August 16, 2022
By: Ashley Ritchie

Seven professors in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering have been selected as Woodruff Faculty Fellows in recognition of their outstanding research accomplishments, emerging leadership in their field, and the contributions they have made to Georgia Tech and the Woodruff School.

Associate Professors Costas Arvanitis, Yuhang Hu, Yongtae Kim, SeungWoo Lee, Peter Loutzenhiser, Shannon Yee, and Aaron Young will hold the position of Woodruff Faculty Fellow from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2027. The award is accompanied by discretionary funds that amount to $12,000 a year, meant for the recipients to continue to grow their research programs.

Arvanitis’ research focuses on biomedical ultrasound and image-guided therapy. His work is centered around understanding the biological effects of ultrasound and of acoustically induced microbubble oscillations (acoustic cavitation) and using them to study complex biological systems, with the goal of developing novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and central nervous system diseases and disorders.

Hu’s research focuses on Soft Active Materials, especially those consisting of both solid and liquid. Her research is at the interface between mechanics and materials chemistry and her studies span from fundamental mechanics to novel applications.

Kim’s research focuses on developing biomimetic microsystems that reconstitute organ-level functions on chips and integrative control systems that allow the large-scale production of therapeutic and diagnostic bio/nanomaterials.

Lee’s research focuses on understanding electrochemical energy conversion and storage mechanisms as well as on designing electrochemical systems that can link renewable energy sources with various end-user applications. The development of these technologies is a critical factor in supporting new transportation technologies, load-leveling for solar and stationary power applications, and fast-evolving portable electronic devices.

Loutzenhiser’s research focuses on concentrating and storing sunlight in a chemical form, i.e., solar fuels. Solar fuels, such as H₂ and CO, can greatly reduce or even alleviate worldwide dependency on fossil fuels while efficiently storing diffuse, intermittent sunlight.

Yee’s research focuses on developing thermal energy conversion technologies and thermal transport technologies. The current research themes include developing global change technologies, furthering thermal management, developing new forms of thermal energy conversion, new cooling and refrigeration technologies, and answering fundamental scientific questions around organic thermoelectric transport.

Young’s research focuses on optimizing control systems in wearable robotic devices by studying their effect on human locomotion biomechanics in clinical populations. His long-term goal is to create clinically viable control systems for wearable robotic lower limb assistive devices that are smart and intuitive to use.

The process of choosing the Woodruff Faculty Fellows was based on initial data provided by each faculty member, which reflected their publications, sponsored expenditures, and graduate student advising.

The selections for the Woodruff Faculty Fellow Awards are made in the spring, and the number of Fellows named varies each year.