Faculty & Staff

  • Craig Beal

    Visiting Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  • M. Laura Beninati

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, The University of Iowa
    Research Interests: Environmental fluid mechanics, Sediment Transport, Multi-phase fluid dynamics, Turbulence and vortex dynamics, Instrumentation development for experiments in fluids, Experimental methods in fluid mechanics

  • Indranil Brahma

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Research Interests: New Interdisciplinary Modeling Methods, Dynamic System Calibration and Control/Advanced IC Engine Calibration Methods, Advanced Energy Systems, Renewable Energy Systems

  • Barbara A. Brown

    Academic Assistant of Mechanical Engineering

     

  • Christine M. Buffinton

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
    Research Interests: Mechanical regulation of heart development, Mechanical properties of heart tissue, Finite element modeling, Constitutive modeling and testing of biological materials, Mechanical vibrations and control systems

  • David Cipoletti

    Visiting Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Engineering, Brown University
    Research Interests: Deformation mechanisms of alloys, Microstructural modeling of materials, Computational models, Mechanics of solids


     

  • Emily Geist

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
    Research Interests: Computer-Aided Minimally Invasive Surgery, Medical Device Design, Medical Robotics

  • Daniel G. Johnson

    Director of Mechanical Engineering Laboratories

  • Charles J. Kim

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., University of Michigan
    Research Interests: Compliant Mechanisms, Biologically Inspired Mechanical Design, Appropriate Technology

  • Charles W. Knisely

    Chair & Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Lehigh University
    Research Interests: Experimental fluid dynamics, diesel engine flows, air jet weaving machinery, impinging shear layers, flow-induced vibrations, vortex shedding, linear and nonlinear signal processing, separated flows, flow visualization, unsteady combustion, acoustics, convective heat transfer, air-lift jet pumps, sail boats, dynamic instability of hydraulic gates, compressor optimization

  • Sarah Manoogian

    Visiting Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  • Christopher J. Mordaunt

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University
    Research Interests: Combustion Instabilities, Alternative Fuel Combustion, Green Energy Conversion Systems

  • Thomas Rich

    Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus 
    Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University
    Research Interests: Analytical/Numerical Methods in Solid Mechanics (Complex Variables, Collocation, Finite Elements), Fracture Mechanics and Structural Life Prediction, History of Engineering, Multimedia Pedagogies, Sustainable Buildings

  • Mala M. Sharma

    Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    PhD in Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University-Applied Research Laboratory
    Research Interests: Nanomaterials Characterization, Hard Coatings for Defense Applications, Environmental Degradation of Materials, Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation, Structure Property Relationships for Engineered Materials, Spray Metal Forming, Metal Matrix and Polymer Matrix Composites, Ceramic Cutting Tools

  • Steven B. Shooter

    Interim Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Research Interests: Design Theory and Methodology, Information Management for Product Design and Development, Product Platforms, Mechatronics, Robotics, Industrial Automation

  • Nathan Siegel

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  • Peter C. Stryker

    Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1985
    Research Interests: Hybrid Powertrains, Experimental/computational thermal analysis of internal combustion engines

  • Sinisa Vukelic

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Columbia University
    Research Interests: Laser Induced Mechanical Deformation, Single Crystal and Bicrystal Micromechanics and Strain Gardient Plasticity, Structural Modification of Transparent Dielectrics, Laser Imaging and Diagnostics

  • Wendelin Wright

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Chemical Engineering
    Ph.D., Stanford University
    Research Interests: Mechanical behavior, Bulk metallic glasses, Nanoindentation 

  • Constance W. Ziemian

    Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Penn State University
    Research Interests: Manufacturing Process Modeling and Optimization, Processing Effects on Mechanical & Material Properties, Materials Characterization



    Other Faculty Holding Appointments
    in Mechanical Engineering

  • James W. Baish

    Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
    Research interests: Biological heat and mass transport, Origins of biological form, Tumor physiology, System dynamics

     

  • Keith W. Buffinton

    Dean of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    Ph.D., Stanford University
    Research Interests: Rigid and flexible multibody dynamics, Pulse-width control, Intelligent Systems, Mechanical design, Parametrically excited vibration, Snowboard technology, Computational methods in mechanics, Engineering management education ,Bipedal Robots