Joseph Majdalani

Dr. Majdalani presently serves as Professor and Francis Chair of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University. He previously served as the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council Endowed Professor and Chair of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University (2013-2016) as well as the Jack D. Whitfield Professor and H. H. Arnold Chair of Excellence at the University of Tennessee (2003-2013).  He started his career in 1996 at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he progressed from Assistant to Associate Professor with tenure in 2003.  Dr. Majdalani is known for his work on acoustic instability theory and vortex engine technology encompassing solid, liquid and hybrid rocket applications. He is a Fellow of ASME, Associate Fellow of AIAA, Chair of the AIAA Hybrid Rockets Technical Committee, Chair of the Solid Rockets Technical Awards Subcommittee, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Energetic Materials and Chemical Propulsion (Begell House), and AIAA Instructor for two short courses. 

Dr. Majdalani’s research devotes itself to the theoretical, computational and experimental modeling of wall-bounded thermofluid and propulsion systems that are mainly driven by either wall-normal or wall-tangential injection. His interests span both low and high speed fluid mechanics, vorticoacoustic instabilities, engine internal flowfields, vorticity dynamics, and singular perturbation theory.  His research activities since 1997 have materialized in over 250 publications in first-rate journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings.  His work on helical flow modeling has led to the discovery of new Trkalian and Beltramian families of solutions to describe cyclonic motions in self-cooled liquid and hybrid rocket engines.  These have paved the way to understand and optimize a family of cyclonically-driven hybrid and liquid rocket engines. His work on wave propagation has resulted in the development of a generalized-scaling technique in perturbation theory, and of a consistently compressible framework for capturing both vorticoacoustic and biglobal stability waves in simulated combustors.  These have led to a new framework for modeling combustion instability in rocket systems.  Recently, his work on compressible gas motions has required the inception of a systematic procedure for modeling high speed flow problems.  In fact, a total of eighteen dimensionless parameters have been newly identified in the course of his research investigations.  These parameters have played a key role in guiding experimental investigations and shaping research investigations that explore the technical benefits of swirl driven rocket engines. Throughout his career, Dr. Majdalani has received several national, regional, and local awards such as:

–2016 AIAA Foundation Sustained Service Award
–2015 Aerospace Engineering Outstanding Faculty Member
–2015 Solid Rockets Best Paper Award (AIAA Paper № 2014-4016)
–2010–2015 Thirteen (13) AIAA Best Paper Awards: 10 regional (SEC) and 3 national
–2014 Konrad Dannenberg Educator of the Year Award (Greater Huntsville Section)
–2014 Best Graduate Paper in all seven AIAA regions (AIAA Paper № 2014-0006, Jan 2014)
–2013 Quest Scholar of the Week
–2012 Abe M. Zarem Educator Award
–2007 Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award (SAE International) and “Hap” Arnold Award
–2005 Solid Rockets Best Paper Award (AIAA Paper № 2004-4054)
–2002–2004 NASA’s Faculty Research Infrastructure Award (twice recipient)
–2002–2003 NASA’s Higher Education Incentive Award
–2002 NSF CAREER award in the acoustics, mechanical systems, and controls division
–1998–2000 Marquette University’s Outstanding Teaching Award (twice recipient)
–1997–1998 Marquette University’s College of Engineering Research Award.
Phone: 334-844-6800
Address: 211 Davis Hall, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Auburn, AL 36849