Research

Faculty Research Matrix

	Research Area					Faculty Expertise								Strategic Initiatives
NAME	Biomedical Engineering	Clean Energy & Environment	Composites & Advanced Materials	Robotics & Controls	Nanotechnology	Aerospace Engineering	Biomechanics	Design Science	Dynamics & Control Theory	Fluid Mechanics	Heat Transfer & Thermodynamics	Materials Engineering	Solid Mechanics	Energy	Environment	Life & Health Sciences	Global Initiative
Advani Suresh G. Advani		X Characterization and Transport Phenomena for Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Production and Storage and Hybrid Transit Vehicles	X Rheology, Process Modeling and Manufacturing Science in Composites Manufacturing							X Flow of Viscous Resins, Suspensions and Non-Newtonian Fluids	X Heat transfer in material processing and transport in fuel cells	X Characterization of Composite Materials and Fuel Cell Membrane, Gas Diffusion Media and Flow Fields		X Light Weight Materials, Solar Thermal Cycles for Hydrogen Production, Wind Blade Manufacturing	X Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Storage
Buchanan Thomas S. Buchanan	X Engineering: musculoskeletal modeling, neural control of movement, patient-specific modeling using MRI and ultrasound, muscle mechanics. Medicine: orthopaedics, radiology, neurology, rehabilitation.						X Mechanical models of how muscles generate forces and how such forces affect loads in cartilage and ligaments; applications to osteoarthritis, stroke and sports medicine.									X Director of the Delaware Rehabilitation Institute, which brings together faculty across campus to study physical rehabilitation.
Buckley Jenni Buckley	X Medical device design & mechanical testing						X Medical device design & mechanical testing; Biomechanical optimization of orthopaedic surgical procedure	X								X Medical device design; best practices in medical industry-academic research partnerships
Burris David L. Burris	X Soft tissue tribology including cartilage, meniscus, hydrogels; lubrication and load support mechanisms; Osteoarthritis; tissue wear and degeneration, biomaterials engineering and joint replacement	X Wind turbine design, tribology, and reliability; energy conservation via design and synthesis of novel low friction tribomaterials	X Design and synthesis of tribological composite materials, functionally graded materials, hierarchically structured materials, multifunctional materials (strength, lubricity, dissipation of frictional power)		X Low friction, low wear polymer nanocomposites for tribological applications; design; synthesis; characterization of dispersion, mechanical properties, crystallinity, crystalline morphology, interphase, tribology	X Tribo-materials to lubricate moving mechanical assemblies in extreme air and space environments	X Cartilage load support and lubrication, relating tissue structure and function, relating deterioration of tissue structure and function, and understanding role in Osteoarthritis	X Precision instrument design				X Solid lubricant engineering; polymers science, composites, and nanocomposites; metal matrix composites, nanocomposite tribological coatings, diamond-like carbon, Polytetrafluoroethylene, Molybdenum disulfide and composites	X Contact and interface mechanics, failure of materials	X Wind turbine design, tribology, and reliability; energy conservation via design and synthesis of novel low friction tribomaterials		X Osteoarthritis (OA); functional consequences of tissue wear and degeneration, early stage OA and treatment, biomaterials engineering and joint replacement
Chou Tsu-Wei Chou			X Modeling & characterization of polymer-,metal- and ceramic-based fiber composites; nanocomposites		X Carbon nanotube based damage sensing of composites; modeling and characterization of carbon nanotube fibers and their composites							X Fiber composites; nanocomposites; piezoelectric materials	X Micro- and nano-mechanics of anisotropic and inhomogeneous material systems				X International collaborative research programs; exchange of students and researchers
Glancey James Glancey			X Automation and controls for composite manufacturing processes.				X The use of composites to reduce vibration induced vascular damage in the hand and arm.	X Teaching design methods and the forensics of product failures.
Hertz Joshua Hertz		X Fuel cells; Solid oxide fuel cells; Thin film batteries; TiO2-based solar cells			X Thin film growth; Physical vapor deposition; Nanocomposites; Multilayer and epitaxial oxides; Micro-power sources							X Ceramic materials; Oxides; Powder processing; Thin film processing; Materials for microdevices		X Fuel cells; advanced batteries; solar cells
Higginson Jill S. Higginson	X muscle coordination; normal and pathological movement; experimental and simulation studies; musculoskeletal modeling						X Muscle coordination of normal and pathological movements; upper and lower extremity function; musculoskeletal modeling and simulation									X osteoarthritis; stroke; rehabilitation science
Keefe Michael Keefe			X modeling & simulation of fabric-based flexible composites; ballistic impact loading; design tools					X modeling & simulation tools for design applications, senior-design capstone				X yarn & fiber-level effects; e.g., friction, geometry, on ballistic response of flexible, fabric-based composites
Lu Xin (Lucas) Lu	X Soft Tissue Biomechanics; Cartilage Tissue Engineering; Cell Biomechanics						X Theory, modeling and simulation of articular cartilage; Bio-tribology of temporomandibular joint; Cell force in chondrocytes						X Mixture theory for connective tissue			X Repair of cartilage lesion; Bone marrow involved cartilage repair
Manal Kurt Manal	X human movement, motion analysis, neuromuscular modeling, EMG, muscle & joint contact force						X human movement, motion analysis, neuromuscular modeling, EMG, muscle & joint contact force									X human movement, motion analysis, neuromuscular modeling, EMG, muscle & joint contact force
Poulakakis Ioannis Poulakakis				X Dynamics & control of legged robots; collaborative decision making					X Nonlinear control theory; hybrid systems; dynamics and dynamical systems
Prasad Ajay K. Prasad	X Use of in-vitro models of the human nasal passage, bronchi, and alveoli to experimentally study flow patterns and mixing during breathing for pulmonary drug delivery.	X Fuel cells, Li-ion batteries, wind and ocean current energy, solar-powered energy efficient homes. Director of UD Center for Fuel Cell Research.			X Use of carbon nanotubes in polymer electrolytes, and nanoengineered structures in PEM fuel cell electrodes for improved performance and durability					X Development of PIV and stereoscopic PIV; industrial mixing flows, entrainment in jets and plumes, biofluid mechanics, reactant flows in fuel cells, optimal spacing of wind turbines.	X Modeling and measuring heat transfer phenomena in fuel cells, metal hydride-based hydrogen storage, and Li-ion batteries; thermochemical reactor design for generating hydrogen from concentrated sunlight.	X Novel polymeric materials for fuel cell membranes; novel electrocatalysts and catalyst supports for PEM and DMFCs; novel metal foil gas diffusion layers for PEM fuel cells.		X Fuel cells for transportation; hydrogen generation using renewable solar-based methods; Li-ion batteries; wind and ocean current energy; solar-powered energy efficient homes.		X Measurement of flow patterns and mixing in the human respiratory tract using anatomically accurate in-vitro models and imaging-based diagnostic tools for pulmonary drug delivery.
Roy R. Valery Roy		X Modeling & fabrication of nano-engineered fuel cell electrodes, Optimal multiscale design of systems for electrochemical conversion, Optimal control.						X Optimal shape and topological design of engineering systems with application in fluid/structures.	X Rigid body mechanics, vibration and nonlinear dynamics	X Thin film flows, flow in porous media, interfacial mechanics				X Fuel cells & batteries: design, fabrication, and optimal control
Santare Michael H. Santare		X Mechanics of electrolyte and Fuel Cell materials and structures	X Micromechanics and failure analysis and characterization of Composites and Nano-composites				X Orthopedic biomechanics						X Mechanics and failure of complex material systems with micro-structure or nano-structure including advanced composites and biomaterials	X Mechanics of electrolyte and Fuel Cell materials and structures
Schwartz Leonard W. Schwartz		X Wind power engineering; blade aerodynamics; rotor dynamics; economics				X Airplane aerodynamics				X All aspects and speeds; Flow of liquid coatings				X Wind power engineering
Suhr Jonghwan Suhr			X Energy absorbing composites; nanocomposites, multiscale composites; polymer composites		X Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, nanostructured materials, and nanocomposites	X Lightweight multifunctional composites; Aircraft and rotorcraft structures
Tanner Herbert Tanner				X Multi-agent cyber-physical systems; hybrid systems; sensor networks; nonholonomic motion planning, navigation and control		X Stability and control design			X Modeling and analysis of hybrid dynamical systems; control design for nonholonomic systems; switching and discontinuous control								X National Security: Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; mobile sensor networks for search and exploration; radiation detection and mapping
Thostenson Erik Thostenson			X Processing and Characterization of Composite Materials Focusing on Carbon Nanotube and Advanced Fiber Reinforcements, Novel Multifunctional Composites, Micro/Nano Mechanics Modeling Techniques, Structural Health Monitoring and Nanotube-Based Damage Sensing.		X Carbon Nanotubes, Polymer Nanofibers, Nanocomposites, in situ Sensing with Carbon Nanotubes, Nanomaterials Dispersion.	X Composite Materials Manufacturing, Characterization and Analysis. Air Force Young Investigator Award Recipient.						X Processing, Characterization and Modeling of Fiber Composites and Nanostructured Materials, Structure/Property Relations, Carbon Nanotubes, Nanoparticles.	X Modeling and Characterization of Composite Materials, Experimental Mechanics, Nanomechanics.				X Co-PI of Global Research Lab Program (Korea Institute of Materials Science).
LP Wang Lian-Ping Wang	X Modeling and analysis of multiphase flow and flow through porous media	X Simulation and modeling of complex and multiphase flows			X Transport of nanoparticles in the environment	X Dynamics of moving body, simulation of flows around moving objects				X Turbulence, multiphase flow, particle-laden flow, and interfacial flow	X Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, thermal power systems				X Cloud physics, warm rain processes, turbulent collision-coalescence of cloud droplets, contaminant transport		X Interactions and research collaborations with institutions in China
LY Wang Liyun Wang	X Mechanobiology of skeletal tissues, bioimaging, mathematical modeling, porous media						X Biomechanics of bone and cartilage, advanced bioimaging, mathematical/computatinal modeling									X Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, mechanobiology
Wei Bingqing Wei		X Nano-enabled energy conversion and storage science and technology including supercapacitors, batteries, hydrogen generation, fuel cells and solar cells.	X Synthesis and characterization of multifunctional nanocomposites		X Synthesis and device applications of different nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal oxides.							X Materials science, structures, properties, and processes.		X Nano-enabled energy conversion and storage science and technology including supercapacitors, batteries, hydrogen generation, fuel cells and solar cells.	X Nanomaterials and nanotechnology for environmental applications, including separation, purification, and gas sensing.		X Research and educational collaborations with Chinese universities including Tsinghua University, Beijing Institute of Technology, and Wuhan University.