Principle Investigator (PI): Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka
Professor & Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I
J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering (MEEN) & Department of Aerospace Engineering (AERO, by courtesy)
Short Bio:
Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka (Ku.La.Ti.La.Ka) is a Professor and Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I in J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering with a joint courtesy appointment in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Before joining the faculty at TAMU in 2014, he worked as a Senior Research Scientist/On-Site Contractor at the Air Force Research Laboratory at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Combustion Research Facility at the Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA. He regularly teaches undergraduate courses such as Thermodynamics and Engineering Laboratory and the Optical Techniques for Engineers graduate course. Dr. Kulatilaka is a pioneer in advanced optical and laser-based diagnostics for fundamental and applied engineering research. The mission of the Optical Diagnostics and Imaging Laboratory (ODIL) at TAMU is to incorporate novel non-intrusive measurement methods for applications involving energy conversion & combustion, fluid mechanics, hypersonics, propellants & energetics, materials characterization, and remote sensing. In recent years, Dr. Kulatilaka and his collaborators have spearheaded the development of ultrashort-pulse multi-photon fluorescence imaging methods for highly reactive chemical species such as H, O, and N atoms in flames and plasmas. He has also made significant contributions to laser diagnostics by using nanosecond (ns) to femtosecond (fs)-duration pulses in techniques such as LIF, CARS, polarization spectroscopy, and LIBS. His research contributions are reported in 88 peer-reviewed journal publications, nearly 240 conference papers and posters, and numerous national and international invited talks. Dr. Kulatilaka currently serves as the Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Programs in Mechanical Engineering. He also serves as the faculty advisor of the TAMU ASME-Engineering Students Section. He is active in several professional organizations (ASME–Fellow, AIAA–Associate Fellow, Optica–Senior Member, The Combustion Institute–Chair-Elect, Central States Section, ASEE, and SAS) and is an Associate Editor of the journal Applied Optics. Dr. Kulatilaka has received several key recognitions and awards for excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Research Interests:
- Optical Diagnostics and Imaging
- Laser Spectroscopy and Ultrafast Lasers
- Combustion and Energy Conversion
- Hypersonics and High-Speed Propulsion
- Propellants and Energetics
- Extreme Materials
- Remote Sensing
- Fluid Flow and Plasma Diagnostics
- Gas Turbine Combustion and IC Engines
Education:
- Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2006
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 2002
- B.Sc. (Hons), Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2000
Awards & Honors:
- 2022 J. Mike Walker ‘66 Department of Mechanical Engineering – James J. Cain ‘51 Faculty Graduate Teaching Award
- 2019 TEES Engineering Genesis Award
- 2017–present Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow I
- 2015 Senior Member, OPTICA (formerly, The Optical Society, OSA)
- 2014 Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- 2013 Forty Under 40 Award, Dayton Business Journal
- 2013 Invited Speaker, Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion
- 2012 Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
- 2012 Outstanding Technical Contribution Award, Dayton Section of ASME
- 2011 Invited Speaker (Hot Topics), GRC on Laser Diagnostics in Combustion
- Chair-Elect (2021–2023), Central States Section of The Combustion Institute
- Member (Elected) – Aerodynamic Measurements Technologies Technical Committee (AMT-TC) and Propellants and Combustion Technical Committee (P&C-TC) of AIAA
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Graduate Students (Current):
1. Pradeep Parajuli (Ph.D. Student)
Thesis Topic: Femtosecond Two-Photon Laser-Induced Fluorescence for Temperature and Chemical Species Imaging in Flames
2. Christian Schweizer (Ph.D. Student)
Thesis Topic: Advanced Optical Diagnostics for Dust Cloud Particle, Flow, and Combustion Measurements in a Minimum Ignition Energy Testing Device
3. Gavin Lukasik (Ph.D. Student)
Thesis Topic: High-Speed Optical Diagnostics for Hypervelocity Particles & Flows
4. Matt Hay (Ph.D. Student)
Thesis Topic: Ultrashort Pulse Laser Diagnostics for High-Pressure Flames
5. Kristi Naude (MS Student)
Thesis Topic: Optical Diagnostics in Ammonia Flames
6. Matthew Intardonato (MS Student)
Thesis Topic: Spectroscopic Studies of Hypervelocity Mechanoluminescence
7. Manuel Suarez (Ph.D. Student)
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8. Sidney Davis (Ph.D. Student) (Co-advised with Dr. T. Lacy)
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9. Adi Hardaya (MS/Ph.D. Student)
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Undergraduate Research Students (Current):
1.
Graduate Students & Postdocs (Completed):
8. Yejun Wang
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Last Position:
7. Ayush Jain
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Last Position:
6. Will Swain
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Last Position: Research Engineering, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM.
5. Tyler Paschal
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Last Position: Blast Effects Consultant, Baker Risk, San Antonio, TX
4. Ayobami Shoyinka
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Last Position: Engineer, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fort Worth, TX
3. Yejun Wang
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Last Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, TAMU, College Station, TX
2. Nicholas Niemiec
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Last Position: Research Engineer, Southwest Research Institute, SwRI, San Antonio, TX
1. Morgan O’Neil
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Last Position: Test Engineer, SpaceX, McGregor, TX
Undergraduate Research Students (Completed):
22. Nathan Franz, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (Fall 2021)
21. Drew Gorman, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (Summer 2020–Fall 2020, Current: Graduate Student-TAMU-ODIL)
20. Matt Hay, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (Spring 2020–Fall 2020, Current: Graduate Student-TAMU-ODIL)
19. Diana Dyer, Aerospace Engineering, TAMU (Fall 2017–Spring 2020)
18. Andrew Gorman, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (Spring 2020–Fall 2020, Current: Graduate Student-TAMU-ODIL)
17. William Weinert, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU
16. Ben Gorr, Aerospace Engineering, TAMU (NSF/ONR, Fall 2017–Spring 2019)
15. Gus Kendrick, Aerospace Engineering, TAMU (NSF/DOE, Summer 2018–Fall 2018)
14. Andrew Marsh, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (NSF, Summer 2018–Spring 2019, Current: Ph.D. Student-Georgia Institute of Technology)
13. Kristi Naude, Mechanical Engineering, Letourneau University (NSF-REU, Summer 2018, Summer 2019, Current: Graduate Student-TAMU-ODIL)
12. Julia Derdena, Mechanical Science and Engineering, UIUC (NSF-REU, Summer 2017)
11. Tianyi (Tom) Nan, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (USRG, Summer 2017)
10. William Swain, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (NSF-REU, Summer 2017, Current: Graduate Student-TAMU-ODIL)
9. Griffin Judge, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (TEES, Summer 2017)
8. John Stalling, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (TAMU/TEES, Fall 2016, Current: Graduate Student-Stanford University )
7. Cade Capps, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (NSF, Summer 2016)
6. Kevin Campbell, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (TAMU/TEES, Summer 2016, Fall 2016, USRG, Summer 2017)
5. Brian Brubacker, Mechanical Engineering, TAMU (TAMU-PSU REU Program, Summer 2016)
4. Josh Dudash, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Penn State (TAMU-PSU REU Program, Summer 2016)
3. Patrick Behne, Nuclear Engineering, TAMU (NSF, Spring 2016, Current: Ph.D. Student-TAMU)
2. Brian Mendoza, Mechanical Engineering, UT-El Paso (NSF-REU, Summer 2015)
1. Mario Orrantia, Mechanical Engineering, UT-El Paso (NSF-REU, Summer 2015, Current: MS Student-UT-El Paso)