Meet the Team
Lab Director
Doug Hunsaker
CV | doughunsaker.com | GoogleScholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Doug is an associate professor in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering working on improving aircraft design and optimization methods. His research areas focus on computational methods ranging from potential flow to full RANS CFD for both 2D and 3D modeling and optimization. These research efforts are currently directed towards supporting the improved aircraft efficiency interests of NASA and the Air Force Research Lab as well as the rapid design and optimization needs of the emerging drone industry. Doug also has a strong interest in studying unsteady flows as they pertain to flapping flight.
Research Engineer
Doctoral Students
Troy Abraham
troyabraham.net | GoogleScholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Troy graduated with his bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in May of 2019. He is currently pursuing his PhD in aerospace engineering. His research supports a NASA University leadership Initiative focused on adaptive aerostructures for civil supersonic aircraft. This research involves developing and utilizing low-fidelity aerodynamic codes to explore the effects of an aircraft’s equivalent-area distribution on its perceived loudness at the ground. Troy has worked previously as an undergraduate laboratory assistant in Utah State University's Experimental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and Aerolab.
Ben Moulton
Resume | Portfolio | GoogleScholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn | Printables
Ben is a PhD student at Utah State University. Ben's research focuses on control methodologies for bio-inspired aircraft. He also loves to study the aircraft equations of motion, and corresponding insight from aircraft handling qualities. Ben has been part of the Horizon group working on developing the morphing mechanism to demonstrate yaw control on a flying wing aircraft. Ben has extensive experience in flight testing, 3D-printing, flight mechanics, and aircraft design. Ben loves reading and the art of making paper airplanes.
Spencer Adams
Spencer is a mechanical engineering PhD student. His research focuses on low-fidelity aerodynamic modelling of bio-inspired aircraft.
Steven Kesler
Resume | LinkedIn
Steve earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah. He has worked in the aerospace industry for 13 years, testing actuation systems and performing aerodynamic design, modeling, and analysis for turbines and nozzles of jet engines. He is currently working on the design of hypersonic vehicles and transitioning tested prototypes to manufacturing. He is also pursuing a PhD in aerospace engineering at Utah State University.
Masters Students
Benjamin Ford
Benjamin is a Master's student studying Aerospace Engineering and is currently working on trajectory optimization.
Zachary Foster
Zach is currently perusing a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and is working on the GOSWIFT project. Zach has many years of RC aircraft design as well as high-powered rocketry design. Zach enjoys a variety of topics but has a special passion for dynamic modeling and simulation as well as control design.
Amanda Olsen
AmandaOlsen169@gmail.com | LinkedIn
Amanda is currently a Master's student pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in aerodynamics and aerospace. She began working in the lab as an undergraduate student investigating the optimal dihedral distribution of a wing in ground effect. Her Master's research is a continuation of this project.
Joshua Hurwitz
Joshua.Hurwitz@usu.edu | LinkedIn
Josh is a Master's student working to support supersonic wake modeling for the MachLine panel method. Josh has been part of the Horizon project, Manta project, and his undergraduate research project working on multi-port pitot probes for aerodynamic angle measurement.
Nathan Hoch
nathan.hoch@usu.edu | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Nathan completed undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering (BS) and Aircraft Maintenance (AAS). He joined the AeroLab for his Master's degree and supports upgrades to USU's MachLine panel method code.
Kathle Tischner
Kathle is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying Mechanical Engineering. He is currently working on the BIRE project, where his focus is on utilizing FlightStream to develop an aerodynamic model for analyzing the the aerodynamics of the BIRE aircraft.
Ashton Gilbert
CV | ashtongilbert56@gmail.com | LinkedIn
Ashton is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying mechanical engineering with a minor in unmanned aerial systems and electrical engineering. Ashton is a part of the BIRE project and works on flight simulation and flight testing.
Undergraduate Students
Jeremiah Goates
jeremiahgoates@gmail.com | LinkedIn
Jeremiah is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying mechanical engineering. Jeremiah is working as part of the AFX Hypersonics Team. He is mainly responsible for the development of the convective heating model.
Conner Carlile
Conner is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying mechanical engineering. He is currently working with NASA on the GoSwift project, studying morphing aircraft geometries and their application for supersonic boom mitigation.
Logan Freeman
loganfreeman132@gmail.com | LinkedIn
Logan is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying mechanical engineering. He works on the AFX Hypersonics Grant. He is focused on development of convective heating modeling.
Tyler Black
tyler.black@usu.edu | LinkedIn
Tyler is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Studies. His research under the EURP Scholars Program analyzes and optimizes simulation software that determines the aerodynamic properties of aircraft based on their geometry in real time.
Jacob Wiberg
jacob.wiberg@usu.edu | LinkedIn
Jacob is an undergraduate student at Utah State University in the mechanical engineering program with an emphasis in aerospace engineering. Jacob is involved in research focused on optimally modifying hypersonic waveriders for complete flight trajectories.
Zach Jenkins
Zach is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying Mechanical Engineering. Zach is involved in research under the EURS program studying the aerodynamics of fighter aircraft.