John is originally from Prattville, Alabama, and began attending the University of Alabama in the fall of 2008, majoring in mechanical engineering.  Kornegay is now a PhD candidate at the University.  He is studying passive mitigation techniques for thermoacoustic instabilities through the utilization of an annular shaped porous insert with a particle image velocimetry diagnostics technique (PIV). He is supported on a NASA project for research involving lean premixed combustion and lean direction injection combustion concepts for gas turbines.   

​James Allen is a current Ph.D. student focusing on passive mitigation of thermoacoutic instabilities using porous inert media. He is expecting to graduate in the summer of 2017. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering. At The University of Alabama, James has primarily focused on swirl-stabilized lean premixed (LPM) combustion simulating power generation turbines, but recently has transitioned to liquid direct injection (LDI). In both combustor designs, James has employed dynamic pressure measurements simultaneously with time-resolved OH* chemiluminescence and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) techniques.

​Danny Depperschmidt joined UA graduate program in mechanical engineering in Fall 2014, and focuses on combustion research. He is originally from Flower Mound, TX, and earned his undergraduate degree from UA in May of 2014. Danny has worked on projects focused on the mitigation of thermoacoustic instabilities via the implementation of porous inserts in gas turbine engines. His current research deals with flow diagnostics in a rotating detonation engine. Currently, he is Graduate Research Scholars Program Fellow funded by Alabama Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research  (AL-EPSCoR). Danny is actively involved with UA’s club rugby team, for which he played for five years and is now a volunteer assistant coach.

Taber started Master’s program as Alabama License Tag Fellow in the department of Mechanical Engineering in Fall 2015. After one year of graduate school, he switched to PhD program and is now specializing on rainbow schlieren deflectometry (RSD) measurements in supercritical diesel sprays. Taber earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a double major in Applied Mathematics at the University of Alabama. At the end of Taber’s junior year as an undergraduate, he became a research assistant in combustion laboratories working on fuel flexible liquid fuel atomization at elevated pressures using the flow blurring injector. It was during this time that Taber became interested in furthering his education, thus leading him to pursue a graduate degree.   

​Jonathan joined the PhD program in Fall 2016 as UA’s Graduate Council Fellow in the Mechanical Engineering department studying combustion. A Dayton, Ohio native, Jonathan attended the University of Dayton, earning his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Concentration in 2015. During undergraduate study, he worked as a research assistant at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. While there, Jonathan conducted CFD analysis for various gas turbine combustor designs before accepting the opportunity to support similar experimental efforts. These experiences led Jonathan to seek graduate study at University of Alabama, where he is currently researching Pressure Gain Combustion in a Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE).  ​

​Rob Miller is an Undergraduate Research Assistant with the Rotating Detonation Engine research group at the University of Alabama. He is experienced in design and fabrication of various engineering systems. Rob received his BS in Mechanical Enginering in May 2017. He initially started as Master’s student, but has now swiched to doctoral program in Mechanical Engineering.

​Zack Harris is an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering. He started research work in summer 2016, when he developed a software code to simulate the thermodynamic performance of a engine concept with variable stroke length, and Atkinson cycle. After completing BS in May 2017, Zack  joined the PhD program in Fall 2017. He is interested in research on internal combustion engines, and works on co-optima project investigating combustion of conventional and biofuel blends in a constant pressure flow rig using high-speed optical diagnostics techniques

Shawn Reggeti is a PhD student working in co-optima project

​Mitch Johnson worked in the combustion lab since his freshman year. He has been involved on project on liquid fuel atomization using flow-blurring injector. He has also contributed to the project on thermoacoustic instability in lean premixed combustion systems. In January 2018, he joined the PhD program, and is currently working on Lean Direct Injection Combustion. 

Allen Loper is working on his PhD on diesel fuel injection to improve fuel-air mixing

Nathan Vardaman is from Huntsville, AL. He received Bachelor’s of Science degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama in spring 2016, and joined the Master’s program in Fall 2016. As undergraduate, he worked on the EcoCAR3 team, did undergraduate research on fuel injectors, and competed for the university’s track and field team. Nathan’s graduate research focuses on examining the flow-blurring atomization technique in fuel injectors, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and experimental research on it. 

Yasin joined the Combustion Lab as a Master’s student in Fall 2016.  He graduated as Mechanical Engineer from Ege University, Turkey and later worked as an R&D Engineer for a 3D printer project at Volturk Technology for a one year. His research focus is on combustion and fluid flow, computational heat transfer, and multiphase flow. Upon completion of his graduate studies in the U.S, he is planning to return to Turkey to work for the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, with the goal to find more efficient, environmentally safe forms of energy production. Aside from engineering, he likes sports especially fitness and trekking. He enjoys reading Manga of all genres especially shounen and martial arts.

​Cooper Welch, a native of McKinney, Texas, graduated in December of 2016 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from UA, During his time as an undergrad, he completed a manufacturing internship at Grover Corporation, a design internship at Peterbilt Motors Company, and participated actively in Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity. Cooper is working on the rotating detonation engine research project since the Fall of 2016 and will continue the research for his graduate thesis. Cooper is interested in laser diagnostics in combustion and enjoys playing sports and reading in his free time. ​

​Zack Ayers is an undergraduate senior, majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering. He is expected to graduate in May, 2017. His current research focuses on proving the effectiveness of novel fuel injection techniques in reducing harmful emissions and improving combustion system efficiency. This research has a most direct application for industrial boilers and combustors, but also holds potential for gas turbines and other internal combustion engines. Zack presented his research findings in a conference publication at the 9th National Combustion Meeting in Salt Lake City in May of 2015. After receiving BS degree in May 2017, Zack plans plans to pursue his PhD degree in the combustion field. ​