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Nikolaos A. Gatsonis, Ph.D.

Director, Aerospace Engineering Program

Higgins Labs 244
508-831-5576 (Voice)
508-831-5680 (Fax)
gatsonis@wpi.edu

Related Information

• Teaching, Research, & Advising Interests

Education

• B.S., Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, 1983
• M.S., University of Michigan, 1986
• M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987
• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991

Research

• Simulation methods and modeling of nonequilibrium, multi-component, multi-scale, gaseous and plasma flows.
• Continuum/atomistic (hybrid) simulation methods of macro-, micro- and nano-scale fluid transport processes.
• Plasma diagnostics and microfluidic experiments.
• Spacecraft propulsion and micro-propulsion; spacecraft/environment interactions; space experiments.

Publications

• Gatsonis, N.A, Al Kouz, W., Chamberlin, R.E., “Investigation of Rarefied supersonic flows into rectangular nanochannels using a three-dimensional direct simulation Monte Carlo method,” Physics of Fluids, 2010.
• Gatsonis, N.A. and Spirkin, A., “A Three-dimensional Electrostatic Particle-in-Cell Methodology on Unstructured Delaunay-Voronoi Grids”, Journal of Computational Physics, Volume 228, Issue 10, 1 June 2009, Pages 3742-37613, 2009.
• Chamberlin, R.E. and Gatsonis, N.A., “Numerical Modeling of Gas Expansion from Microtubes," Journal of Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 170-185, 2008.
• Chamberlin, R. E., and Gatsonis, N. A., “Numerical Modeling of Gaseous Expansion from Micro and Nanonozzles,” Rarefied Gas Dynamics, edited by A. Rebrov and M. Ivanov, 2007.
• Gatsonis, N.A., Juric, D. and Stechmann, D.P., “Numerical Analysis of Teflon Ablation in Solid Fuel Pulsed Plasma Thrusters,” AIAA-2007-5227, July 2007.

Extended Publications Listing

Honors and Awards

• George I. Alden Chair in Engineering, 2007-2010.
• WPI Trustees Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship, 2004.
• Norton/Saint Cobain Award in Recognition of Leadership in Integrated Graduate and Undergraduate Research, Mechanical Engineering, WPI, 1998-99.
• Morgan Distinguished Instructorship in Mechanical Engineering, WPI, 1995.

Scientific and Professional Societies/Memberships

• Member, Steering Committee of the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space, The National Academies, Space Studies Board, 2009-2010.
• Member, AIAA Electric Propulsion Technical Committee, 1998 – 2003; AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee, 1997 – 1998; AIAA Space Sciences Technical Committee, 1992 - 1996.

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Mechanical Engineering Department - Worcester Polytechnic Institute

100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609-2280 | Phone: +1-508-831-5236 | Fax: +1-508-831-5680 | me@wpi.edu