Han Hu

Dr. Han Hu serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, holding the Twenty-First Century Professorship since 2025. He leads the NED3 research laboratory with active collaborations including Purdue University's Cooling Technologies Research Center and NASA Glenn Research Center.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University (2016)
• B.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China (2011)

His research integrates phase-change heat transfer with AI-driven methodologies, focusing on thermal management solutions for power electronics through multimodal sensing systems. Current projects include pumped two-phase cooling for microchannel heat sinks and machine learning applications for bubble dynamics analysis in pool/flow boiling scenarios, supported by NSF and NASA grants.

Scientific Recognition:

• Twenty-First Century Professorship in Engineering (2025)
• University of Arkansas Outstanding Mentor (2022-2024)
• Multiple ASEE conference awards for student mentorship (2022-2024)
• Faculty Gold Medal and Mechanical Engineering Service Award (2023)

Dr. Hu mentors seven Ph.D. students and numerous undergraduates, with his NED3 lab securing $2.5M in recent funding including NSF grants for immersion-cooled electric motors and NASA EPSCoR research on boiling heat transfer. His team collaborates with UA-PTC's Aerospace Center of Excellence and ZIN Technologies on practical thermal management applications.

The NED3 laboratory operates advanced facilities for synchronized optical, acoustic, and thermal measurements, featuring high-speed thermal imaging systems and custom-built flow boiling test rigs validated through partnerships with power electronics industry leaders.