Bio

B.S. ​Aerospace Engineering, University of VirginiaPh.D. Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering: Fluid Dynamics, Princeton University

Associate Professor Quinn first came to the University of Virginia as an undergraduate student in 2006. After graduating with a BS in Aerospace Engineering, he attended Princeton University and completed a PhD in the Hydrodynamics Lab working on bio-inspired propulsion with Professor Lex Smits. While at Princeton, Quinn was also a Visiting Fellow at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. For his doctoral work, Professor Quinn was awarded the American Physical Society’s Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics. He went on to become a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Bio-Inspired Research and Design group at Stanford University, studying the stability characteristics of birds flying in turbulent gusts. Professor Quinn joined the UVA faculty in 2017. He is a member of the Link Lab, a group of researchers studying Cyber-Physical Systems---particularly autonomous vehicles, body sensor networks, and smart homes.

Awards

  • Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Faculty Award 2021
  • NSF Career Award 2020
  • American Physical Society’s Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics 2016

Research Interests

  • fluid-structure interactions
  • biomechanics
  • bio-inspired robotics
  • energy-harvesting
  • cyber-physical systems

In the News

Courses Taught

  • Introduction to Fluid Dynamics (MEC 3210)
  • Fluid Mechanics I (MEC 6310)