Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park

Short CV | ME@UMD | Google Scholar | LinkedIn

Graduate Students

Chase Yankowski

Clark Doctoral Fellow, Graduate Student

Chase received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December 2023, and worked in the nuclear industry for a year afterwards. He is interested in fluid flow and applications with AI/ML. His hobbies include reading, woodworking, and fitness.

Henry Gagliardi

Graduate Student

Henry received his undergraduate degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022 after which he worked for Texas Instruments as a ceramic packaging engineer for their Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs). Outside of work and classes he enjoys cooking, playing guitar, and playing games.

Kagan Sears

Graduate Student, co-advised by Prof. Agonafer

Kagan received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in Spring 2025. Academically, his interest is modelling two-phase cooling with applications in green energy, HVAC, and data centers. Outside of the lab, he likes to boulder, play board games, bike, and learn Chinese.

Undergraduate Students

Braedon Mullin

Undergraduate Student in Mechanical Engineering

Braedon is in his third year of undergraduate study at the University of Maryland, majoring in mechanical engineering. When not in classes, he spends his time in the gym, producing music and contributing to the Vehicle Dynamics Subteam on the Terps Racing EV team.

Victor Mathias

Undergraduate Student in Aerospace Engineering

Victor is a third year aerospace engineering major at the University of Maryland. His career interest is rocket propulsion and is currently directing the propulsion sub team of the liquid rocket team through SEDS@UMD. Outside of school, Victor enjoys going to the gym, playing basketball, watching football, and spending time with friends.

Zachary Yashar

Summer Undergraduate Intern

Zach is a rising junior at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign majoring in mechanical engineering. Outside of classes he likes to spend time with family, swim, play baseball, and work on the Illini Solar Car team.

Aditya Mishra

Undergraduate Student in Mechanical Engineering

Aditya is in his second year studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Quantum Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland. Aditya is looking into researching new ways to advance emerging cooling technologies for quantum computers. Outside of his academic work, Aditya is a big fan of American Football, various genres of music, and spending time with his friends. 

High School Students

Joshua Ma

Summer High School Intern

Joshua is a rising junior at Glenelg High School with a passion for engineering. Outside of school, he enjoys playing tennis, swimming, and spending time with family and friends. He also volunteers to support children with disabilities through community programs.