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RAP opportunity at Air Force Science and Technology Fellowship Program     AF STFP

Unsteady Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics

Location

Aerospace Systems Directorate, RQ/High Speed Systems Division

opportunity location
13.30.11.C1165 Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 454337542

Advisers

name email phone
Elizabeth Benitez elizabeth.benitez.2@us.af.mil 937.255.7352

Description

The extreme conditions encountered in hypersonic flight pose significant challenges to the design and operation of hypersonic vehicles.  Accurately predicting and controlling for complex phenomena such as shock/boundary-layer interactions, cavity flows, fluid-thermal-structural interactions, boundary-layer instability and transition, and other unsteady hypersonic phenomena are crucial for ensuring vehicle performance, stability, and survivability.  Furthermore, the influence of surface parameters on aerodynamic instability is a critical consideration for hypersonic vehicle design.  Ground testing remains a vital tool for understanding these phenomena, but replicating realistic flight conditions experimentally is inherently difficult.  While computational tools offer valuable insights, their application to complex hypersonic flows often requires significant computational resources and validation against experimental data.  As experimental and computational capabilities advance, opportunities arise to gain a deeper understanding of these phenomena and develop innovative solutions for hypersonic flight.

Some possible topics of interest include:

  • Shock/boundary-layer interactions and their impact on aerodynamic instabilities.
  • Hypersonic cavity flow physics and fluctuation mitigation strategies.
  • Fluid-thermal-structural interactions and their influence on vehicle integrity.
  • Hypersonic boundary-layer instabilities and transition mechanisms, including assessing the influence of changes in surface parameters (e.g., temperature profile/gradient, roughness, structural deformation) on aerodynamic instability and transition.
  • Development and application of advanced experimental techniques and diagnostics for hypersonic flows.

References

E.K. Benitez, Z. Riley, and M.P. Borg. “Assessment of Heat Flux Driven by Structurally-Informed Deformations at Mach 6.” Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer (2026). DOI: 10.2514/1.T7497.

E.K. Benitez, A.P. Ceruzzi, M. Gragston, J.M. Lawson, N.J. Parziale, B.E. Schmidt, and J.M. Weisberger. “Focused Laser Differential Interferometry: Recent Developments and Applications for Flow Measurements.” AIAA Journal, Vol. 64, No. 10, pp. 5518-5554 (2026). DOI: 10.2514/1.J065447.

E.K. Benitez, N.J. Bisek, and M.P. Borg. “Aerodynamic Unsteadiness from a Forward-Facing Door over a Cavity at Mach 6.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 1032, pp. A6 (2026). DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2026.11313.

Keywords

hypersonic; boundary layer; aerothermodynamics; transition; shock/boundary-layer interaction; fluid-thermal-structural interaction; optical diagnostics; data analysis; unsteady aerodynamics

Eligibility

citizenship

Open to U.S. citizens

level

Open to Postdoctoral and Senior applicants

Stipend

Base Stipend Travel Allotment Supplementation
$95,000.00 $5,000.00

Experience Supplement

Postdoctoral and Senior awardees will receive an appropriately higher stipend based on the number of years of experience past their PhD.

Additional Benefits

relocation

Awardees who reside more than 50 miles from their host laboratory and remain on tenure for at least six months are eligible for paid relocation to within the vicinity of their host laboratory.

health insurance

A group health insurance program is available to awardees and their qualifying dependents in the United States.

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