Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
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Paluku, Daniel Lwanzo
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Daniel’s research focuses on studying advanced functional materials for energy storage applications. His works combines materials chemistry, electrochemistry and process design to develop low-energy routes for producing and integrating critical battery materials including graphite, electrolytic manganese dioxide, and solid-state electrolytes.Through this research, he aims to improve how energy storage materials are made, processed, and used in next-generation battery and supercapacitor technologies. Daniel is advised by Professor Craig Arnold, the Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
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Claus, Ana
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ana Claus’s research focuses on advancing solid-state sodium battery technologies, with an emphasis on understanding and controlling interfacial stability and microstructure-driven electro–chemo–mechanical behavior. Her work addresses critical challenges related to energy density, cycling stability, and scalability, with the goal of enabling more sustainable and cost-effective energy storage systems. She is particularly interested in how engineered sodium metal architectures can mitigate interfacial degradation and improve performance under realistic operating conditions. Ana is advised by Kelsey B. Hatzell in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
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Das, Ankit
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Ankit’s research focuses on advancing additive manufacturing, particularly the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process, to address critical challenges in energy efficiency, material waste reduction, and environmental sustainability. He believes integrating innovative manufacturing techniques with sustainable practices can significantly contribute to global efforts in reducing carbon emissions and promoting clean energy technologies. Ankit is advised by Prof. Craig B. Arnold (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering).
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Wani, M. Shaharyar
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Wani’s research focuses on developing bio-derived carbon aerogels, unraveling the formation mechanism, and using it for water and energy applications. He plans to develop carbon aerogel-based filters to remove contaminants like PFAS, and PFOA from the water. Wani is advised by Craig Arnold, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Vice Dean for Innovation.
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Rupp, Marco
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Rupp aims to control the chemical composition for metals in laser-based powder bed fusion. His research offers an innovative method of creating low carbon steel while reducing emissions as well as the energy required. Rupp is advised by Craig B. Arnold, professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering and vice dean for innovation.
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Chasen, Danielle (‘20 - ‘22)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Chase studies the formation and relaxation of fluid-filled cracks in porous media using lab scale experiments and models. These processes are relevant to industrial and natural geophysical systems including hydraulic fracturing for extraction of oil and gas and relaxation of ice sheet uplift due to supraglacial lake drainage. She is advised by Professor Howard A. Stone in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department.
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Wilson, Jessica (‘19 - ‘21)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Wilson studies diffusiophoresis (the spontaneous movement of a colloidal particle in a chemical gradient) and wetting phenomena. She works in the Complex Fluids Group and is advised by Howard A. Stone, the Donald R. Dixon ’69 and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, professor of mechanical engineering and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
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Brunner, Claudia (‘19 - ‘21)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
AY 20-21 PECS Student Chair
Brunner works in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where she is advised by Marcus Hultmark. Her efforts attempt to better understand the aerodynamics of wind turbines through experimental studies of fluid dynamics at high Reynolds numbers. Her research focuses on dynamic stall and its effects on the performance of vertical axis wind turbines, as well as field experiments using nanoscale hot-wires to measure small-scale turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer.
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Deike, Luc
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research focuses on multi-phase turbulent systems, involving waves, drops and bubbles in turbulent environment. We develop laboratory and numerical experiments to explore the physics at play and build simple models. Our work is motivated by environmental and industrial applications, as diverse as the statistics of waves in the ocean, wave impact on structures, floating ice sheet, gas transfer by surface breaking waves in the ocean, spray dynamics and cloud formation in the atmosphere.
Past work has focused on diverse subjects than can be summarized in the three following areas: 1) the role of wave breaking in air-sea interaction, 2) wave turbulence and 3) hydro-elastic waves.
Future work will involve turbulence in two-fluids systems, such as droplets/bubbles in a turbulent environment, as well as further studies on non-linear waves.
