Department Chair

Paul P.H. Wilson
Department Chair, Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering
Contact: paul.wilson@wisc.edu, (608) 263-0807
Research interests: Monte Carlo methods, Nuclear fuel cycles, Energy policy, Proliferation analysis, Transmutation/depletion/activation
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems (WINS)
Associate Chairs

Riccardo Bonazza
Associate Chair for Research and Infrastructure, Professor
Contact: riccardo.bonazza@wisc.edu, (608) 265-2337
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Experimental fluid mechanics , impulsive, unsteady phenomena, shock tube applications, laser and X-ray imaging & measuring techniques
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Curt A. Bronkhorst
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, Professor
Contact: cbronkhorst@wisc.edu, (608) 890-2586
Also: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Theoretical/computational mechanics of materials, computational plasticity, multi-scale material modeling, damage mechanics, single crystal plasticity, dynamic material behavior, structural phase transformation...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Wendy Crone
Associate Chair for Faculty and Staff Development, Karen Thompson Medhi Professor
Contact: crone@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 262-8384
Also: Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Experimental mechanics of materials, characterization hydrogels and biomaterials, therapeutic medical devices, stem cell mechanics

Carl Sovinec
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, Thomas and Suzanne Werner Professor
Contact: csovinec@wisc.edu, (608) 263-5525
Research interests: Computational plasma physics--magnetohydrodynamics--numerical methods for partial differential equations
Other affiliations: Physics
Faculty

Matt Allen
Professor
Contact: msallen@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 890-1619
Also: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Dynamics, vibrations and controls, micro/nano systems, uncertainty and stochastic systems, linear/nonlinear system identification, model reduction/substructuring
Courses: Click to see my courses

Jennifer Choy
Assistant Professor
Contact: jennifer.choy@wisc.edu, (608) 263-6974
Also: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Quantum engineering; atomic and optical physics; nanophotonics; development and characterization of solid-state defects; quantum sensing using atoms and defects in solids; inertial navigation and timekeeping

Adrien Couet
Assistant Professor
Contact: couet@wisc.edu, (608) 265-7955
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Nuclear Materials, Irradiation Damage, Corrosion of Metals and Alloys, Oxidation Model, Electrochemistry, Synchrotron Radiation, Defect Transport in Oxides
Courses: Click to see my courses

Stephanie Diem
Assistant Professor
Contact: sjdiem@wisc.edu, (608) 263-1414
Research interests:
- Experimental plasma physics, Magnetically confined plasmas, Microwave heating and current drive, Electron Bernstein wave emission, heating and current drive, Understanding a...
Other affiliations: Pegasus Plasma Experiment, Wisconsin Energy Institute

Jennifer Franck
Assistant Professor
Contact: jafranck@wisc.edu, (608) 263-2562
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Computational fluid dynamics, unsteady fluid mechanics, turbulent flows, wind and tidal energy, aerodynamics, flow control, propulsion, fluid-structure interaction

Benedikt Geiger
Assistant Professor
Contact: benedikt.geiger@wisc.edu, (608) 262-3386
Research interests: Benedikt Geiger started his career at UW-Madison in February 2019 and is involved in the physics exploitation of the HSX stellarator experiment, as well as turbulence fluctuation measurements at the DIII-D and ...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Chris Hegna
Harvey D. Spangler Professor
Contact: cchegna@wisc.edu, (608) 263-0810
Research interests: Theoretical plasma physics, fusion science, magnetic confinement of plasmas, magnetohydrodynamics
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Physics

Douglass Henderson
Harvey D. Spangler Professor
Contact: henderson@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-0808
Also: Biomedical Engineering
Research interests: Reactor physics, radiation transport, fusion reactor technology, nuclear waste
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Medical Physics

Roderic Lakes
Wisconsin Distinguished Professor
Contact: lakes@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 265-8697
Also: Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Novel materials including composites and cellular solids, Viscoelastic materials, Biomechanics and bio-materials, Experimental characterization of materials, Extreme physical properties
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Rheology Research Center

Benjamin Lindley
Assistant Professor
Contact: lindley2@wisc.edu
Research interests: Design and analysis of advanced nuclear reactors, with emphasis on core design, Reactor physics and multiphysics methods development, Flexible operation of nuclear reactors: Integrated Energy Systems, cogenerat...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Jacob Notbohm
Harvey D. Spangler Assistant Professor
Contact: jknotbohm@wisc.edu, (608) 890-0030
Also: Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Research interests: Solid mechanics | biomechanics | cell mechanics | biomaterials | collective cell migration | optical microscopy | adhesion

Oliver Schmitz
Professor
Contact: oschmitz@wisc.edu, (608) 263-1547
Research interests: Plasma Edge Physics, Plasma Wall Interaction, Three-Dimensional Plasma Edge Transport and Wall Interaction, Helicon Plasma Generation and Sustainment, Active Plasma and Neutral Spectroscopy, Plasma Sources and ...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Physics

Kumar Sridharan
Professor,
Department of Engineering Physics and Materials Science & Engineering; Fellow of American Society for Materials, Fellow of Institute of Materials (UK), Fellow of American Nuclear Society
Contact: kumar.sridharan@wisc.edu, (608) 263-4789
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Nuclear reactor materials research and development, Irradiation effects in materials, Corrosion of materials, High temperature materials, Physical metallurgy and mechanical behavior of materials, Ion implantati...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program

Ramathasan Thevamaran
Assistant Professor
Contact: thevamaran@wisc.edu, (608) 262-5724
Also: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Mechanical behavior of structured materials | Dynamic properties | Hierarchical materials | Nanomaterials | Metamaterials | Wave propagation | Experimental techniques
Courses: Click to see my courses
Fabian Waleffe
Professor
Contact: fabian.waleffe@wisc.edu, (608) 263-3269
Research interests: Fluid dynamics, bifurcations and turbulence, scientific computing
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Applied Mathematics, Engineering and Physics Program, Engineering Mechanics, Mathematics, Mathematics and Computation in Engineering Graduate Program

Yongfeng Zhang
Assistant Professor
Contact: yzhang2446@wisc.edu, (608) 890-3779
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Multiscale modeling and simulation:Nuclear fuels and materials , Defect thermodynamics and kinetics , Irradiation effect , Mechanical degradation , Cossion and stress corrosion cracking ...
Affiliate Faculty

Mark Anderson
Assistant Professor
Contact: manderson@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-2802
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: My research covers a wide breadth of fundamental physics and applications all relating to advanced energy utilization, energy extraction and energy production with the main focus on experimental thermal h...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Energy Institute

Bryan Bednarz
Assistant Professor
Contact: bbednarz2@wisc.edu, (608) 262-5225
Research interests: Monte Carlo method, Proton therapy, Radiation protection
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Medical Physics

Vicki Bier
Professor Emeritus
Contact: bier@engr.wisc.edu
Research interests: Security in the supply chains for food and agricultural products, critical infrastructure protection, security, technology hazards, risk analysis, decision analysis, operations research
Other affiliations: Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis

Jonathan Engle
Assistant Professor
Contact: jwengle@wisc.edu
Other affiliations: Medical Physics, Radiology

Michael David Graham
Steenbock Professor of Engineering and Harvey D. Spangler Professor
Contact: mdgraham@wisc.edu, (608) 265-3780
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Fluid dynamics, Locomotion of microorganisms, Blood flow at the cellular level, Dynamics of mechanically and geometrically complex objects suspended in a flowing fluid, Polymer, surfactant and suspension rholog...
Shimon Kolkowitz
Assistant Professor
Contact: kolkowitz@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2865
Other affiliations: Physics

Daniel Ludois
Jean van Bladel Associate Professor
Contact: ludois@wisc.edu, 262-8211
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Power electronics, Electric machines, Non-contact power transfer, Sustainable engineering technologies and practices, See Extended Homepage
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: WEMPEC

Zhenqiang Ma
Lynn H. Matthias Professor in Engineering & Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
Contact: mazq (at) engr dot wisc dot edu, (608) 261-1095
Also: College of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Current Research Pursuits:Lattice mis-matched semiconductor heterostructures: materials, physics and related various device applications, Flexible/stretchable/wearable electronics/optoelectronics, Bioelectronic...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Energy Institute

Franklin Miller
Associate Professor
Contact: fkmiller@wisc.edu, (608) 263-2479
Research interests: Cryogenics, Thermodynamics of Superfluid 3He-4He mixtures, Sub-Kelvin cooling for space science, Energy Systems
Courses: Click to see my courses
Dane Morgan
Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Engineering
Contact: ddmorgan@wisc.edu, (608) 265-5879
Also: College of Engineering
Research interests: Computational materials science for materials design, Ab initio electronic structure and multiscale methods for large time / length scales and thermokinetics, Ab initio based modeling of electrochemical systems...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Gregory F. Nellis
William A. and Irene Ouweneel-Bascom Professor
Contact: gfnellis@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 265-6626
Research interests: Please visit the Solar Energy Lab web page, http://sel.me.wisc.edu/, in order to learn more about the ongoing projects.
Courses: Click to see my courses

John Pfotenhauer
Professor
Contact: pfot@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-4082
Research interests: Low temperature refrigeration, cryogenics, applied superconductivity
Courses: Click to see my courses

Warren P. Porter
Professor
Contact: wpporter@wisc.edu, (608) 262-1719
Research interests: Infectious disease, Toxicology, Population dynamics, Physiological ecology, Biophysical ecology
Courses: Click to see my courses
Pavana Prabhakar
Assistant Professor, Charles G. Salmon Fellow of Structural Engineering
Contact: pavana.prabhakar@wisc.edu
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Damage and failure mechanics of structural composite materials, life prediction of materials in extreme multi-physics environment; Advanced manufacturing of materials - additive manufacturing of hybrid material...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Ian Robertson
Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering
Contact: ian.robertson@wisc.edu
Courses: Click to see my courses

David Rothamer
Robert Lorenz Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Contact: rothamer@wisc.edu, 608.890.2271
Research interests: Laser based diagnostics, Internal combustion engines, Soot formation, Influence of fuel properties on combustion
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Engine Research Center

Leslie Smith
Professor
Contact: lsmith@math.wisc.edu, (608) 263-5498
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Statistical physics, turbulence and turbulence modeling for engineering and geophysical applications, applied mathematics, stability theory and fluid dynamics, field theoretical techniques, the dynamic renormal...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Mathematics
Izabela Szlufarska
Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Engineering and Department Chair
Contact: szlufarska@wisc.edu, (608) 262-1821
Research interests: Computational materials science, Mechanical behavior at the nanoscale, Defect behavior in semiconductors and insulators under irradiation, Solid/liquid interfaces, Nucleation and kinetics of medium range order ...

Dan J Thoma
Professor and Director of the Grainger Institute for Engineering
Contact: dthoma@wisc.edu, (608) 262-3751
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Metal additive manufacturing, Alloy design, Advanced materials for energy applications, Phase transformations for functional materials, High throughput experiments, Thermal analysis and dilatometry
Other affiliations: Grainger Institute for Engineering

Bruce R. Thomadsen
Professor
Contact: brthomad@wisc.edu, (608) 263-4183
Also: Industrial and Systems Engineering
Research interests: Brachytherapy Physics, Radiation Dosimetry, Patient Safety
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Medical Physics, Human Oncology, Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis

Mario F. Trujillo
Associate Professor
Contact: mtrujillo@wisc.edu, (608) 262-0944
Research interests: Modeling and Simulation of two-phase flows including:i) Liquid sprays in a crossflow (desuperheating and Urea SCR applications), ii) Liquid breakup and particle advection dynamics, iii) Multiple droplet impinge...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Engine Research Center

Ray Vanderby
Professor
Contact: vanderby@ortho.wisc.edu, (608) 263-9593
Also: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Tissue mechanics (bone, ligament, tendon, and cartilage), tissue engineering and regeneration, tissue healing, orthopedic biomechanics
Courses: Click to see my courses
Faculty Associates

John Murphy
Researcher
Contact: jmurphy@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 265-4186
Courses: Click to see my courses
Sonny Nimityongskul
Associate Faculty Associate
Contact: apnimityongs@wisc.edu
Courses: Click to see my courses
Adjunct Professors

Jan Willem Coenen
Adjunct Professor
Contact: jcoenen2@wisc.edu
Research interests: Materials Research for FusionRadiation Resistant Materials, High HeatFlux Materials, Tungsten Fibre reinforced Tungsten, Self-passivating alloys, Liquid Metal Walls for fusion, Wendelstein 7-XJ...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Timothy J. Tautges
Adjunct Professor
Contact: tautges@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-8485
Courses: Click to see my courses
Honorary Scientist
Emeritus Faculty

Said Abdel-Khalik
Professor Emeritus
Contact: said.abdelkhalik@me.gatech.edu
Research interests: Reactor engineering, reactor safety, two phase flow, and thermal hydraulics

Todd Allen
Professor Emeritus
Contact: allen@engr.wisc.edu
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Materials for nuclear energy system, fission reactors, nuclear fuels, energy policy, sustainability of nuclear energy
Courses: Click to see my courses

Joseph Bisognano
Professor Emeritus
Contact: jbisognano@src.wisc.edu, (608) 877-2163
Research interests: Free Electron Lasers, Physics of particle beams, Accelerator physics, Theoretical analysis and simulation of collective phenomena in particle beams
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Synchrotron Radiation Center

James Blanchard
Professor Emeritus
Contact: jake.blanchard@wisc.edu
Also: Engineering Professional Development
Research interests: Thermomechanical design for high heat fluxes, fusion technology, radiation damage, nuclear microbatteries
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Institute of Nuclear Systems (WINS)

James Callen
Professor Emeritus
Contact: callen@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 262-1370
Research interests: Controlled thermonuclear fusion, theoretical and computational plasma physics, magnetic confinement of plasmas, nuclear fission
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Pegasus Plasma Experiment

Max Carbon
Professor Emeritus
Contact: carbon@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-2307
Research interests: Nuclear reactor safety, nuclear power
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Richard J. Cashwell
Emeritus Reactor Director
Contact: cashwell@facstaff.wisc.edu, (608) 262-3392
Research interests: Neutron activation analysis, nuclear reactor operations
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering, University of Wisconsin Nuclear Reactor

John R. Conrad
Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Contact: conrad@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-1609
Also: Materials Science Program
Research interests: Plasma physics, plasma technology, ion beam modification of materials, ion implantation
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Robert Cook
Professor Emeritus
Contact: cook@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 262-0958
Research interests: Finite element methods, structural mechanics, stress analys
Courses: Click to see my courses

Michael L. Corradini
Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Contact: corradini@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-1648
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Multi-phase fluid mechanics and heat transfer, fission and fusion reactors, nuclear reactor safety, severe accident phenomena, power plant operation and design, energy policy, nuclear fuel cycle
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Shock Tube

Paul DeLuca Jr.
Professor
Contact: pmdeluca@facstaff.wisc.edu, (608) 265-0523
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Medical Physics

Walter Drugan
Professor Emeritus
Contact: drugan (AT) engr.wisc.edu
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Continuum mechanics analyses of behavior of modern materials, nonlinear fracture mechanics of ductile materials (single- and poly-crystalline) and interfaces, nonlocal constitutive models of composite materials...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

Frederick Elder
Adjunct Professor Emeritus
Contact: elder@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-9328
Research interests: Mechanical systems, energy systems design

Gilbert Emmert
Professor Emeritus
Contact: emmert@engr.wisc.edu
Research interests: Plasma physics, fusion reactor physics, plasma-surface interactions, plasma processing
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Raymond Fonck
Professor Emeritus
Contact: rjfonck@wisc.edu, (608) 263-7799
Research interests: Plasma & fusion science and technology, plasma turbulence, burning plasmas, tokamaks, alternative fusion schemes, atomic physics and applied optics, high temperature plasma diagnostics
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Pegasus Plasma Experiment

Noah Hershkowitz
Irving Langmuir Professor Emeritus
Contact: hershkowitz@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-4970
Research interests: Plasma etching, plasm-aided manufacturing, basic plasma physics, ICRF effects, laboratory space plasma physics
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Wisconsin Plasma Processing and Technology Research Consortium

Daniel Kammer
Professor Emeritus
Contact: kammer@engr.wisc.edu
Also: Mechanical Engineering
Research interests:
- system identification and damage detection, structural dynamics and vibration, uncertainty quantification and propagation, substructuring of systems, experimental substructuri...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Fusion Technology Institute

Gerald Kulcinski
Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering-Emeritus, Director, Fusion Technology In
Contact: glkulcin@wisc.edu, (608) 263-1601
Also: Materials Science and Engineering
Research interests: Magnetic/inertial fusion reactor systems studies, Radiation damage and nuclear materials, Near term applications of fusion energy, Lunar mining of helium-3
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Thomas Rockwell Mackie
Professor Emeritus
Contact: trmackie@wisc.edu, (608) 262-7358
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Medical Physics, Human Oncology, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Morgridge Institute for Research

David Malkus
Professor Emeritus
Contact: malkus@engr.wisc.edu
Research interests: Applied mathematics, numerical methods in mechanics, rheology
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Rheology Research Center

Gregory Moses
Spangler Professor Emeritus
Contact: gregory.moses@wisc.edu, (608) 265-6567
Research interests: Nuclear reactor physics, computational engr., radiation hydrodynamics, technology enhanced learning, fusion reactor design
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Nuclear Engineering

Michael Plesha
Professor Emeritus
Contact: plesha@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 262-5741
Also: Geological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Research interests: Finite element analysis, discrete element analysis, dynamics of geologic media, constitutive modeling of geologic discontinuity behavior, soil structure interaction modeling, continuum modeling of jointed satur...
Courses: Click to see my courses

Bela Sandor
Professor Emeritus
Contact: sandor@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 255-4222
Research interests: Ancient chariots: comprehensive mechanics analysis and humanistic aspects, stress-strain in materials, fatigue and fracture of engineering materials, structures, joint systems, damage alleviation; fracture...
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Engineering Mechanics

Alois Schlack Jr.
Professor Emeritus
Contact: schlack@engr.wisc.edu
Research interests: Dynamics, vibrations, astrodynamic, dynamic stability analysis, rotating shaft-disc systems, elastic spacecraft dynamics
Courses: Click to see my courses
Emeritus Research Professors

Laila A. El-Guebaly
Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus
Contact: laila.elguebaly@wisc.edu
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Fusion Technology Institute

John Santarius
Research Professor Emeritus
Contact: santarius@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-1694
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Fusion Technology Institute

Mohamed Sawan
Research Professor Emeritus
Contact: sawan@engr.wisc.edu, (608) 263-5093
Courses: Click to see my courses
Other affiliations: Fusion Technology Institute