People

Current Members

Principal Investigator

Joaquim R. R. A. Martins is a Professor at the University of Michigan, where he heads the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory (MDO Lab) in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. His research involves the development and application of MDO methodologies to the design of aircraft configurations, with a focus on high-fidelity simulations that take advantage of high-performance parallel computing.

He has served as Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal, Optimization and Engineering, and Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Aircraft.

Research Faculty

Post-Doctoral Fellows

PhD Students

Co-Advised PhD Students

Alumni

Post-Doctoral Alumni

Cody Karcher

Current position: CSRI Post-Doctoral Fellow at Sandia National Laboratories

Graeme Kennedy

(also PhD alumnus)

Current position: Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Gaetan Kenway

(also PhD alumnus)

Current position: Research Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center

Ping He

Current position: Assistant Professor, Iowa State University

Mohamed Amine Bouhlel

Turaj Ashuri

Current position: Assistant Professor, Arkansas Tech University

Raphael Gross

Current position: R&D Engineer, A.L.I. Technologies

Ruben Perez

Current position: Associate Professor, Royal Military College of Canada

John Hwang

(also PhD alumnus)

Current position: Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego

Sicheng He

Xiaosong Du

Current position: Assistant Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Yingqian Liao

(also PhD alumna)

Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher at National Renewable Energy Laboratory

PhD Alumni

Marco Mangano

“High-Fidelity Aerostructural Design Optimization of Wind Turbine Rotors", University of Michigan, December 2023

Current position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MDO lab

Sabet Seraj

“Aerodynamic Design Optimization of a Supersonic Transport Aircraft Considering Low-Speed Stability“, University of Michigan, December 2023

Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, MDO Lab

Ella Wu

“Practical Appropriate Fidelity Optimization for Large-scale Multidisciplinary Aircraft Design”, University of Michigan, December 2022

Current position: Aerodynamic Engineer, Archer Aviation

Josh Anibal

“Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of Heat Exchangers”, University of Michigan, December 2022

Anil Yildirim

“Robust Methods for Aeropropulsive Design Optimization", University of Michigan, September 2021

Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, MDO lab

Benjamin Brelje

“Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Electric Aircraft Considering Systems Modeling and Packaging”, University of Michigan, August 2021

Current position: Multidisciplinary Optimization Engineer, Joby Aviation

Yingqian Liao

“High-fidelity Hydrostructural Optimization of Composite Hydrodynamic Lifting Surfaces”, University of Michigan, August 2021

Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, MDO lab

Sicheng He

“Aerodynamic Shape Optimization using a Time-Spectral Approach for Limit Cycle Oscillation Prediction”, University of Michigan, April 2021

Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, MDO lab

Shamsheer Chauhan

“Optimization Studies for Aircraft Considering Propeller-Wing Interaction”, University of Michigan, December 2020

Current position: Engineer, Overair

Eirikur Jonsson

“High-fidelity Aerostructural Optimization of Flexible Wings with Flutter Constraints”, University of Michigan, July 2020

Current position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, MDO lab

Nicolas Bons

“High-Fidelity Wing Design Exploration with Gradient-Based Optimization”, University of Michigan, May 2020

Current position: Principal Systems Engineer, Northrop Grumman

Gustavo Halila

“Aerodynamic Shape Optimization and Modeling for Flows Including Transition to Turbulence Effects”, University of Michigan, May 2020

Current position: Aerodynamics and CFD Engineer, Embraer

John Jasa

“Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of an Aircraft Considering Path-Dependent Performance”, University of Michigan, December 2019

Current position: Postdoc, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Justin Gray

“Design Optimization of a Boundary Layer Ingestion Propulsor Using a Coupled Aeropropulsive Model”, University of Michigan, October 2018

Current position: Engineer, OpenMDAO Project Team Leader, NASA Glenn Research Center

Ney Secco

“Component-based Aerodynamic Shape Optimization using Overset Meshes”, University of Michigan, July 2018

Current position: Assistant Professor, Technological Institute of Aeronautics, Brazil

Timothy Brooks

“Design Optimization of Flexible Aircraft Wings Using Tow-Steered Composites”, University of Michigan, May 2018

Current position: Aerospace Research Engineer, Aerion Supersonic

David Burdette

“High-Fidelity Aerostructural Design Optimization of Transport Aircraft with Continuous Morphing Trailing Edge Technology”, University of Michigan, Sep 2017

Current position: Sr. Methods Engineer, Pratt & Whitney

Nitin Garg

“High-Fidelity Hydrostructural Design Optimization of Lifting Surfaces” (co advised with Prof. Julie Young), University of Michigan, May 2017

Current position: Engineer, INEOS TEAM UK

Rhea Liem

“Multimission Fuel-Burn Minimization in Aircraft Design: A Surrogate-Modeling Approach”, University of Toronto, May 2015

Current position: Assistant Professor, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Andrew Lambe

“Matrix-Free Methods for Multidisciplinary Design Optimization”, University of Toronto, May 2015

Current position: Senior Software Engineer, Sightline Innovation Inc.

Zhoujie (Peter) Lyu

“High-Fidelity Aerodynamic Design Optimization of Aircraft Configurations”, University of Michigan, Dec 2014

Current position: Director of Solutions Engineering, Rescale

John Hwang

“A modular approach to the large-scale design optimization of aerospace systems”, University of Michigan, Dec 2014

Current position: Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego

Nansi Xue

“Design and Optimization of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric-Vehicle Applications”, University of Michigan, Dec 2013

Current position: Aerospace engineer, Zee Aero.

Wenbo Du

“Multi-Scale Modeling, Surrogate-Based Analysis, and Optimization of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Vehicle Applications” (co-advised with Prof. Wei Shyy), University of Michigan, July 2013

Current position: Senior Support Engineer, Rescale

Gaetan Kenway

“A Scalable Parallel Approach for Multi-Point High-Fidelity Aerostructural Optimization of Aircraft Configurations”, University of Toronto, Feb 2013

Current position: Research Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center

Graeme Kennedy

“Aerostructural Analysis and Design Optimization of Composite Aircraft”, University of Toronto, Aug 2012

Current position: Associate Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Kai James

“Aerostructural Shape and Topology Optimization of Aircraft Wings”, University of Toronto, Apr 2012

Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Illinois.

Sohrab Haghighat

“Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of A Highly Flexible Aeroservoelastic Wing” (co-advised with Prof. Hugh Liu), University of Toronto, Apr 2012

Current position: Co-Founder & CEO, SpaceRyde

Charles Mader

“Stability-Constrained Aerodynamic Shape Optimization with Applications to Flying Wings”, University of Toronto, Feb 2012

Current position: Technical Manager, SpaceRyde

Alan Yu

“A Configurable B-Spline Parameterization Method for Structural Optimization of Wing Boxes”, University of Toronto, Dec 2008

Current position: President, MDO Investments

Masters Alumni

Tristan Dhert

“High-fidelity aerodynamic shape optimization of wind turbine blades” (TUDelft Masters thesis), University of Michigan

Current position: Investment Solutions Manager, Legal & General Investment Management, London, UK

Sander van den Broek

“Towards High-Fidelity Aeroelastic Analysis of Wind Turbines” (TUDelft Masters thesis), University of Michigan, May 2014

Current position: Research Associate, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany

Jason Kao

May 2014

Current position: Research Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory

Cody Paige

“Extension of the ADjoint approach to a laminar Navier-Stokes solver”, University of Toronto, Nov 2012

Current position: PhD Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Fredyanto Koko

“Aerostructural and Trajectory Optimization of Morphing Wingtip Devices” (TUDelft Masters thesis), University of Michigan, Aug 2011

Current position: Founder & CEO, MIKROLETTE

Edmund Lee

“Structural Topology Optimization with Design Dependent Loads”, University of Toronto, Aug 2011

Current position: Engineer, Bombardier Aerospace

Peter Jansen

“Aerostructural Optimization of Nonplanar Lifting Surfaces”, University of Toronto, Aug 2009

Current position: Research Associate and Lecturer, Royal Military College of Canada

Quinn Thomson

“Automatic Implementation or Response-Surface-Based MDO Algorithms”, University of Toronto, Aug 2009

Current position: iOS Developer, Robots and Pencils

Ryan Henderson

“Aircraft Conceptual Design Optimization with Emissions Minimization”, University of Toronto, Aug 2009

Current position: Operational Analysis, NAV CANADA

Scott Moon

“Wing Aerostructural Optimization with Aeroelastic Constraints”, University of Toronto, May 2009

Current position: Systems Engineer, Payload and AIT Engineer at Moltek Consultants Ltd, Netherlands

Christopher Marriage

“Automatic Implementation of MDO Algorithms”, University of Toronto, Aug 2008

Current position: Digital Strategy Manager, Accenture, Chicago

Ian Chittick

“A New Subspace Optimization Method for Aero-structural Design”, University of Toronto, Aug 2007

Current position: Engineering Specialist, Bombardier Aerospace

Charles Mader

“ADjoint: An Approach for the Rapid Development of Discrete Adjoint Solvers”, University of Toronto, Aug 2007

Current position: Technical Manager, SpaceRyde

Nathan Tedford

“Comparison of MDO Architectures within a Universal Framework”, University of Toronto, Aug 2006

Current position: Nuclear Technologies Lead, Hatch Ltd.

Nicholas Poon

“Adaptive Constraint Aggregation for Design Optimization Using Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis”, University of Toronto, Aug 2005

Current position: Assistant Vice President, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Praveen Thokala

“Airfoil Shape Optimization Using Variable-Complexity Methods”, University of Toronto, Aug 2005

Current position: Health Economic Modeller, University of Sheffield, UK