Jim Hermanson
Principal Investigator
Professor Hermanson received his BS in 1977 from the University of Washington Aeronautics and Astronautics Department. He worked at Boeing Aerospace Co. before attending the California Institute of Technology, where he received his MS in 1980 and PhD in 1985, both in Aeronautics. Professor Hermanson’s current research activity and interests include unsteady turbulent combustion in normal- and microgravity, liquid fuel injection into supersonic flow, and film condensation under reduced gravity conditions.
Mukund Gupta
Graduate Researcher
Mukund’s current research is based on developing a numerical model for combustion of liquid oxygen droplets in an environment of hydrogen under microgravity conditions. His career goal is to pursue academic research in the exciting field of thermofluids. He has varied interests, which include reading, cooking, and drawing. Mukund received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India. He is currently pursuing his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the UW where he is specializing in the field of thermofluids with a focus on energy systems.
Andrew Jansen
Doctoral Researcher
Andrew investigates unsteady film evaporation. He is working on 3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry to observe the convective structure in unsteady evaporating films. Detailed understanding of the convective structure can improve fundamental understanding and has the potential to improve overall heat transfer. In his free time he enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors, and playing basketball. Andrew is currently pursuing his PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He received his M.S. from the UW in 2020 and his B.S. in engineering and B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College in 2018.
Peter Sciuto III
Graduate Researcher
Peter likes to solve unique problems through hardware research and design, contributing to the advance of human spaceflight, while maintaining a focus on renewable technologies. His JCATI funded master’s thesis, which is a joint project with Aerojet Rocketdyne, focuses on designing and building a novel, green propulsion system to be used for CubeSats. Peter is pursuing his M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics with a focus in fluid dynamics. He holds his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the UW. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the beautiful PNW in hiking boots, snowshoes or on skis, traveling to new places with his fiancée, or relaxing at home with his cat, Aurora.