People

Dr. Sobhani received her doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, where she also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Her dissertation focused on volume-averaged and pore-scale simulations of combustion in porous materials as well as non-intrusive x-ray diagnostics development. During her PhD, she worked as a research associate at the NASA Ames Research Center, where she combined high-fidelity simulations with x-ray tomography to study radiative heat transfer in thermal protection fibrous materials. She later joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher in the simulation and modeling of electrochemical systems for carbon conversion. 

Andrew van Paridon is a senior lecturer and research associate in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His research includes thermal modelling, spacecraft propulsion, and mission planning. Currently, he is investigating the performance of ceramic radiators with embedded heat pipes that would facilitate nuclear electric propulsion engines, as well as developing mission concepts for smallsats, including a demonstration of soft robotic grippers in space.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford, UK, where he studied the effects of thermal control on the fatigue life of turbine discs 

Giancarlo is a mechanical engineering PhD student focusing on research in the field of additive manufacturing, particularly the thermal and mechanical properties of 3D printed ceramic structures. Before transitioning to the engineering field, Giancarlo obtained a BA in anthropology from Hobart College. After some time working in industry, he returned to school and received a BS in mechanical engineering at the University of the District of Columbia. His undergraduate engineering research included work with direct metal laser sintering, triply periodic minimal surface lattice structures, and electrochemical 3D printing. He has also interned at both the US Naval Research Lab where he conducted electrochemical corrosion studies as and at NASA Johnson Space Center, working with the VIPER Thermal Engineering team. 

Aniruddha obtained his B.Tech (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2021, where he primarily worked on complex fluids, molecular dynamics of nano-particles and fluid-structure interactions. His works have been published in three prestigious scientific journals during his undergraduate research. He was a research assistant at the Indian Institute of Science, where he conducted experiments to understand universality in polymeric coalescence. In his Ph.D. work, Aniruddha develops computational models and topology optimization methods for efficient transport and energy conversion applications. Outside of academics, he is a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes, folk music, table tennis and badminton.

Josh is a PhD student in mechanical engineering, focusing on understanding and mitigating degradation of carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction reactors, systems used to convert CO2 into useful products, such as chemicals and fuels. He uses an array of advanced analysis techniques such as X-ray imaging, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and gas chromatography, to characterize and improve the performance of high temperature solid oxide and vapor fed reactors. Josh earned his BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in computational science from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2021. He previously conducted research at the University of Alabama, investigating porous inserts for instability mitigation in lean direct injection combustion systems. Outside of his academic work, Josh is a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, avid CrossFitter, and enjoys skiing and scuba diving.

Charlotte is a mechanical engineering PhD student focusing on using additive manufactured of wood to understand burning behavior in forest fires. She earned her BS in physics from the University of Michigan in May of 2021. She also spent a year as an intern for the National Energy Technology Laboratory - Pittsburgh, studying the combination of rotating detonation engines and magnetohydrodynamics. Beyond academic activities, charlotte loves to knit and crochet and sing karaoke with her friends.

Elif is an aerospace engineering PhD student focusing on the design of novel ionic liquids for spacecraft thermal management by leveraging machine learning. She earned both her BS degree in astronautical engineering (2021) and MS degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering (2023) from Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Her previous research in ITU consists of experimental fluid dynamics, specifically experimental investigation of vortex gusts. Outside of academics, Elif enjoys snowboarding, volleyball, cooking, and traveling.

 Yuseok is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on additive manufacturing. His research specializes in integrating machine learning to enhance productivity and precision in this field, along with expertise in microfabrication. He obtained both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Pusan National University in 2021 and 2023, respectively. His previous research includes the fabrication of porous artificial grafts for vascular applications and improving productivity in material extrusion additive manufacturing through unsupervised and reinforcement learning. Currently, he is concentrating on advancements in ceramic 3D printing.

Lindsay is a mechanical engineering PhD student, and her research focuses on understanding and optimizing capillary flows, with implications for microfluidics, thermal management systems, and propulsion technologies including electrosprays. She earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in May 2024. Her prior research includes characterizing oscillating thermal diodes at Rice and developing a physics-based image processing algorithm for damage detection during a summer at Los Alamos. She has also interned at Northrop Grumman, focusing on R&D and early-stage projects related to satellite communications. Outside of academia, Lindsay has taken up karate, hiking, cooking, and baking.

Aarya is a Mechanical MS student working on developing Discrete Greens Functions (DGF) for different complex geometries and using them for evaluating heat transfer parameters. He obtained his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU), Gujarat, India, in 2022. During his undergraduate studies, his research work was mainly focused on TPMS (Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces) applications and their characterizations and their manufacturing aspects. He did his final year internship with SAC-ISRO in thermal applications of TPMS geometries and as an outcome was awarded UG research award by ASM Indian National Council. Apart from the research work, he was an active part of the BAJA student racing team and led his team for the year 2020-21. He loves hiking, playing cricket, and reading books.

Mathieu is an MEng student and his research focuses on modeling radiators with embedded heat pipes for future high temperature spacecraft. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell in May 2024. He is interested in pursuing a career in spacecraft and launch vehicle thermal engineering. In his spare time he enjoys rock climbing and traveling.

Mirian is a Mechanical Engineering Master of Engineering student and works on experimentation of heat pipes, including thermal vacuum  chamber testing. She received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she studied Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Mirian previously worked at GE Aerospace, focusing on Advanced Mechanical Design for fan blade development, and at Firefly Aerospace on their Fluids and Propulsion Manufacturing team. Apart from academics, she is active in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and loves traveling.