Aeronautics
At the University of Virginia, faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are leading pioneering research that is shaping the future of aeronautics. Their work spans high-speed aerodynamics, hypersonic thermal management, and fluid-structure interactions, with applications in both atmospheric and space flight. Research efforts include the development of advanced computational fluid dynamics algorithms, experimental and theoretical studies of energy transport in extreme environments, and the design of novel propulsion systems and materials for aerospace applications. The department also leads innovations in bio-inspired flight, plasma dynamics for electric propulsion, and high-temperature materials for thermal protection systems, contributing to the next generation of aerospace technologies
Core Faculty
David B. Brown
David’s research group conducts experimental and theoretical studies of energy transport/conversion mechanisms and material properties across multiple length scales and temperature ranges. The primary motivation is the thermal management of hypersonic vehicles, electronic devices, and other engineering systems.
Chen Cui
Chen Cui's current research interests are on spacecraft electric propulsion, space environment, and computational plasma physics. Chen Cui's work focuses on the high-fidelity, fully kinetic modeling of plasma dynamics in spacecraft electric propulsion thrusters, solar wind, and other applications related to low-temperature plasmas.
Haibo Dong
Prior to joining UVA as an Associate Professor in 2012, Dr. Dong was an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Wright State University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA in 2003. After completing his doctorate, he spent three years as a post-doctoral researcher at the George Washington University.
Xinfeng Gao
Xinfeng Gao's research is focused on the development of high-performance computing (HPC) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) algorithms for a wide range of applications in aerospace and mechanical engineering, involving shock waves, turbulence, combustion, plasma, and multifluids.
Patrick E. Hopkins
Patrick E. Hopkins is a Whitney Stone Professor in Engineering at the University of Virginia, with a primary appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and courtesy appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics. He is also the director of the ExSiTE Lab.
Eric Loth
Prof. Eric Loth serves as the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor of Engineering. Loth’s current research focuses on extreme-scale wind turbines, energy-storage systems, multiphase flow, and aerospace propulsion.
Elizabeth J. Opila
Our research focuses on materials for use in extreme environments and can be applied to materials for use in aircraft engines, rocket engines, energy conversion technologies, and thermal protection systems.
Haydn N. Wadley
Haydn N.G. Wadley is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UVA. He has interests in materials science, composite materials, micromechanics, and thermal transport. His current research explores high temperature thermal coatings systems, microarchitectured materials, entropy stabilized refractory metal alloys and rare earth silicates.
Thomas Ward
Dr. Ward received a B.S. (1998) in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology with a minor in Applied Mathematics, M.S. (2001) in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and Ph.D. (2003) in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.