F. Levent Degertekin

F. Levent Degertekin

F. Levent Degertekin

Professor
George W. Woodruff Chair in Mechanical Systems

Dr. F. Levent Degertekin received his B.S. degree in 1989 from M.E.T.U, Turkey; M.S. degree in 1991 from Bilkent University, Turkey; and his Ph.D. in 1997 from Stanford University, California, all in electrical engineering. His M.S. thesis was on acoustic microscopy, and his Ph.D. work was on ultrasonic sensors for semiconductor processing, and wave propagation in layered media. He worked as an engineering research associate at the Ginzton Laboratory at Stanford University from 1997 until joining the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in spring 2000. 

He has published over 150 papers in international journals and conference proceedings. He holds 20 U.S. patents, and received an NSF CAREER Award for his work on atomic force microscopy in 2004. Dr. Degertekin served on the editorial board of the IEEE Sensors Journal, and on the technical program committees of several international conferences on ultrasonics, sensors, and micro-opto-mechanical systems (MOEMS).

levent.degertekin@me.gatech.edu

404-385-1357

Office Location:
Love 311B

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Micro and Nano Device Engineering
    Additional Research:
    Degertekin's research focuses on understanding of physical phenomena in acoustics and optics, and utilizing this knowledge creatively in the form of microfabricated devices. The research interests span several fields including atomic force microscopy (AFM), micromachined opto-acoustic devices, ultrasound imaging, bioanalytical instrumentation, and optical metrology. Dr. Degertekin's research group, in collaboration with an array of collaborators, has developed innovative devices for applications such as nanoscale material characterization and fast imaging, hearing aid microphones, intravascular imaging arrays for cardiology, bioanalytical mass spectrometry, and microscale parallel interferometers for metrology.

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    Andrei Fedorov

    Andrei Fedorov

    Andrei Fedorov

    Professor and Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Chair, Woodruff School Mechanical Engineering
    Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, School Mechanical Engineering
    Director, Fedorov Lab

    Fedorov's background is in thermal/fluid sciences, chemical reaction engineering as well as in applied mathematics. His laboratory works at the intersection between mechanical and chemical engineering and solid state physics and analytical chemistry with the focus on portable/ distributed power generation with synergetic CO2 capture; thermal management of high power dissipation devices and electronics cooling; special surfaces and nanostructured interfaces for catalysis, heat and moisture management; and development of novel bioanalytical instrumentation and chemical sensors. Fedorov joined Georgia Tech in 2000 as an assistant professor after finishing his postdoctoral work at Purdue University.

    AGF@gatech.edu

    404.385.1356

    Office Location:
    Love 307

    Fedorov Lab

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Cancer Biology
    • Conventional Energy
    • Drug Design, Development and Delivery
    • Electronic Materials
    • Fuels & Chemical Processing
    • Hydrogen Production
    • Hydrogen Storage & Transport
    • Hydrogen Utilization
    • Materials for Energy
    • Miniaturization & Integration
    • Nuclear
    • Regenerative Medicine
    • Systems Biology
    • Use & Conservation
    Additional Research:
    Heat Transfer; power generation; CO2 Capture; Catalysis; fuel cells; "Fedorov's research is at the interface of basic sciences and engineering. His research portfolio is diverse, covering the areas of portable/ distributed power generation with synergetic carbon dioxide management, including hydrogen/CO2 separation/capture and energy storage, novel approaches to nanomanufacturing (see Figure), microdevices (MEMS) and instrumentation for biomedical research, and thermal management of high performance electronics. Fedorov's research includes experimental and theoretical components, as he seeks to develop innovative design solutions for the engineering systems whose optimal operation and enhanced functionality require fundamental understanding of thermal/fluid sciences. Applications of Fedorov's research range from fuel reformation and hydrogen generation for fuel cells to cooling of computer chips, from lab-on-a-chip microarrays for high throughput biomedical analysis to mechanosensing and biochemical imaging of biological membranes on nanoscale. The graduate and undergraduate students working with Fedorov's lab have a unique opportunity to develop skills in a number of disciplines in addition to traditional thermal/fluid sciences because of the highly interdisciplinary nature of their thesis research. Most students take courses and perform experimental and theoretical research in chemical engineering and applied physics. Acquired knowledge and skills are essential to starting and developing a successful career in academia as well as in many industries ranging from automotive, petrochemical and manufacturing to electronics to bioanalytical instrumentation and MEMS."

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    David Hu

    David Hu

    David Hu

    Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
    Professor, School of Biology
    Director, Hu Lab for Biolocomotion

    David Hu is a fluid dynamicist with expertise in the mechanics of interfaces between fluids such as air and water. He is a leading researcher in the biomechanics of animal locomotion. The study of flying, swimming and running dates back hundreds of years, and has since been shown to be an enduring and rich subject, linking areas as diverse as mechanical engineering, mathematics and neuroscience. Hu's work in this area has the potential to impact robotics research. Before robots can interact with humans, aid in minimally-invasive surgery, perform interplanetary exploration or lead search-and-rescue operations, we will need a fundamental physical understanding of how related tasks are accomplished in their biological counterparts. Hu's work in these areas has generated broad interest across the fields of engineering, biology and robotics, resulting in over 30 publications, including a number in high-impact interdisciplinary journals such as Nature, Nature Materials, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences as well as popular journals such as Physics Today and American Scientist. Hu is on editorial board member for Nature Scientific Reports, The Journal of Experimental Biology, and NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Center for Creative Design of Materials. He has won the NSF CAREER award, Lockheed Inspirational Young Faculty award, and best paper awards from SAIC, Sigma Xi, ASME, as well as awards for science education such as the Pineapple Science Prize and the Ig Nobel Prize. Over the years, Hu's research has also played a role in educating the public in science and engineering. He has been an invited guest on numerous television and radio shows to discuss his research, including Good Morning America, National Public Radio, The Weather Channel, and Discovery Channel. His ant research was featured on the cover of the Washington Post in 2011. His work has also been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Popular Science and Discover His laboratory appeared on 3D TV as part of a nature documentary by 3DigitalVision, "Fire ants: the invincible army," available on Netflix.

    hu@me.gatech.edu

    404.894.0573

    Office Location:
    LOVE 124

    HU Laboratory for Biolocomotion

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Autonomy
    • Miniaturization & Integration
    • Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics
    Additional Research:
    Fluid Mechanics: Fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, biomechanics, animal locomotion, and physical applied mathematics. Dr. David Hu's research focuses on fundamental problems of hydrodynamics and elasticity that have bearing on problems in biology. He is interested in the dynamics of interfaces, specifically those associated with fluid-solid and solid-solid interactions. The techniques used in his work include theory, computation, and experiment. He is also interested in pursuing biomimetic technologies based on nature's designs.

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    Peter Hesketh

    Peter Hesketh

    Peter Hesketh

    Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

    Peter Hesketh came to Georgia Tech in spring 2000 as a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Prior, he was associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Hesketh's research interests involve sensors and micro/nano-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS). Many sensors are built by micro/nanofabrication techniques and this provides a host of advantages including lower power consumption, small size and light weight. The issue of manipulation of the sample in addition to introduce it to the chemical sensor array is often achieved with microfluidics technology. Combining photolithographic processes to define three-dimensional structures can accomplish the necessary fluid handling, mixing, and separation through chromatography. Hesketh is also interested in nanosensors, impedance based sensors, miniature magnetic actuators and the use of stereolithography for sensor packaging. He has published over sixty papers and edited fifteen books on microsensor systems.

    peter.hesketh@me.gatech.edu

    404.894.8496

    Office Location:
    Love 317

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Micro and Nano Device Engineering
    • Miniaturization & Integration
    Additional Research:
    Microfabrication; micromachining; sensors and actuators; biosensors; "Dr. Hesketh's research interests are in Sensors and Micro/Nano-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS).Many sensors are built by micro/nanofabrication techniques and this provides a host of advantages including lower power consumption, small size and light weight.The issue of manipulation of the sample in addition to introduce it to the chemical sensor array is often achieved with microfluidics technology.Combining photolithographic processes to define three-dimensional structures can accomplish the necessary fluid handling, mixing, and separation through chromatography.For example, demonstration of miniature gas chromatographyand liquid chromatography with micromachined separation columns demonstrates how miniaturization of chemical analytical methods reduces the separation time so that it is short enough, to consider the measurementequivalentto ""read-time"" sensing. A second focus area is biosensing. Professor Hesketh has worked on a number of biomedical sensors projects, including microdialysis for subcutaneous sampling, glucose sensors, and DNA sensors. Magnetic beads are being investigated as a means to transport and concentrate a target at a biosensor interface in a microfluidic format, in collaboration with scientists at the CDC. His research interests also include nanosensors, nanowire assembly by dielectrophoresis; impedance based sensors, miniature magnetic actuators; use of stereolithography for sensor packaging. He has published over sixty papers and edited fifteen books on microsensor systems."

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    Frank Hammond III

    Frank  Hammond III

    Frank Hammond III

    Assistant Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering
    Director, The Adaptation Robotic Manipulation Laboratory

    Frank L. Hammond III joined George W. Woodruff George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in April 2015. Prior to this appointment, he was a postdoctoral research affiliate and instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a Ford postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in 2010 from Carnegie Mellon University.

    frank.hammond@me.gatech.edu

    404.385.4208

    Office Location:
    UA Whitaker Room 4102

    The Adaptation Robotic Manipulation Laboratory

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Flexible Electronics
    • Human Augmentation
    Additional Research:
    Hammond's research focuses on the design and control of adaptive robotic manipulation (ARM) systems. This class of devices exemplified by kinematic structures, actuation topologies, and sensing and control strategies that make them particularly well-suited to operating in unstructured, dynamically varying environments - specifically those involving cooperative interactions with humans. The ARM device design process uses an amalgamation of bioinspiration, computational modeling and optimization, and advanced rapid prototyping techniques to generate manipulation solutions which are functionally robust and versatile, but which may take completely non-biomorphic (xenomorphic) forms. This design process removes human intuition from the design loop and, instead, leverages computational methods to map salient characteristics of biological manipulation and perception onto a vast robotics design space. Areas of interest for ARM research include kinematically redundant industrial manipulation, wearable robotic devices for human augmentation, haptic-enabled teleoperative robotic microsurgery, and autonomous soft robotic platforms.

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    Suman Das

    Suman Das

    Suman Das

    Morris M. Bryan, Jr. Chair and Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
    Director, Direct Digital Manufacturing Laboratory

    suman.das@me.gatech.edu

    404.385.6027

    Office Location:
    MARC 255

    Direct Digital Manufacturing Laboratory

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Additive manufacturing
    • Biomaterials
    • Conventional Energy
    • Materials and Nanotechnology
    Additional Research:
    3D printing; Additive/Advanced Manufacturing; Biomaterials; Composites; Emerging Technologies; Nanocomposites; Nanomanufacturing; Manufacturing, Mechanics of Materials, Bioengineering, and Micro and Nano Engineering. Advanced manufacturing and materials processing of metallic, polymeric, ceramic, and composite materials for applications in life sciences, propulsion, and energy. Professor Das directs the Direct Digital Manufacturing Laboratory and Research Group at Georgia Tech. His research interests encompass a broad variety of interdisciplinary topics under the overall framework of advanced design, prototyping, direct digital manufacturing, and materials processing particularly to address emerging research issues in life sciences, propulsion, and energy. His ultIMaTe objectives are to investigate the science and design of innovative processing techniques for advanced materials and to invent new manufacturing methods for fabricating devices with unprecedented functionality that can yield dramatic improvements in performance, properties and costs.

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    Craig Forest

    Craig Forest

    Craig Forest

    Professor

    Craig Forest is a Professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech where he also holds program faculty positions in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. He conducts research on miniaturized, high-throughput robotic instrumentation to advance neuroscience and genetic science, working at the intersection of bioMEMS, precision machine design, optics, and microfabrication. Prior to Georgia Tech, he was a research fellow in Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He obtained a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in June 2007, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2003, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2001. He is cofounder/organizer of one of the largest undergraduate invention competitions in the US—The InVenture Prize, and founder/organizer of one of the largest student-run makerspaces in the US—The Invention Studio. He was a recently a Fellow in residence at the Allen Insitutte for Brain Science in Seattle WA; he was awarded the Georgia Tech Institute for BioEngineering and BioSciences Junior Faculty Award (2010) and was named Engineer of the Year in Education for the state of Georgia (2013). He is one of the inaugural recipients of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Grants, a national effort to invent the next generation of neuroscience and neuroengineering tools. In 2007, he was a finalist on the ABC reality TV show "American Inventor.”

    cforest@gatech.edu

    404.385.7645

    Office Location:
    Petit Biotechnology Building, Office 1310

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  • Precision Biosystems Laboratory
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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Drug Design, Development and Delivery
    • Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics
    • Neuroscience
    Additional Research:
    The Precision Biosystems Laboratory is focused on the creation and application of miniaturized, high-throughput, biological instrumentation to advance genetic science. The development of instruments that can nimbly load, manipulate, and measure many biological samples - not only simultaneously, but also more sensitively, more accurately, and more repeatably than under current approaches - opens the door to essential, comprehensive biological system studies. Our group strives to develop these tools, validate their performance with meaningful biological assays, and with our collaborators, pursue discoveries using the instruments. These instruments, and the discoveries they enable, could open new frontiers forthe design and control of biological systems.

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    Wayne J. Book

    Wayne J. Book

    Wayne Book

    Professor Emeritus, School of Mechanical Engineering

    Dr. Book began at Tech in 1974 as an assistant professor. He has maintained a longstanding interest in robotics, automatic controls, and in the special topic of his Ph.D. thesis, the control of flexible motion systems. 

    He was instrumental in the formation of the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems (CIMS) Program at Georgia Tech, serving as its founding director from 1983 to 1988. In 2001, he was appointed to the HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control. Shortly thereafter he established the Georgia Tech Fluid Power and Motion Control Center. 

    He retired from Georgia Tech in June of 2011 and was granted emeritus status and continues to be active in that capacity.

    wayne.book@me.gatech.edu

    Intelligent Machine Dynamics Laboratory

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Collaborative Robotics

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