Alejandro Roldán Alzate

Professor Alejandro Roldán-Alzate is a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an additional affiliation in Biomedical Engineering. He leads the UW Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics laboratory, focusing on fluid dynamics analysis of physiological and pathological flows using medical imaging, 3D printing, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). His research integrates 4D flow MRI, patient-specific modeling, and in vitro experiments to study cardiovascular and urological systems.

Education:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2008)
• M.Eng., University of Wisconsin-Madison (2005)
• Bachelor of Science, Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia – Universidad CES (2002)

Research Interests:

His work bridges engineering and medicine, emphasizing cardiovascular fluid dynamics, medical image-based CFD, and 4D flow MRI applications. Key areas include hemodynamic analysis of congenital heart defects, pulmonary artery stenosis, bladder voiding mechanics, and surgical planning. His lab also develops low-cost patient-specific vascular models and explores ultrasound and MRI innovations for clinical diagnostics.

Publications Trends:

Recent articles highlight advancements in uro-dynamic MRI, pulmonary artery remodeling models, and 4D flow MRI for abdominal and cardiovascular applications. Focus areas include translational research, non-invasive diagnostics, and computational modeling for surgical optimization.

Awards:

• 2013 & 2012 ISMRM Summa Cum Laude Merit Awards (twice each)
• 2011 Lauterbur Award in Magnetic Resonance
• 2005 Wang Fellowship (UW-Madison)
• Multiple undergraduate and early-career recognition awards

Teaching & Advising:

Roldán-Alzate teaches courses in biofluidics (BME/ME 505), mechanical engineering design, and graduate research. While no named advisees are listed, his lab actively engages students in CFD, imaging, and biomedical device projects.

Labs & Teams:

Director of the UW Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Lab, collaborating with clinicians and engineers on translational cardiovascular and urological research.