Ajay Prasad, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

Ajay K. Prasad received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford
University in 1989. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Delaware in 1992.

His research interests include developing imaging-based diagnostic tools and applying them to problems in fluid mechanics and heat transfer. He has worked on problems in environmental fluid mechanics (cumulus cloud formation, thermal convection in the planetary boundary layer), bio-fluid mechanics (flow in the human nasal passages, lungs, and alveoli) and industrial mixing problems.

His long-standing interest in sustainable energy technologies has recently led to a vibrant research program in fuel cells. His laboratory has developed capabilities to fabricate and evaluate fuel cells, both for automotive and portable electronics applications. The influence of fuel cell components and operating conditions is being investigated by his students, especially the "water management" problem. He has recently created the course "Introduction to Fuel Cells" for seniors and graduate students, as well as outreach students. He is currently leading an effort to research, build, and demonstrate a fuel-cell-powered transit vehicle within the State of Delaware sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration. Undergraduate students to are encouraged to participate in fuel cell research in Dr. Prasad's laboratory.

Dr. Prasad is also developing a research interest in large wind and ocean-current turbines for power production.