Capabilities

Expertise

Acoustics, Sensors and Signal Processing

Capabilities in underwater acoustics, acoustic signal processing, acoustic navigation underwater and under-ice, acoustic sensing on underwater vehicles, low frequency acoustic propagation, shallow water acoustics, deep water acoustics, seabed acoustics, underwater acoustic transducer design and calibration, array signal processing, marine bioacoustics, effects of noise on the ocean environment, structural acoustics, and vibration. Services include transducer calibration and design, at sea testing of underwater acoustic instrumentation, training, and workshops.

People:

James H. Miller, Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Gopu Potty, Associate Research Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Lora Van Uffelen, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Harold (Bud) Vincent, Associate Research Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Steven Crocker, Adjunct Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Georges Dossot, Adjunct Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Advanced Materials and Structures

Topics to be addressed include: added (built-in) functionality to structural materials, synthesis of functional surfaces, synthesis and process design of functional coatings, computationally-guided accelerated materials, and materials processing development. Capabilities include: novel materials development, including fabrication of multifunctional (graphene and CNT reinforced), graded, or tailored composites; development of polyuria coated structures for energy absorption in underwater applications; development of smart coatings and multi-layer composite heterostructures; metallurgy; and experimental monitoring of variations in stress, strain, and deformation every few micro seconds.

People:

S. Pamir Alpay, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, UConn

Richard Brown, Professor, Chemical Engineering, URI

Rainer J. Hebert, Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, UConn

Carl-Ernst Rousseau, Professor and Department Chair, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Arun Shukla, Simon Ostrach Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Steven L. Suib, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, Chemistry and Director of the Institute of Materials Science, UConn

David G. Taggart, Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

An integrated analytical, simulation, algorithmic, and experimental research program in autonomous and supervisory control of UUVs tasked with surveillance, search, interdiction and underwater manipulation of objects. Focus areas include, but are not limited to: autonomous perception; adaptive motion planning and control; intelligent robotic manipulation; proactive decision support for asset allocation, waterspace planning, multi-objective coordinated 3-D and 4-D asset routing under uncertain environments, EM spectrum allocation and scheduling, and battle management; failure prognostics and energy management for life-extension; and distributed intelligence.

Includes research expertise in novel propulsion and station keeping mechanisms; underwater vehicle modeling, simulation, and control techniques; glider flow sensing transducers; full ocean depth soft and morphing bodies and mechanisms; multi-vehicle autonomy and collaboration algorithms; system design for underwater operations with low acoustic and electromagnetic footprints.

People:

Jason Dahl, Associate Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Ashwin Dani, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Abhishek Dutta, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Shalabh Gupta, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Stephen Licht, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Krishna R. Pattipati, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, UTC Professor in Systems Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Brennan Phillips, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Lora van Uffelen, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Harold (Bud) Vincent, Associate Research Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Chengzhi Yuan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Underwater Energy Systems

Capabilities include materials, components and systems-level expertise on design, and analysis and testing of underwater energy systems, including electrochemical power sources and energy storage devices. Thermal management, thermodynamic analysis, and experimental testing of underwater energy systems, including electrochemical power sources, undersea energy conversion and renewable energy storage devices, thermo-photovoltaic energy harnessing, thermal sensing and imaging devices, phonon-/photon-based cooling systems, infrared signature control of undersea vessels, and thermal management system of underwater vehicle engines. The study of underwater energy systems includes materials, components, and systems-level expertise on (1) classical, micro scale, and nanoscale thermal transport systems, (2) design and fabrication of conventional and novel nanostructured materials with unique physical, thermal and optical properties, and (3) undersea energy management, storage, and conversion for heating and cooling systems.

People:

Arijit Bose, Distinguished Engineering Professor of Chemical Engineering, URI

Wilson K. S. Chiu, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UConn

M. Reza Hashemi, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Radenka Maric, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, and Vice President for Research, University of Connecticut

Ugur Pasaogullari, Castleman Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UConn

Yi Zheng, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Propulsion Enabling Technologies

To meet power and energy needs of future undersea vehicles with “frame” size constraints, propulsion-enabling technologies, such as high torque-density machine-drives, integrated power generation-distribution-storage systems, advanced controls, and protection, will be developed and optimized. Advanced materials, devices (WBG), thermal management, and control algorithms will be investigated for high voltage, high-frequency propulsion systems with payload efficiency.

People:

Ali Bazzi, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Yang Cao, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Peter Luh, SNET Professor of Communications and Information Technologies, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Underwater Shock

Includes experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies on underwater blast response of metallic and composite structures; shock-initiated implosion of underwater structures under combined hydrostatic and explosive loadings, studies on sympathetic collapse; shock response of weathered composite structures; response of soft materials to underwater shock.

People:

Carl-Ernst Rousseau, Professor and Department Chair, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Arun Shukla, Simon Ostrach Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

James LeBlanc, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Structural Integrity, Vibration and Control

Includes theoretical, numerical, and experimental capabilities in structural vibration analysis and testing, considering a broad range structural systems and their excitations as well as the effective mitigation of unwanted and excessive vibration and noise through passive, active, and semi-active structural isolation and control strategies. Nonlinear dynamics and vibrations, including: nonlinear time series analysis; damage diagnosis and prognosis in engineered, geophysical, and biological systems; failure/damage mechanics; nonlinear system and parameter identification; modal testing and analysis; dynamics, stability and control of engineered systems.

People:

Xu Chen, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UConn

Richard Christenson, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UConn

David Chelidze, Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Jiong Tang, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, UConn

Cybersecurity

Includes research capabilities in cryptography (theory and applied), quantum cryptography, network security, vulnerability analysis, counterfeit detection and protection, embedded systems security, formal methods, secure control algorithms, and secure system design. Services include embedded systems penetration testing, integrated circuit imaging and testing, and cybersecurity training and workshops. Includes research expertise in power grid security, network security, vulnerability analysis, trust management, cyber-physical system security, anti-counterfeiting, embedded systems security, digital forensics, cryptography, and secure system design. Services include cybersecurity training and workshops.

People:

John Chandy, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Lisa DiPippo, Professor and Department Chair, Professor, Computer Science and Statistics, URI

Sridhar Duggirala, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Victor Fay-Wolfe, Professor, Computer Science and Statistics, URI

Benjamin Fuller, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Haibo He, Robert Haas Endowed Chair Professor, Department Chair, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, URI

Amir Herzberg, Comcast Chair Professor for Security Innovation, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Natallia Katenka, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Statistics, URI

Walter Krawec, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Edmund Lamagna, Professor, Computer Science and Statistics, URI

Bin Li, Assistant Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, URI

Laurent Michel, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Alex Russell, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, UConn

Yan Lindsay Sun, Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, URI

Marten van Dijk, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UConn

Qing (Ken) Yang, Distinguished Engineering Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, URI

Tao Wei, Associate Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering, URI

Human Factors

Capabilities include: development of novel wearable sensors and devices, implantable sensor systems, and mobile/connected healthcare technologies to sense/process physiological signals for therapeutic/assistive devices, and disease diagnostics and management. Moreover, capabilities in occupational biomechanics and integrated sensor data processing involving machine learning algorithms for early prediction, human performance enhancements, monitoring, and management of occupation-related diseases that include musculoskeletal disorders, sleep disorders, and stress-related disorders.

Development of human behavioral models that assess both individual and team differences and performance through cognition and metacognition, communication, human-computer interaction, user-experience, and macro-ergonomics in various domains, such as transportation (i.e., driving traditional and electric vehicles, eye-tracking and distraction), construction (i.e., collaborative workspaces, team cohesion, and organizational structure), sustainability (team behavior for high-performance outcomes), medicine (i.e., trans-theoretical model of change in hospitals) and military (i.e., human-computer interaction with anti-air warfare coordinators, measuring cognitive workload). Expertise in integrating operations research techniques and algorithms and advanced statistical methods with human factors and ergonomic problems for a holistic understanding and prediction of human behavior and performance.

People:

Ki H. Chon, Krenicki Professor and Department Chair, Biomedical Engineering, UConn

Gretchen Macht, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Kristin Morgan, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, UConn

Insoo Kim, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, UConn

Jyh-Hone Wang, Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Advancing Manufacturing Processes

Includes capabilities in sustainable manufacturing and sustainable product design, highly automated manufacturing systems, lean manufacturing, distributed manufacturing and rapid prototyping, quality assurance, computer aided design, robotics and automation, composite materials, and nanomaterials. Services include lean manufacturing and quality control training and workshops.

People:

Ashwin Dani, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Gretchen Macht, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Manbir Sodhi, Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Systems Engineering/Modeling

Description: Includes the development of acausal, object-oriented, and physics-based libraries of models of submarine systems and components for design, simulation, and requirements formalization. Enables large-scale implementation of a repeatable design process for undersea vehicle systems; robustness analysis (robust design, uncertainty quantification and propagation, tolerance to faults, systems degradation tracking, prognostics, etc.); fault detection, isolation and prognosis algorithms, and fault-tolerant control architectures. Integration of principles of requirements formalization, robust design of tests, simulation, and optimization will target the reduction of cost and development time as well as uncertainty in the design and operation of undersea vehicle systems.

Includes capabilities in systems modeling using deterministic and stochastic models. Proficiency with linear, non-linear, integer programming modeling and solution methodologies; heuristic and meta-heuristic methods; deployment on embedded to parallel processing systems; discrete event, agent based, and system dynamics simulation methodology, real-time data collection, processing, and response; and human-computer assisted decision support systems. Application areas include autonomous systems; supply chain, defense, and security applications; manufacturing operations; and scheduling applications. Workshops on lights-out operations and defining, monitoring, and responding to KPIs for systems optimization.

People:

George Bollas, Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Director, UTC Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering, UConn

Gretchen Macht, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Gregory Jones, Adjunct Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Krishna R. Pattipati, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, UTC Professor in Systems Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UConn

Manbir Sodhi, Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI

Amy Thompson, Associate Professor in Residence, Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering, UConn

Marine Hydrodynamics

Includes capabilities in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, experimental scale model testing, underwater autonomous vehicles, quantitative flow visualization, dynamic fluid-structure interactions, ocean signal processing, coastal modeling, nonlinear ocean wave mechanics, and ocean systems design.

People:

Jason Dahl, Associate Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Annette Grilli, Associate Research Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Stephan Grilli, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Ocean Engineering, URI

Reza Hashemi, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

James (Sau-Lon) Hu, Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Stephen Licht, Assistant Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Harold (Bud) Vincent, Associate Research Professor, Ocean Engineering, URI

Chengzhi Yuan, Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering, URI