AEROMORPH TEAM
PI
William Oates, Ph.D., P.E.
Cummins, Inc.
Professor in Mechanical Engineering,
Phone Number: (850) 410-6335
Research Interests
- Solid mechanics of active materials
- Smart material device design
- Nonlinear control
co-PI
Rajan Kumar, Ph.D.
Director, Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP)
Chair and Professor in Mechanical Engineering,
Phone Number: (850) 645-0149
Research Interests
- Experimental Aerodynamics
- Supersonic and Hypersonic Flows
- Advanced Flow Diagnostics
- Active Flow & Noise Control
- High-Speed Test Facilities
co-PI
Christian Hubicki, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering,
Phone Number: (850) 645-0144
Research Interests
- Robotics
- Bipedal locomotion
- Optimal control
- Biomechanical modeling
co-PI
Mark Sheplak, Ph.D.
Professor in Mechanical Engineering,
Phone Number: (352) 392-3983
Research Interests
- Micromachined transducers
- MEMS
- Electroacoustics
- Aeroacoustics
- Fluid mechanics
co-PI
Lawrence S. Ukeiley, Ph.D.
Professor in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering,
Phone Number: (352) 392-9459
Research Interests
- Flow Control
- Fluid Mechanics
- Experimental Methods
- Turbulence
- Aeroacoustics
- Reduced Order Modeling
- Fluid Structure Interactions
co-PI
Ryan Gosse, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice
Phone Number: (352) 294-7211
Research Interests
- Applied AI and data analytics
- Sensors
- Energy
- Space
- Materials Under Extreme Environments
- Lifelong workforce development
co-PI
Patrick Musgrave, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering,
Phone Number: (352) 392-6230
Fluids & Adaptive Structures Lab (FASt Lab)
Research Interests
- Bio-inspired propulsion
- Adaptive systems
- Embedded sensing
- Fluid-structure interactions
- Structural dynamics
Students
Annabel Buelter
Annabel Buelter, originally from Golden, Colorado, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University and expects to graduate in 2028. She serves as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Oates’s lab at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Her interests span a broad range of emerging mechanical engineering topics, which she hopes to explore further through interdisciplinary collaborations that link fundamental science with real-world implementation. Ultimately, Annabel aspires to leverage her engineering expertise to develop globally impactful, sustainable solutions that improve the quality of life around the world.
Gayatri Sai Babu Suganya
Gayatri Sai Babu Suganya is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. She contributes to Materials Research through prototyping, CAD modeling, and experimental testing. Motivated by an interest in hands-on problem-solving and innovation, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical applications.
Mario A. Carvajal
Mario A. Carvajal is a Research Assistant and PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at FAMU/FSU College of Engineering, specializing in materials science and conducting associated experiments. Research interests include fractal-based materials, fractal/fractional physical models, and physical reservoir computing.
Jeffrey Hill
Jeffrey Hill is a senior in mechanical engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering who specializes in thermal fluids. For the past 2 years, he has served as a teaching assistant for multiple classes promoting the growth and understanding of other prospective engineers. Currently, his interests lie in hypersonic flow studies and Computational Fluid Dynamics where he hopes to find a career in the coming years. As a BS/MS student, he is also looking to graduate with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering next spring. Outside the classroom, he enjoys spending time with friends and being outdoors where he hopes to visit Patagonia and the south of Argentina.
Austin Vera
Austin Vera grew up in Cooper City, Florida before beginning his undergraduate education in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida in the summer of 2013. He joined Dr. Mark Sheplak's research group in the summer of 2016 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in the fall of 2017. His undergraduate research experience led him to continue his educational journey under the advisement of Dr. Mark Sheplak, earning a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering in the spring of 2021 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mechanical engineering in the spring of 2024. His research efforts throughout graduate school focused on the development of a MEMS-based pressure sensor for high-temperature applications. He is now a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation (IC2) and continues to work in the field of MEMS-based instrumentation development.
Dylan Cox
Dylan Cox was born in 2002 and grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. He received a bachelor's degree in 2024 in mechanical engineering and technical German from Oregon State University, and studied materials science at the University of Saarland. He is now a PhD candidate at the University of Florida as part of the Interdisciplinary Microsystems Group, with Dr. Mark Sheplak as his advisor.
Brittney Freeman
Brittney Freeman is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Microsystems Group under Dr. Mark Sheplak. A Florida native, Brittney earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering, respectively, at UF, where she continues her doctoral research today. She focuses on MEMS transducers for aerospace applications and is currently developing a flat-packaged optical shear stress sensor for use in high-temperature environments.
Cayla Walker
Cayla Walker is a third-year Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. As part of the AEROMORPH project, her research at the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP) focuses on both static and dynamic forebody articulation as a method for flight control. Her work involves conducting both low-speed and high-speed wind tunnel experiments, as well as performing detailed data analysis to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics and flow field interactions resulting from various forebody deflections. She aims to demonstrate how these deflections impact a projectile’s maneuverability and efficiency. After completing her Ph.D., Cayla plans to pursue her career in aerospace research, where she hopes to contribute to the development of innovative aerodynamic control systems that further advance the understanding of aerodynamics.
Dylan Hampton
I am Dylan Hampton, a senior undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering. I’m currently working on two projects under Dr. Gustavsson; one is researching the vibration patterns of thin metal panels caused by oblique shocks and the other is attempting to simulate the turbulence state of space nebulas in a wind tunnel for astrophysics research. After completing my degree I will be working in the aerospace industry as well as being an Engineer Officer in the Army Reserves.
Jonas Gustavsson
Jonas Gustavsson has worked in various roles at Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion since 2009. Currently, he is primarily engaged in developing and applying image-based techniques such as pressure sensitive paint and digital image correlation to high-speed flows. He is also teaching a class, Experimental Methods and Advanced Flow Diagnostics, to incoming graduate students. Previously, Dr. Gustavsson has worked for Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and GE Global Research, performing IR thermography applied to gas turbine applications. He earned his PhD at the University of Florida in 2004 and before that an MS in Engineering Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology.
Dr. Burak Tuna
Dr. Burak Tuna is a Research Faculty in Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP) at Florida State University. Dr. Tuna has 15+ years of experience in measuring and analyzing turbulence and flow control in incompressible and compressible flow regimes. Dr. Tuna joined FSU in 2023. His research interests lie in the general area of fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and aeroacoustics. Dr. Tuna’s research approaches are a combined theory, experimental, and numerical approaches to gain insight into key flow phenomena and estimate main performance parameters. Between academic appointments, Dr. Tuna held several positions in the industry as part of large projects teams in multi-national companies like CNH Industrial, Dassault Systems, and Siemens-Gamesa Renewable Energy. Dr. Tuna plans to pursue his career as a tenure-track faculty, where he hopes to contribute to the education of the future engineers, and be part of the development of innovative aerodynamic systems.
Shan He
Shan He is a PhD student in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on soft robotics, vibratory mechanical structures, and the application of physical reservoir computing in these domains
Brandon Schrader
Brandon Schrader is a PhD student in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Florida. His research interests are in physical reservoir computing and its application in robotics.
Henry Kanfer
Henry Kanfer is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in both Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida. Their research interests are Adaptive systems, Structural dynamics, Propulsion, and Space.
Dylan Rautenstrauch
Dylan Rautenstrauch is a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida, working in the Unsteady Fluid Dynamics Group, specializing in Shockwave Boundary Layer Interaction. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Computer Science, all earned from the University of Florida.
Arman Ghannadian
Arman Ghannadian has earned a B.S. and M.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida and continues his work there today as a fourth-year PhD student. He joined the Applied Physics Research Group at UF in 2022. His research interests include applying discontinuous finite element methods for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of high-speed flows and turbulence and various data-driven modal analysis methods to better understand these flows.