The $505K award provides funding for research and student training in hydrodynamics and marine technology.
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Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Hangjian Ling received an NSF CAREER grant in the amount of $505,075 for student education and research. The grant will fund his project titled: "CAREER: Diffusive and Convective Gas Dissolution over Super-Hydrophobic Surfaces."
In this project, Dr. Ling aims to understand the gas dissolution process over super-hydrophobic surfaces through innovative experiments and develop new strategies to extend the longevity of super-hydrophobic surfaces. This project also has an educational component, consisting of five activities: undergraduate student-led original research, a summer workshop for high-school students, tabletop experiments for K-12 students, a class trip to a local autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturer, and an industry showcase of marine technology in southeastern New England.
Through a combination of lab-based research and hands-on learning, the project aims to provide students with training in fluid dynamics with applications in the marine industry and continue to strengthen UMass Dartmouth's position as a driver of the blue economy.
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program provides the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.
Dr. Ling has already served as a mentor for successful undergraduate and graduate students, including Christina Hart, Nicholas Paternostro, Aleksey Bourgoun, Maxwell Shangraw, and Md. Elius. "Undergraduate students at UMassD are incredibly hands-on," Ling said. "I have supervised a number of senior design teams who worked together to design experiments for my lab's research. I enjoy working with students, and it makes me happy to see so many of them go through our BS/MS program or continue their research in other great graduate programs. It is rewarding to know they have been inspired by working in my lab, because they inspire me, too."
About Dr. Hangjian Ling
Dr. Ling received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 2017 and held a postdoc position at Stanford University from 2017 to 2019. His research mainly focuses on the development of optical and laser technologies to characterize fluid and particle motions across multiple length scales. He is broadly interested in fluid dynamic problems with connections to material, biological, and environmental sciences.
His current research includes: (i) flow interaction with superhydrophobic surface for developing next generation of multi-functional materials; (ii) flow interaction with rough, soft and porous surfaces; (iii) collective animal behavior, and (iv) 3D motions of living and non-living objects including bacteria, bubbles, and birds.
He leads an experimental fluid dynamics laboratory which has a custom-built turbulent channel flow facility and many advanced optical measurement systems such as holographic particle tracking. Dr. Ling's overarching goal is to uncover the physics of flow and animal behavior and harness them to solve the critical energy and environmental issues in our society.