Kelly Stephani

Kelly Stephani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and the Associate Director of the Center for Hypersonics and Entry Systems Studies (CHESS). She holds additional roles such as Kritzer Faculty Fellow and Faculty Affiliate in Aerospace Engineering. Her research focuses on hypersonics, high-temperature aerothermodynamics, and surface chemistry interactions with plasma. Stephani has contributed to advancements in kinetic methods for non-equilibrium flows and the development of oxidation models for carbon-based materials.

Education:

• Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2012)
• M.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2006)
• B.S. Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota (2005)

Research Interests:

• Gas-surface interactions in porous materials
• Plasma-surface dynamics
• Thermal protection systems for aerospace vehicles
• Computational modeling of hypersonic flows

Her work bridges experimental and computational approaches, with notable contributions to understanding oxidation mechanisms in carbon-fiber composites and the design of light-weight thermal protection systems.

Awards and Honors:

• PECASE Award (2019)
• AFOSR YIP Award (2017)
• NASA Early Career Faculty Award (2015)
• Recipient of multiple fellowships including AFOSR Summer Faculty Fellow (2015)

Teaching and Service:

• Teaches courses in gas dynamics and fluid mechanics (e.g., AE 312, ME 510).
• Serves as Co-director of the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics and leads service roles in professional societies like AIAA.

Key Projects: Leads research on hypersonic aerothermodynamics, including modeling surface reactions in carbon-based materials and advancing DSMC techniques for plasma interactions.