People

Dr. Konstantinos Kanistras

Dr. Kanistras research focuses on aircraft performance and active flow control. His work looks to develop a fundamental understanding of the physics of the flow, the underlying flow structures and more effectively apply flow control techniques.

Dr. Kanistras received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Denver in 2016. He received his MS.c degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bath, U.K. in 2008 and his Bachelors degree in Physics from the University of Patras, Greece. Prior joining to UAH, Kostas was a research scientist at DU Unmanned Systems Research Institute (March 2016-December 2017).

Arnab Chatterjee

Arnab is pursuing his MS and working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant whose primary research interest lies in biologically inspired methods of flight control. He is also interested in investigating winglet and wing planform design, incorporating morphing wing technology to these research areas. Arnab received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2020 and is currently a Student Affiliate of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Krishnakumar Patel

Krishnakumar is pursuing his MS in Aerospace Systems Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is interested in exploring the Design, and Optimization of Morphing Wing technology. His work involves the derivation of a mathematical model for design parametrization and the development of Machine Learning-based optimization methods to achieve optimal objective function. Krishnakumar received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from CHARUSAT University in 2018.

Tulasi Ram

Tulasi Ram is pursuing his PhD and working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research interests include Active flow control and Morphing Wing technology. He had received his Masters from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. During his masters, he had worked on Development and Characterization of Feed Back Type Fluidic Oscillators. He was also a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant at IIT Kanpur. He had graduated from the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at PVP Siddhartha Institute of Technology.

Sai Basaveswara Rao

Sai is pursuing his MS in Aerospace Systems Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is interested in exploring actuated winglets for stability and control. His work involves derivation of a mathematical model for a small scale UAV integrated with actuated winglets. Sai received his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from ANNA University in 2017.

Micajah Schweikert

Micajah is pursuing his Masters in Aerospace Systems Engineering, with a Graduate Teaching Assistance currently working on CFD applications to Morphing Wing technology. His research interests also lie in machine learning for optimization purposes and parametrization methods for geometric bodies. He received his Bachelors at the University of Alabama in Huntsville while approaching circulation control through CFD.

Sam Blackwell

Sam Blackwell is currently a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering. His research is focused on implementing shape memory alloys (SMAs) into the actuation of a flap mechanism on a morphing wing. This research will provide a wing with reduced drag and reduced power consumption compared to conventional flap actuators. Sam is from Franklin, Kentucky and is planning to continue his aerospace studies at the master's level.

Sarah Dabbs

Sarah received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2020. She is researching various methods of Active Flow Control with an emphasis in finding flaws that would prevent them from being implemented commercially or militarily. Sarah is originally from Oxford, Mississippi, and she currently works as an engineer at CFD Research Corporation in Huntsville, Alabama.

Daniel Hearle

Daniel received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2020. He is originally from Canberra, Australia and was a member of the UAH Men's Soccer Team. His research interest involves aircraft design and optimization to reduce fuel burn in commercial aircraft.

Nate McWilliams

Nate is a Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He is interested in and has done research in the implementation of shape memory alloys (SMAs) into morphing wing technology in order to reduce drag and provide a larger mission envelope for aircraft. He is an ALSAMP scholar and the current president of the UAH Makers Club.

Eli Merlock

Eli received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2020. He assisted in the research involving plasma actuators for flow control on delta wing platforms, along with various other projects by designing and drafting parts and testing models using Solid Edge. Eli looks to apply what he learned from his research and educational experience to a leading corporation in the aerospace industry.

Andrew Smelser

Andrew received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2019. He is originally from Marietta, Georgia, and with interests in implementing sweeping jets into an aircraft or small UAVs and applying Active Flow Control technologies to rockets or crewed reentry capsules. He is currently working as a Staff Aerospace Engineer at the Mercer Engineering Research Center at Warner Robbins, Georgia.

Reid Wernig

Reid received his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2019. Although he is originally from Huntsville, Alabama, he attended an Engineering Academy in Virginia for high school and returned to Huntsville to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is currently working as a Systems Engineer for CACI BIT Systems in Sterling, Virginia.

Noah Schwalb

Noah is currently a Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering from Irvine, California. His research interests lie in the area of winglet optimization with the purpose of increasing aircraft efficiency, with a focus on the multi-winglet concept. He wants to apply this concept to a commercial aircraft so that they may switch between a blended and multi-winglet configuration. Noah intends to pursue these interests in more depth at the graduate level.

Patrick Smith

Patrick is a Sophomore in Aerospace Engineering. He is originally from Andrews, South Carolina, but came to Huntsville to receive an education in the Rocket City. He is currently researching control methods for morphing wings as to improve the utility of flaps on fixed-wing aircraft.