About

Postdoctoral Scholars

Syam S

Syam is a postdoctoral scholar in the Case School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), West Bengal, India. Before joining CWRU, he worked as a research assistant in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. At CWRU, his research focuses on the influence of aerosols and particulates on hypersonic boundary layer transition. His research interests include experimental fluid mechanics, hypersonic boundary layer transition, shock-droplet interaction, flow visualization, laser ignition of atomized fuel-air mixtures, and droplet combustion. He loves to listen to vocal and instrumental music in his free time, especially Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Premika Thasu

Premika is a postdoctoral scholar in the Flow Physics Imaging Lab at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). She obtained her PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), where she focused on the dynamic analysis of hypersonic bluff body wake flows and the characterization of hypersonic freestream disturbances. Her research interests lie in high-speed flows, with expertise in experimental studies, methodologies, and data-driven and analytical modeling of fluid flows. She is driven by the challenge of uncovering order within complex flow phenomena, a pursuit that continues to shape her academic career. Outside the lab, she loves traveling, trying new cuisines, and getting lost in a good book.

PhD Students

Joshua Smith

Joshua Smith is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering. He received his MS from Miami University where he studied thermal panel buckling under hypersonic conditions. Prior to CWRU, Joshua spent several years in industry in Akron performing thermal-fluid analysis for various mechanical systems. He has interest in research pertaining to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of supersonic, multi-phase, and/or combusting flows. Outside of engineering, Joshua is active in his church and enjoys playing guitar, attending trivia nights, and biking.

Abdulaziz (Abdul) Alrefaie

Abdul is a fourth-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. He received his MS from the University of Toledo, and his research interests include flow visualization with background oriented schlieren imaging. Outside of academics and research he enjoys water sports including swimming and scuba diving. Abdul has been practicing scuba diving since 2014, and is a certified master scuba diver.

Matthew Sendrey

Matthew Sendrey is a second-year PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering. He received his BS from the University of Mount Union where he majored in Mechanical Engineering with minors in Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. His previous undergraduate research focused on laminar and turbulent flows in Hele-Shaw Cells. His research interests include hypersonic flow conditions and high speed propulsion. For fun, Matthew plays in two men's soccer leagues, plays golf and volleyball, and is a big baseball fan, his favorite being the Cleveland Guardians.

Robert Korman

Robert Korman is a first-year PhD student in Aerospace Engineering from Buffalo, NY. He received his BS from UC San Diego where he majored in Aerospace Engineering and minored in Mathematics. Before starting his PhD, Robert worked as a Manufacturing Engineer at PCB Piezotronics where his work focused on pressure sensors and the optimization of their test and calibration processes. Outside of academics, Robert enjoys all things Disney related, indoor bouldering, and photography.

Ethan Cutright

Ethan is a first-year mechanical engineering PhD student from Buckhannon, West Virginia. He received his BS from West Virginia Wesleyan College with majors in physics and mathematics. In his free time, Ethan enjoys reading, running, and listening to music.

 Alumni

Gauresh Jassal, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Minnesota. Thesis: "On High Spatial Resolution Velocimetry in Fluid Flows Using Optical Flow" (2025).

Nicholas Mejia, PhD

Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Thesis: "Hypersonic Stagnation Point Injection" (2025).

Masters Students

Cole Davin

Cole is a second-year aerospace master's student from Cumberland, Maine. He has research interests in gas dynamics and supersonic flow. Currently, Cole is investigating the effects of sonic forcing on supersonic flow formation. In his free time, Cole enjoys hiking and fishing the waterway in northeast Ohio.

Justin Jou

Justin is a second year Aerospace Engineering Masters student from Queens, New York. His research interests include flow visualization with background oriented schlieren imaging, and he is contributing to the implementation of BOS imaging in the medical field. Outside of research, Justin enjoys spending his spare time listening to music and playing video games with friends.

Justin Le

Justin Le is a second year Mechanical Engineering Masters student. As a kid, he loved assembling Legos and doing Math, which translates to his pursuit of a Mechanical Engineering major. He is currently working on a project involving flow over a rotating cone in the FPI lab. In free time, Justin enjoys playing and watching basketball, soccer, and pools.

Yusuf Shaaban

Yusuf is a second-year Mechanical Engineering Masters student from Northbrook, Illinois. He is interested in researching hypersonic flow and modeling it using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). He spends his free time competing in track & field as a 400 meter hurdler.

Alexander Goldman

Alexander Goldman is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a dual Bachelor's degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Having been recently accepted into CWRU's BS/MS program, Alex is working toward his Master's in Aerospace Engineering. Alex’s research focuses on gimballed propulsion systems for amateur, off-the-shelf rocket engines, with applications in the consumer rocketry sector. Outside the laboratory, Alex enjoys gaming, exploring creative projects, and travel.