Energy Sustainability

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia is engaged in multi-disciplinary research initiatives aimed at advancing energy sustainability. Faculty are exploring innovative thermal management techniques, such as utilizing hyperbolic phonon-polaritons in hexagonal boron nitride to enhance heat transfer in electronic devices, thereby improving energy efficiency. Research also focuses on the development of sustainable aviation fuels through catalytic processes that convert bioethanol into jet fuel, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry.  Studies on advanced combustion processes seek to enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of energy systems.  Additionally, investigations into riverine energy harvesting as well as wind energy integration with energy storage are developing new renewable energy concepts.  These efforts reflect the department's commitment to addressing global energy challenges through innovative engineering solutions. 

Core Faculty

Professor Bart-Smith joined the University of Virginia faculty in the fall of 2002. Dr. Bart-Smith came to UVA from Princeton University where she worked at the Princeton Materials Institute with A.G. Evans. Bart-Smith has founded the Multifunctional Materials and Structures Laboratory and the Bio-inspired Engineering Research Laboratory.

Professor Chelliah is currently serving as the Program Director for Combustion and Fire Systems in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems at the National Science Foundation (NSF). His research interests are vast and include fundamental investigations on interaction of finite-rate kinetics with transport.

Chloe Dedic

Associate Professor

Dedic received her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Iowa State University in 2012 and 2017, respectively. After graduation she worked as a visiting scientist with the National Institute of Aerospace at NASA Langley Research Center and joined the University of Virginia as an assistant professor in 2018. Dedic is an active member of the AIAA.

Patrick E. Hopkins

Whitney Stone Professor of Engineering Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor, Materials Science and Engineering (Courtesy) Professor, Physics (Courtesy)

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.

Frank Lagor

Associate Professor

Professor Lagor's current research interests focus on estimation and control for autonomous systems interacting with their fluid environments. He received his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland in 2017, prior to which he worked for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company where he was a Certified Principal Engineer.

Lin Ma

Professor

4D Diagnostics & Thermal-Fluids​
Development of novel diagnostics with 4D spatiotemporal resolution to study combustion, propulsion and fluid dynamics

Eric Loth

Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor Director, Fluids Research Innovation Lab

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. 

Daniel Quinn

Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Associate Professor Quinn first came to the University of Virginia as an undergraduate student in 2006. After graduating, he left to get his PhD at Princeton University, then returned in 2017 to be on the UVA faculty.

Matthew A. Reidenbach

Department Chair, Dept. of Environment Sciences Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Courtesy)
Matt Reidenbach's primary area of research and teaching is coastal oceanography, with an emphasis on how hydrodynamics impact marine organisms and their ecosystems. His current research includes the effects of flow and turbulence on nutrient exchange in coral reefs, larval transport in estuaries…