David Parekh
Deputy Director of Georgia Tech Research Institute and Associate Vice Provost for Research (Joint Appointment in the Woodruff School)
Education
- Ph.D., Stanford University, 1989
- M.S.M.E., Stanford University, 1985
- M.S.E.E., Stanford University, 1983
- B.S., Virginia Institute of Technology, 1982
Research Areas and Descriptors
Background
Dr. Parekh began at Tech in 1997 as Associate Director at GTRI. Prior, he was Head of Active Flow Control and Principal Technical Specialist at McDonnell Douglas Corporation and was a Scientist at McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories.
Research
Dr. Parekh's research interests span fundamental and applied topics in the fields of aeronautics and energy. In aeronautics, his work has focused on applications of active flow control to airplanes, engines, acoustics, and optics. Active flow control is an emerging multidisciplinary field that brings together unsteady fluid dynamics, adaptive controls, and compact actuation. Research in energy has focused on fuel cell and hybrid power systems for vehicles and for stationary and portable power applications. Technologies for hydrogen production and storage are a key component of many of these applications.
His current research projects include development of active flow control for UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles). These projects consider control of separation for improved aerodynamic performance, exploration of genetic-algorithm based optimization strategies for real-time control of jet mixing, and development of new control algorithms. Along with system studies on fuel-cell based propulsion for ground vehicles and strategies for converting waste to energy, his energy research is also exploring new fuel-cell based propulsion powerplants for flight applications.
The research is conducted in the GTRI Aerospace, Transportation, and Advanced Systems Laboratory experimental facilities. These research facilities include several lowspeed wind tunnels with optical diagnostics and force and moment balances for exploring advanced airplane and ground vehicle concepts. Studies of propulsion technologies are conducted in a wide range of aeroacoustic facilities for both subsonic and supersonic inlet and nozzle flows. A Fuel Cell & Battery Technology Lab and Fuel Cell Systems Lab provide state-of-the art resources for exploring novel fuel cell components and systems ranging from a single cell up to a 100-kW stack.
Professor Parekh's research is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Air Force Research Laboratories, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and both small and large corporations in the aerospace, transportation, and energy sectors.
Distinctions
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Fluid Dynamics Meeting Invited Speaker, 2000
- AIAA Journal Associate Editor, 1995-1997
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Flow Control Symposium Chairman, 2001
- Active Flow Control Forum Chairman, 1996 and 1994
Patent
- Apparatus and Methods for Active Flow Control of a Nozzle Exhaust Plume, U. S. Patent 6,308,898, with John Dorris, David Michael Smith, and Valdis Kibens, October 30, 2001
Representative Publications
- W. C. Reynolds, D. E. Parekh, P. J. D. Juvet, and M. J. D. Lee. 2003. Bifurcating and Blooming Jets. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 35, 295-315.
- P. Wickersham and D. Parekh. 2003. Real-Time Optimization of Jet Mixing via Evolution Strategies. In Manipulation and Control of Jets in Crossflow. A. R. Karagozian, L. Cortelezzi, and A. Soldati (editors). Springer Wien New York, 299ff.
- M. Amitay, D. Smith, V. Kibens, D. Parekh, and A. Glezer. 2001. Modification of the Aerodynamics Characteristics of an Unconventional Airfoil Using Synthetic Jet Actuators. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal 39(6).
- C. B. Rogers and D. E. Parekh. 1994. Mixing Enhancement By and Noise Characteristics of Streamwise Vortices in an Air Jet. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal 32(3), 464.
- D. E. Parekh and W. C. Reynolds. 1989. Forced Instability Modes in a Round Jet at High Reynolds Numbers. Physics Fluids A1(9),1 447.
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