Mechanical Engineering
Research labs and groups
NAU Mechanical Engineering research
Find links to the different research labs and groups in NAU’s Mechanical Engineering Department.
Labs & groups
Advanced Composite Materials Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. F. Ernesto Penado
The Advanced Composite Materials Laboratory is an instructional and research facility equipped for the fabrication, testing, and analysis of composite materials. The facility features specimen fabrication equipment, strain gage instrumentation and data acquisition equipment, and everything a researcher would need to manufacture or test composite materials.
Bioengineering Devices Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Tim Becker
Website: Bioengineering Devices Lab
BDL provides opportunities students interested in neurovascular devices such as new microcatheter designs, ischemic stroke systems, and innovative embolic agents for aneurysms (improving on coils, flow diverters, liquid embolics, etc). The BDL also conducts extensive in vitro cerebrovascular flow model development.
Biomechatronics Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Zach Lerner
Website: Biomechatronics Lab
The Biomechatronics Lab is a research facility focused on improving mobility in individuals with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal disabilities through innovation in mechanical and biomedical engineering. The laboratory conducts experiments and develops musculoskeletal models and simulations to study the underlying mechanisms causing movement and orthopedic disorders. The insight gained from these analyses aids the design of robotic assistive devices and treatment strategies, which are subsequently evaluated and refined using experimental and computational methods.
Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Amir Arzani
Website: Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab
We use computer modeling and numerical methods to study blood flow and cardiovascular disease. Our work spans a variety of disciplines such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), computational nonlinear structural mechanics, mass transport, dynamical systems, medical imaging, systems biology, and multiscale modeling.
Dynamic and Active Systems Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Michael Shafer
Website: Dynamic and Active Systems Lab
The Dynamic and Active Systems Lab is a research group setup for the development and study of smart materials, mechatronic systems, and novel wildlife telemetry systems. Major equipment in the lab includes a single-point laser vibrometer, data acquisition systems, a fused deposition modeling 3D printer, multiple pieces of active and passive electronic systems equipment, and multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV-RT systems). The lab’s research areas span the biology and electrical systems domains needed for wildlife telemetry systems development, and the mechanics and dynamics domains associated with smart materials.
Energy and Computational Modeling Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Tom Acker
Website: Energy and Computational Modeling Lab
The Energy and Computational Modeling Laboratory is an instructional and research facility for the development of sustainable energy technologies.
Feigenbaum Research Group Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Heidi Feigenbaum
Website: Feigenbaum Research Group
The Feigenbaum Research Group studies a wide variety of topics in theoretical and applied mechanics, including, but not limited to, plastic deformation of materials, adaptive materials, structural mechanics, continuum mechanics, biomechanics, and biomimetics.
Multifunctional Materials and Adaptive Systems Lab Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Constantin Ciocanel
Website: Multifunctional Materials and Adaptive Systems Lab
The Multifunctional Materials and Adaptive Systems Lab is a research facility that focuses on the development and characterization of multifunctional materials and adaptive electro-magneto-mechanical systems.
Vadasz Research Group Accordion Closed
Faculty: Dr. Peter Vadasz
Website: Dr. Vadasz