinguished fellow and director of the Research Triangle Solar Fuels Institute at RTI International, senior vice    president of Sundrop Fuels (a solar fuel company), served as global vice president of Science and Technology at PPG Industries, and had a 25-year career at the DuPont Company. Trainham was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1997. Received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Award for Chemical Engineering Practice, 2002; selected as “one of the 100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era” by the AIChE, 2008; Elected Fellow AIChE, 2012; and Received the Industry Leadership Award, 2016.  His industrial expertise is in technology commercialization of both product and process technologies.

Education

PhD, 1979, University of California, Berkeley

Professional Memberships and Fellowships

National Academy of Engineering, Member
American Institute of Chemical Engineer, Member

Research Interests

Renewable energy, synthetic fuels including hydrogen production, energy storage, electrochemical engineering, and techno-economics of energy alternatives