Group Leader

Xinfeng Gao

Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

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. 

 

Current PhD Students

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Grady Regan

Grady Regan has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Clarkson University in May 2024. He Joined the CFD & Propulsion lab in June 2024 and his Ph.D. research topic is focused on the development of moving boundaries for applications to hypersonic flows.
andrew

Andrew Davis

Andrew Davis completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Tennessee Technological University in December of 2020. Andrew Joined the CFD & Propulsion Laboratory as a Master’s student in January of 2021 and then transferred to the Ph.D. study in September of 2021. His research is focused on the development of CFD algorithms for GPUs and application of these algorithms for hypersonic flows.

Current Undergraduate Students

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Justin Yankow

Justin Yankow is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia pursuing a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics. He began his studies at the university in the fall of 2021 and joined the CFD & Propulsion Laboratory in the summer of 2024. His research is focused in the application of Direct Simulation Monte Carlo algorithms to complex, high-velocity flows.
Miller

Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia pursuing a double B.S. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He began his studies at the University in 2022 and joined the CFD & Propulsion Lab in 2024. His research topic is focused on simulating and studying oblique detonation wave (ODW) interactions.

Former Students

Hurst

Chris Hurst

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2024)
Time Period and Thesis: 08/2018-05/2024, A Novel Smoother-Based Data-Assimilation Method for Complex CFD
Job Upon Graduation: confirming soon.
Brodin

Erik Brodin

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2024)
Time Period and Thesis: 08/2019-05/2024, Numerical Algorithms for Two-Fluid Weakly-Compressible Flows
Job Upon Graduation: confirming soon.
overton

Nate Overton-Katz

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2022)
Time Period and Thesis: 08/2016-08/2022, Geometry Considerations for High-Order Finite-Volume Methods on Structured Grids with Adaptive Mesh Refinement
Job Upon Graduation: Postdoctoral scientist at the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
walters

Sean Walters

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2022)
Time Period and Thesis: 05/2016-05/2022, Large-Eddy Simulation of Compressible Flows Using the Stretched-Vortex Model and a Fourth-Order Finite Volume Scheme on Adaptive Grids
Job Upon Graduation: Assistant professor at Southern Adventist University
polak

Scott Polak

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2022)
Time Period and Thesis: 01/2016-05/2022, A Fourth-Order Finite Volume Algorithm with Adaptive Mesh Refinement in Space and Time for Multi-Fluid Plasma Modeling
Job Upon Graduation: Member of Technical Staff, Remote Plasma Sources, Advanced Energy, Fort Collins, Colorado
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Yijun Wang

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2022)
Time Period and Thesis: 08/2016-01/2022, Bayesian Data Assimilation for CFD Modeling of Turbulent Combustion
Job Upon Graduation: Data Scientist at Huma.AI, Inc
jchristopher

Joshua Christopher

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2021)
Time Period and Thesis: 06/2014-12/2021, Time Integration for Complex Fluid Dynamics
Job Upon Graduation: Postdoctoral scientist at the Center for Advanced Propulsion and Power Research, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
meisner

Noah Meisner

Degree (Year): M.S. (2019)
Time Period and Thesis: 09/2016-05/2019, Entropy Stability for a Forth-Order Accurate Finite Volume Method
Job Upon Graduation: Karagozian & Case
lowen

Landon Owen

Degree (Year): Ph.D. (2019)
Time Period and Thesis: 08/2013-06/2019, A Fourth-Order Solution-Adaptive Finite-Volume Algorithm for Compressible Reacting Flows on Mapped Domains
Job Upon Graduation: Postdoctoral scientist at the Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore Campus, California
justinw

Justin Weinmeister

Degree (Year): M.S. (2018)
Time Period and Thesis: 04/2016-05/2018, Development of Reduced Polynomial Chaos-Kriging Metamodel for Uncertainty Quantification of Computational Aerodynamics
Job Upon Graduation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
tschott

Tyler Schott

Degree (Year): M.S. (2016)
Time Period and Thesis: 11/2013-06/2016, CFD Modeling of Aircraft Pressure Relief Doors
Job Upon Graduation: Blue Origin
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Nathan Spotts

Degree (Year): M.S. (2015)
Time Period and Thesis: 02/2012-12/2015, Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulations of Inlet Flow Distortion in the Fan System of a Gas-Turbine Aero-Engine
Job Upon Graduation: Woodward Inc

Former Research Scientists

catherineo

Dr. Catherine Olschanowsky

Dr. Catherine Olschanowsky is now an associate professor of Computer Science at Boise State University. She was a research professor in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering Departments at CSU, working in the CFD & Propulsion Laboratory from July 2013 to July 2016. Her work involved using the Rose compiler to customize CFD applications to complex computer architectures. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of California at San Diego in the Performance Modeling and Characterization Laboratory. Dr. Olschanowsky also worked as a research scientist and software engineer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.