Contact the Mechanical Engineering Department
Faculty and staff
NAU Mechanical Engineering Department
Our faculty members draw on varied areas of expertise to support our interdisciplinary research and teaching missions.
Alphabetical listing by last name
Tom Acker
Professor
Email: Tom.Acker@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-8363
Research Interests: Thermal-fluid system analysis; Aerodynamics system analysis; Viscous fluid mechanics; Combustion-driven acoustic instabilities; Renewable energy systems; Statistical thermodynamics; Compressible gas dynamics; Wind turbine aerodynamics
Amirhossein Arzani
Assistant Professor
Email: Amir.Arzani@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-0541
Research Interests: Cardiovascular biomechanics; Computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Multiscale modeling; Computational solid mechanics; Mass transport; Dynamical systems
Timothy Becker
Associate Professor of Practice
Email: Tim.Becker@nau.edu
Phone:928-523-1468
Research Interests: Medical device development; Aneurysm and stroke modeling; Brain vessel modeling; Biomaterials characterization
Constantin Ciocanel
Professor, Department Chair
Email: Constantin.Ciocanel@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-2439
Research Interests: Modeling, multi-field characterization, and implementation of smart materials; Development and characterization of multifunctional composites; Fatigue and fracture mechanics; Self-healing materials
Zhongwang Dou
Assistant Professor
Email: Zhongwang.Dou@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-0468
Research Interests: Experimental Fluid Mechanics, Biofluids, Biomedical Devices, Insect Flight Dynamics, Particle-Laden Flow, Flow-Structure Interaction
Heidi Feigenbaum
Professor, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies
Email: Heidi.Feigenbaum@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-5326
Research Interests: Continuum mechanics; Constitutive modeling; Solid mechanics; Plasticity; Adaptive materials and structure
Zachary Lerner
Assistant Professor
Email: Zachary.Lerner@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-1787
Research Interests: Robotics; Control; Biomechanics; Neuromuscular disorders
Hesam Moghaddam
Lecturer, Associate Chair of Undergraduate Programs
Email: Hesam.Moghaddam@nau.edu
Phone:928-523-5185
Teaching Interests: Engineering Design; Fluid Mechanics; Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Biomechanics; Finite Element Analysis (FEA); Dynamics; Statics
F. Ernesto Penado
Professor Emeritus
Email: Ernesto.Penado@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-9453
Research Interests: Mechanics of composite materials; Fracture mechanics; Finite element analysis; Optomechanics
Carson Pete
Lecturer
Email: Carson.Pete@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-4970
Teaching Interests: Engineering Design; Heat Transfer; Computer-Aided Design
Michael Shafer
Associate Professor
Email: Michael.Shafer@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-8696
Research Interests: Energy harvesting; Advanced actuation technologies; Bio-inspired engineering systems; UAV systems; Ecological tools development
Peter Vadasz
Professor
Email: Peter.Vadasz@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-5843
Research Interests: Transport Phenomena in Porous Media; Heat and Mass Transfer; Fluid Dynamics; Non- Linear Dynamics, Stability, Bifurcation and Routes to Chaos; Bio-Engineering; Energy Conversion and Storage; Engineering Economics
Meghan Vaught
Senior Administrative Services Assistant
Email: Meghan.Vaught@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-0463
Jennifer Wade
Assistant Professor
Email: Jennifer.Wade@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-1528
Research Interests: Energy materials, membrane separations, carbon capture, direct air capture, electrochemical energy systems
David Willy
Senior Lecturer
Email: David.Willy@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-5322
Teaching Interests: Thermal fluids; Renewable energy; Engineering design
Perry Wood
Lab Manager, Instructor
Email: Perry Wood@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-4421
Teaching Interests: Engineering graphics; Material science; Manufacturing