Faculty Members
Dr. Yusuf Altintas
Dr. Yusuf Altintas is the head of the Manufacturing Automation Laboratory (MAL) at UBC and studies modeling, analysis, monitoring, and control of machining processes. As a result of collaborations with Pratt & Whitney Canada and donations from Mori Seiki, Boeing, and many others, the lab has become the largest, most focused machining research center in North America. The laboratory has also produced various software systems that are licensed to more than 150 companies and university research centers in the world.
More: MECH Profile, Manufacturing Automation Laboratory, MAL Inc
Dr. Nima Atabaki
Dr. Nima Atabaki is a Professor of Teaching in the Department with primary responsibilities in teaching and supervising capstone projects. He has conducted experimental and theoretical research in heat and mass transfer. In particular, his research involves the investigation of HVAC systems, the thermal conductivity of fluid saturated powder metal plates, and loop heat pipes.
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Dr. Mattia Bacca
Dr. Mattia Bacca works on developing models to understand the physics of materials on a nanometric scale. This includes studying the optimal design of bio-inspired sticky devices (adhesives).
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Dr. Kendal Bushe
Dr. Kendal Bushe works in the field of turbulent combustion, with an emphasis on developing methods for numerical simulation of turbulent combustion. His work has achieved the development of a new modelling approach known as Conditional Source-Term Estimation, as well as the development of a new database of Direct Numerical Simulation results for non-premixed turbulent combustion.
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Dr. Mu Chiao
Dr. Mu Chiao leads a research program on Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nanotechnology. He is working with researchers from the Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences to develop a MEMS device for drug delivery applications. Dr. Chiao also has collaborated with BC Cancer Agency researchers to develop a miniature MEMS optical scanner for biomedical imaging and cancer detection.
More: MECH Profile, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group
Dr. Peter Cripton
Dr. Peter Cripton is co-director of UBC’s Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group, and focuses his research on injury biomechanics, and injury prevention. Dr. Cripton focuses is work on the brain, spinal cord and hip. In particular, Dr. Cripton specializes in the characterization of human tissue’s tolerance to mechanical injury and developing novel ways to prevent injuries. He is currently a Principal Investigator at ICORD, the Centre for Hip Health and the Brain Research Centre. He is working on commercializing a helmet that prevents neck injuries during head-first impact that he and a former graduate student, Tim Nelson, co-invented.
More: MECH Profile, Brain Research Centre, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group, ICORD
Dr. Elizabeth Croft
(on leave)
Dr. Elizabeth Croft is director of the Collaborative Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (CARIS) at UBC. Her primary research lies in Human-Robot Interation, with a focus on the behavior of robotics in a manufacturing environment. Her research includes the improvement of jerk limited motion and trajectory planning, as well as the development of a new rendezvous-point selection strategy. Dr. Croft is also currently working on developing machine vision systems for industrial robotics.
More: MECH Profile, Home Page
Dr. Agnes d’Entremont
Dr. Agnes d’Entremont is an Instructor in the Department with primary responsibilities in teaching and supervising capstone projects. She works on 3D imaging analysis with a focus on hip and knee biomechanics. She has previously collaborated with the Child and Family Research Institute and developed techniques to measures cartilage health among children with joint disorders.
More: MECH Profile, Centre for Hip Health and Mobility Child and Family Research Institute
Dr. Clarence de Silva
Dr. Clarence de Silva is the head of the Industrial Automation Laboratory (IAL), and specializes in control and process automation. The concept of “Mechatronic Design Quotient” (MDQ) was introduced and developed by Dr. de Silva, and has been adopted and applied by many researchers on electromechanical system design. He also introduced and developed the design of engineering systems through machine health monitoring (MHM), which is being investigated, cited, and adopted by various researchers in the field.
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Dr. Gwynn Elfring
Dr. Gwynn Elfring primarily conducts research on the mechanics of bio-locomotion and cell-cell interactions, as well as capillary phenomena and complex fluids. Often in collaboration with experimentalists, Dr. Elfring utilizes applied mathematics to solve current challenges in the field and further his studies on fluid mechanics, cell biomechanics, and capillary phenomena.
More: MECH Profile, Elfring Group (Applied Math Lab)
Dr. Steve Feng
Dr. Steve Feng conducts research in the area of computer-aided design, manufacturing, and inspection. His current work is on the modelling and design of a manifold triangle mesh surface, as well as the development of automatic removal of outliers in 3D laser scanned point clouds. He is part of a team that established a unique 3D laser scanning and geometric modelling research facility at UBC, which aims to develop a next-generation CAD/CAM system.
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Dr. Ian Frigaard
Dr. Ian Frigaard is an expert in non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and mathematical modeling. While his studies in non-Newtonian fluid mechanics have led to research of subjects such as suspension flows and particle sedimentation, his work in mathematical modeling are heavily industry-driven and have resulted in collaborations on studying reactive displacement flows and waxy crude oil pipeline restarts.
More: MECH Profile, Laboratory for Complex & Non-Newtonian Flow, Personal Website
Dr. Mohamed Gadala
Dr. Mohamed Gadala has been a recipient of a University-Industry Synergy R&D Partnership Award from NSERC for a Tristar Industries design project, and has had extensive experience working with industry, including with Ontario Hydro and Atomic Energy of Canada. Dr. Gadala also has experience in crack detection and crack propagation; the aim of his research is to provide industry with an experimental and numerical solution procedure for crack detection and propagation monitoring in rotating components.
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Dr. Amanda Giang
Dr. Amanda Giang researches how environmental modelling can impact policy and better empower communities and inform decision making at local and global scales. She develops air quality modelling and risk assessment tools to support uncertainty analysis, and stakeholder decision-making.
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Dr. Dana Grecov
Dr. Dana Grecov specializes in biofluid mechanics, liquid crystals, fluid flow, and computational fluid dynamics. Dr. Grecov has recently also been collaborating with Greenland Corporation to study the performance of bio-lubricants. Their work is expected to leave a strong impact on the field with its highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and economically viable design.
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Dr. Sheldon Green
Dr. Sheldon Green is currently conducting research with several collaborators in the fields of liquid sprays, papermaking, biomechanics, and building ventilation. With Stantec and the Vancouver Airport authority, he is studying building ventilation and filtration. With LB Foster, he is developing next generation railroad friction modifiers through research on the flow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids in a pressure atomizer.
Dr. Antony Hodgson
Dr. Antony Hodgson is a director at the Neuromotor Control Laboratory. The research conducted in the lab relates human biomechanics and tool use to surgical tool design and use as well as surgical ergonomics. Recent work has focused on computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery and minimizing cutting errors in bone-cutting procedures, as well as developing a more innovative femoral head resurfacing technique for treating hip arthritis.
More: MECH Profile, Surgical Technologies Laboratory
Dr. Jasmin Jelovica
Dr. Jasmin Jelovica is the Seaspan Shipyards Chair in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. His research focuses on enabling sustainable use of resources in the marine industry, including in advanced structures and production methods for ship construction.
Dr. Patrick Kirchen
Dr. Patrick Kirchen leads research on combustion and towards improved internal combustion engines. He received the Kamm-Jante Medal in 2010 for his outstanding contributions to the engine research community. Dr. Kirchen’s work involves understanding the effects of various engine operating parameters, such as injection strategies and fuel type. He also conducts research in the field of membrane reactors, and often works with engine manufacturers to develop practical reactor configurations for fuel conversion. Dr. Kirchen collaborates extensively with local engine developer Westport Innovations Inc.
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Dr. Hongshen Ma
Dr. Hongshen Ma is the Principal Investigator at the Multi-Scale Design Laboratory with research relating to microfluidics and medical devices. More specifically, his research includes chromatographic cell separation, Malaria detection devices, and a microfluidic ratchet mechanism with applications to the detection and separation in blood of tumor cells. Dr. Ma is also working on developing technologies to optimize blood storage practices.
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Dr. Christopher McKesson
Dr. Christopher McKesson is an instructor with primary responsibilities in teaching and supervising capstone projects. He has over twenty years of experience in the industry as a naval architect, and has taken on a variety of challenging projects. With a global reputation as an expert on high speed ships, he has worked on developing unique propulsion systems, and has also worked to develop alternative fuel and propulsion systems to minimize environmental impact. His research has resulted in various collaborations with major water transit authorities, such as Washington State Ferry and San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority.
More: MECH Profile, Naval and Marine Engineering Program
Dr. Walter Mérida
Dr. Walter Mérida is the director of UBC’s Clean Energy Research Centre, and leads the school’s hydrogen and fuel cell research team. With his expertise, he has developed new hardware and techniques for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and characterising two-phase water transport in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies. Additionally, he has consulted with various organizations including Translink, AFCC, and dPoint Technologies.
More: MECH Profile, Clean Energy Research Center, Mérida Labs
Mr. Jon Mikkelsen
Mr. Jon Mikkelsen is a Professor of Teaching in the department with primary responsibilities in teaching and supervising capstone projects. He is the Director of the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Program at UBC. Heis heavily involved in research on extracting renewable energy from the ocean, and is currently part of the team developing an axis tidal turbine for power generation. He also specializes in the development and design of fishing gear, creating live capture technologies such as “fishweels” and “fishtraps” that allow for selective harvesting.
More: MECH Profile, Naval and Marine Engineering Program
Dr. Ryozo Nagamune
Dr. Ryozo Nagamune specializes in control engineering, which analyses the behavior of dynamic systems using control theory and designs feedback controllers to modify these behaviors as desired. His work in this field has resulted in collaboration with faculty members of Michigan State University, researching air-fuel control for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions. His research has also led to analysis of machine tools in order to improve the positioning precision of machine tables and machine tools.
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Dr. Carl Ollivier-Gooch
Dr. Carl Ollivier-Gooch leads a research team specializing in Computational Aerodynamics, with particular focus on unstructured mesh methods and generation. Their work has succeeded in achieving very successful techniques for unstructured mesh improvement, and has resulted in the development of an extremely popular software library for unstructured mesh generation that has been downloaded by over 6000 users in 62 countries.
More: MECH Profile, Advanced Numerical Simulation Laboratory
Dr. James Olson
Dr. James Olson conducts reserarch in pulp and paper manufacturing. He led the development of next generation screen rotor designs used in many pulp and paper facilities. His research has already drawn attention from several major organizations across the globe, resulting in a BC Hydro Demonstration project done in collaboration with Canfor and Advanced Fibre Technologies Inc. The project was implemented in over 100 mills worldwide, and was recognized with the 2007 NSERC Synergy Award and the 2008 BC Innovation Council Lieutenant Governors Award for Innovation.
More: MECH Profile, Advanced Fibre Processing Laboratory, Energy Reduction in Mechanical Pulping
Dr. Peter Ostafichuk
Dr. Peter Ostafichuk is a Professor of Teaching in the department with primary responsibilities in teaching and supervising capstone projects. He has experience conducting research and consulting in sports aerodynamics. He has collaborated with many organizations, such as Nike, the Canadian Olympic Team, and TREK bikes to help analyse the aerodynamic conditions of various major sports.
More: MECH Profile, AeroLab
Dr. Thomas Oxland
Dr. Thomas Oxland is the co-director of the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group. He specializes in management of bone loss problems, biomechanics of spine fixation systems and spinal cord injury. His expertise in implant biomechanics stems from his experience in industry, where he played a significant role in developing several highly innovative systems. He is currently a Principal Investigator at ICORD and is cross-apppointed to the Department of Orthopaedics in the Faculty of Medicine.
More: MECH Profile, Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group, ICORD
Dr. Srikantha Phani
Dr. Srikantha Phani specializes in dyamics and vibrations, and nanomechanics of advanced materials. In particular, he researches their applications in mechanical, aerospace engineering, and in cardiovascular medicine. His current research is on micromechanics, and understanding the dynamics of multiscale materials, structures and devices.
More: MECH Profile, Dynamics and Applied Mechanics Lab
Dr. Mauricio Ponga
Dr. Mauricio Ponga primarily conducts research on mechanics of materials using novel multiscale modeling techniques the couple fundamental aspects of materials from atomic description all the way up to continuum scales. Dr. Ponga’s research interest are in the field of mechanical properties of metals and alloys, solids and structures using finite element methods, high energy impact applications, energy transport at different scales and electronic materials.
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Dr. Steve Rogak
Dr. Steve Rogak is a Principal Investigator in aerosol research at UBC, specializing in three streams in particular: the effect of particle morphology on transport and measurement of the particles, the development of fuel injectors and injection strategies, and the reduction of aerosol concentrations within buildings. His work has led to collaborations with companies such as Westport Innovations, resulting in significant discoveries in particle morphology under engine operating conditions.
More: MECH Profile, Energy and Aerosols Laboratory
Dr. Robert Rohling
Dr. Robert Rohling is a member of the Robotics and Control Laboratory with a focus on improving medical imaging techniques for ultrasound diagnostics. He is currently working in areas of 3D ultrasound and spatial compounding to improve visualization of anatomy and pathology. Dr. Rohling is also an expert on Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS); his research on the subject resulted in significant improvement in the workflow and display of medical images on PAC systems around the world.
More: MECH Profile, Robotics and Control Laboratory
Dr. Douglas Romilly
Dr. Douglas Romilly is the project leader in the AUTO 21- Networks of Centres of Excellence for Canada, developing testing facilities, analytical models, and results for vehicle and road safety. Dr. Romilly is also Principal Investigator of the UBC Bonded Composite Repair Program, researching aircraft repair technology. His experience and expertise in topics such as solid body mechanics, design, have resulted in collaborations with local industry; he has APEGBC status in British Columbia and has recently worked with APEGA on a project on lifting sling structural integrity and use.
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Dr. Gary Schajer
Dr. Gary Schajer is head of the Renewable Resources Laboratory at UBC, and is an expert on industrial residual stress measurements and full-field optical metrology. He also specializes in X-Ray CT log scanning: he is currently part of a project to develop a scanner that scans important quality control features within the log, in order to maximize its value.
More: MECH Profile, Renewable Resources Laboratory
Dr. Boris Stoeber
Dr. Boris Stoeber is a member of the Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group at UBC, and specializes in microsystems technologies. He is currently working on developing new microfabrication techniques for forming microneedles used for drug delivery and biosensing, as well as developing chemical sensing technology used to determine the concentration of volatile organic compounds in air.
More: MECH Profile, Stoeber Laboratory, Microsystems and Nanotechnology Group
Dr. Mike Van der Loos
Dr. Mike Van der Loos specializes in robotics and design, with special focus on rehabilitation robotics, human-robot interaction. His latest work is in the design of an inherently safe mobile manipulation robotic system, as well as the development of robotic tools used to understand and treat human balance disorders. He is also working on the development and testing of mechatronic exercise systems for stroke therapy.
More: MECH Profile, CARIS Laboratory