John K. Northrop Professor of Aeronautics and Professor of Applied Physics
B.S., Caltech, 1968; M.S., 1969; Ph.D., 1973. Research Fellow, 1973-74; Research Fellow and Lecturer, 1974-75; Assistant Professor, 1975-81; Associate Professor, 1981-85; Professor, 1986-95; Northrop Professor, 1995-; Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chief Technologist, 2006-11.
Research interests: fluid physics, dynamics of turbulence, chemically reacting flows, and combustion
Overview
Professor Dimotakis focuses on experimental and computational research on turbulent mixing and chemical reactions in subsonic and supersonic free-shear flows; hypersonic propulsion; mixing and the geometry of surfaces and interfaces in turbulence; scalar dispersion in turbulent flows; and related areas.
Space-Related Research
Recent space-related research has been in collaboration with JPL on remote sensing of the atmosphere from space and on the technical feasibility of an asteroid-return mission. Other space-related research has been on high-speed/hypersonic endoatmospheric flight and propulsion, and parachute dynamics for entry, descent, and landing, as well as physics and issues related to a Europa melt-probe to descend to the liquid-water layer.
Research Website