Open Research Positions

Professor Hanson's Diode Laser Group within the High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory (HTGL) in the Mechanical Engineering Department seeks highly qualified and motivated graduate students for research projects leading to the Ph.D. degree. Research assistantship support is available for projects involved in semiconductor process diagnostics and combustion/propulsion diagnostics and control.

Research in the Diode Laser Group will give you the opportunity to apply your background in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, control, optics, and physics to challenging, ambitious projects aimed at improving the scientific basis of key industrial processes. Potential applicants should have a record of high academic achievement, both in terms of undergraduate grades and GRE scores. Some previous laboratory or other hands-on experience is desirable.

About the Diode Laser Group

Tunable diode lasers, fiber optics, computer-based data-acquisition systems, and various spectroscopic techniques (including absorption, fluorescence, cavity ring-down) are employed in the development of novel optical sensors for real-time measurements and on-line control of gas dynamic parameters for a variety of industrial processes. The diode-laser sensors are applied for non-intrusive measurements of gas temperature, pressure, velocity, species and soot concentrations, mass flux and thrust in pulse detonation engines, hypervelocity propulsion systems, high-pressure combustors, and state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing systems. In addition, the sensors are used as tools for measurements of atomic and molecular spectroscopic parameters for contribution to fundamental databases.

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Applicants should contact:
Professor Ron Hanson