Faculty & Staff

Dr. M. A. Bhatia is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to coming to WPI, Dr. Bhatia was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Arizona State University where he was working on thermal and mechanical stability of nanocrystalline Cu-Ta material which was published in nature journal. He received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in December 2014. ... View Profile

I joined WPI in the fall of 2015 to teach thermo-fluid courses in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The objective of my teaching is to guide students in the application of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer to solve practical problems in fields such as transportation, energy, and life sciences. I advocate project-based learning and hands-on experience in the laboratory and shop. My research involves experimental studies of fluid behavior. ... View Profile

Aswin's work is primarily in the area of Computational Fluid Dynamics, where he specializes in developing high-fidelity models for multiphase flows. His research involves developing physics-based numerical models, implementing them in a parallel computational environment, benchmarking the models against experiments, and applying them to offer mechanistic insights into complex multiphase flow problems. View Profile

It has been a great pleasure to teach at WPI, a school with motivated students from all over the world. ... View Profile

Teaching is my way of sharing my enthusiasm for Science and Engineering. I believe that these are great professions because they give us the ability to effect real and positive change in this world. I particularly enjoy hearing the varied and interesting contributions of the students in class, and the collaborative environment of WPI as a whole. View Profile

Professor Liang’s research explores the physics of interfaces between the nanometer and micron scales. Her team responds to the challenging interdisciplinary nature of their research endeavor through successful collaboration with colleagues with expertise in metrology, physics, bioscience, medical science, chemistry, and fire protection engineering. Her educational effort includes novel approaches to project-based learning and global centers for science and engineering. ... View Profile

Makhlouf M. Makhlouf is professor of Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He was Director of the Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC) between 1992 and 2015. ACRC is a collaboration between the academic and industrial sectors focusing on issues that benefit the global foundry industry. It brings fundamental understanding to existing processes, develops new methods, and addresses management-technology interface matters. ... View Profile

The broader impact of my research will result in advanced processing techniques and advanced materials that will lower carbon footprint either through reduced material and/or operational usage or through enabling transformative technologies such as nuclear fusion and high-efficiency turbine systems. At present, my research thrusts are: 1. Advancing the adoption of metal additive manufacturing in aerospace, automobile, and energy applications to manufacture light-weight organic designs and use advanced materials. ... View Profile

Dr. Panchapakesan is the director of the Small Systems Laboratory (SSL) which is dedicated to the development of multi-functional materials, devices and systems at the macro-, micro-, meso- and nanoscales. Our work spans in multiple areas bridging multiple disciplines and multiple length scales. Facilities at SSL include fabrication and characterization units for advanced materials, device processing and testing and biomaterials characterization. Access to the clean room facilities around the Boston area adds to the excitement of student learning as well as experimentation. ... View Profile

My inspiration for teaching comes from my dad who has been a teacher for over four decades in India. That interest was strengthened when I became a teaching assistant at the University of Texas at Austin and continued in that position for six years. Teaching gives me an opportunity to interact with students and to continually learn and impart new concepts at the same time. I joined WPI in August 2014 and have had a great experience thus far. ... View Profile

Dr. Sabuncu holds a Ph. D. in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University. Dr. Sabuncu’s professional interests is thermo-fluids engineering including microfluidic applications. He is also interested in dielectric spectroscopy of cells and tissues since 2009. His research in engineering education focuses on development of online laboratory exercises and use of Internet of Things & artificial intellegence in engineering education. ... View Profile

Christopher Scarpino is an adjunct instructor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Lowell Institute Lecturer at Northeastern University. He has his Master’s of Science and 18 years of professional experience in industry, academic laboratories (MIT & Harvard), and at the USAF Research & Development Laboratory. Scarpino initiated a research project to develop a new clinical device that was awarded a 2007 NIH (NIDCD) grant and a 2009 ARRA grant. He is a patent holder in the motor vehicle sector and founder of the International Corps of Engineers, a non-profit for engineers. ... View Profile

Richard D. Sisson, Jr. is the George F. Fuller Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Heat Treating Excellence at WPI. Professor Sisson has been with WPI for 40+ years. In addition, he has taught at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and has been a research metallurgist with DuPont Savannah Laboratory and a staff engineer with Exxon Chemical Company. Professor Sisson received his BS in metallurgical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1969, MS in 1971. In 1975 he earned a PhD in materials science and Engineering from Purdue University. ... View Profile

I have spent 36 years in product development. 25 years in the computer storage industry working on airborne hard drives, desktop hard drives, tape storage systems, optical storage devices, and robotic pick and place systems for tape cartridges. Most recently I have spent the last 11 years at Bose Corporation working in advanced development on high efficiency small speaker systems. ... View Profile

Prof. Wodin-Schwartz joined WPI in August 2015. While at UC Berkeley, Prof. Wodin-Schwartz was a teaching assistant for both mechanical and electrical engineering courses including Introduction to Mechatronics for which she received the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Her Ph.D. research focused on the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for down hole geothermal well monitoring. Before joining WPI, Prof. Wodin-Schwartz spent two years at the technical consulting firm Exponent Inc. ... View Profile

My research focuses on medical and manufacturing innovation. I apply manufacturing science and technology to enhance healthcare. I contribute fundamental knowledge of tissue mechanics and imaging properties, provide novel computational modeling methodologies to simulate and understand manufacturing and surgical processes, and develop medical devices and clinical manufacturing systems to tackle unmet clinical needs. “Intuition makes an engineer outstanding. ... View Profile