Daniel J. Preston

Dr. Daniel J. Preston is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University, leading the Preston Innovation Laboratory (PI Lab). He holds a B.S. from the University of Alabama (2012), M.S. and Ph.D. from MIT (2014, 2017), and postdoctoral training at Harvard University (2017-2019). His research focuses on energy efficiency, soft materials, fluid mechanics, and robotics, with applications in wearable technologies and sustainable systems. Key achievements include the NSF CAREER Award (2022) and pioneering work on necrobotics using biotic materials. The PI Lab collaborates widely, with projects involving biomimetic surfaces, smart textiles, and fluidic control systems.

Education:

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Alabama (2012)
• M.S./Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, MIT (2014/2017)

Research Interests:

• Energy: Thermal management, heat transfer optimization, and waste heat recovery.
• Materials: Soft actuators, surface coatings, and functional biomaterials.
• Fluids: Interfacial phenomena, droplet dynamics, and fluid-structure interactions.

Notable Publications: Recent work includes advancements in wearable haptic devices (Science Advances), necrobotics (Advanced Science), and fluidic logic textiles (PNAS). Over 50 peer-reviewed articles span multidisciplinary topics from magnetic levitation to virus decontamination.

Honors: In addition to the CAREER Award, Dr. Preston has received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Tau Beta Pi Fellowship, and Wunsch Foundation Award. His lab fosters innovation through grants and industry partnerships.

Advising & Grants: Supervises ~15 graduate and undergraduate students, including NSF GRFP recipients. Active in mentoring initiatives like the Randall Research Scholars Program and AATCC grants.

Labs & Teams: The PI Lab collaborates with MIT’s DRL, Harvard’s Whitesides Group, and institutions globally. Core projects include smart wearables, energy harvesting fabrics, and autonomous soft robots.