Personnel

Laboratory Director

Dr. Xu is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Aerospace Engineering. His research has included electric propulsion for spacecrafts, basic plasma science, RF plasma sources, atmospheric pressure microplasmas, plasma biological treatment, plasma assisted combustion, and rotating detonation engines. Dr. Xu is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and member of IEEE, and APS. 

Email: gabe.xu@uah.edu

  

Staff

Bhagirath Ghimire, Ph.D.

Dr. Ghimire is a post-doctoral researcher at PERL focusing on atmospheric pressure plasmas, biological applications of plasmas, and plasma surface interactions. He recieve his BS and MS in Physics from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal, and a Ph.D. in Low Temperature Plasmas from Kwangwoon University, Seoul, South Korea. Prior to coming to PERL, Dr. Ghimire was a Senoir Research Associate at Lancaster University in the UK where he conducted research on use of APPs on sterilization of bacteria and viruses.

Email: bg0073@uah.edu

Graduate Students

Andrew Walsten

Andrew obtained dual B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics from Kansas State University. He has conducted research on a high pressure microplasma source for diode pumped rare gas lasers, and is currently studying a microplasma source for miniature ion engines for his PhD.

 

Email: atw0034@uah.edu

Zachary White

Zachary obtained his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Mississippi State University. He is an NSTRF Fellow conducting his PhD research on magnetic nozzles for pulsed fusion propulsion. He has also worked on plasma striations and laser collision induced fluorescence.

 

Email:  zw0015@uah.edu

Michaela Hemming

Michaela graduated with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University. She is a NASA NSTGRO fellow conducting her PhD research on liquid-gas injectors for rotating detonation rocket engines.

 

 

Email: mrs0044@uah.edu

Nageshwar Nagarajan

Nageshwar received his undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from SASTRA Deemed University in 2019. His current research focuses on studying multi-ring microwave resonators for electric propulsion.

 

 

Email: nn0036@uah.edu

Ian Wagner

Ian graduated with a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University in 2021. His research focuses on plasma and advanced space propulsion.

 

 

 

Email: irw0004@uah.edu 

Ruthie Hill

Ruthie obtained her BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2021 from University of South Alabama. She is currently conducting research in injector backflow from passing detonation waves using a linear detonation tube.

 

 

Email: drh0041@uah.edu

 

Garrett Cobb

Garrett graduated in 2021 from University of Wisconsin with a BS in Engineering Mechanics with a concentration in Aerospace Engineering. His current projects involve the design, modeling, and testing of fluidic diode rocket injectors.

 

Email: grc0011@uah.edu

 

 

Undergraduate Student Researchers

Neil Laya - magnetic reconnection

Declan Brick - atmospheric pressure plasma jet modeling

Nao Murata - plasma jet interaction with magnetic fields

Josie Hodges - soot foils and detonation cell size

Sydney Miller - 3D printing for small Hall thrusters

Jayashree Paudel - magnetic nozzle

Jared Sauer - injector manifold design

Allison Lentz - injector design and test

 

Alumni