AME Welcomes New Faculty

The UA Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering welcomes two new tenure-track faculty members in fall 2019.

Kyle Hanquist joins AME as an assistant professor after earning his doctoral degree in aerospace engineering and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

His research works to model complex phenomena, with a recent focus on computational hypersonics, including investigating cooling mechanisms for the leading edges of hypersonic vehicles flying at 5 miles per second.

"The UA really stood out compared to other opportunities,” he said. “The people both at the university and around town are super friendly, and my research aligned well with the department and local industry."

Bernard Parent comes to the department after 11 years as an associate professor of aerospace engineering at Pusan National University in South Korea.

His research focuses on the numerical simulation of plasma and reactive flows, such as those used in aerodynamic flow control. His laboratory has developed more computationally efficient methods for understanding plasma behavior in hypersonics, combustion and fuel reforming.

“There are several professors whose fields of expertise complement mine,” he said. “Collaborations make it possible to go after problems that would be impossible to tackle on my own.”