Edwards named Angel Family Distinguished Professor

Dr. Jack R. Edwards has been named the Angel Family Distinguished Professor in the Department Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University.

A member of the NC State faculty since 1994, his research interests are in computational fluid dynamics, with emphases on algorithm development for CFD and physical modeling of turbulent, reactive flows.

Edwards’ current research is focused in the areas of high-speed turbulent combustion and in contaminant transport. In the first area, Edwards and his research group conduct numerical simulations that attempt to resolve the largest eddies in a turbulent flow and require the use of some of the largest computers in the United States. This allows the researchers to predict reactant mixing, combustion and compressibility effects (such as shock waves) that occur in engines designed for hypersonic (Mach numbers > 5) operation. They develop sub-models that account for near-surface turbulence and turbulence effects on combustion. In the second area, Edwards and his group use immersed-boundary methods to capture the effects of realistic human motion, thermal plume effects and other activities (such as breathing and skin emissions) on the spread of contaminants or trace materials.

Edwards has authored or co-authored more than 190 technical publications focused on computational fluid dynamics algorithm development, transition and turbulence modeling, shock/boundary layer interactions, contaminant transport modeling and chemical reactor engineering. He has received two NASA technological achievement awards and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s Outstanding Research Award (2011 and 2015) and he was honored as an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) (2004).

Edwards received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from NC State.