Deborah Levin

Deborah Levin is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), holding this position since August 2014. Previously, she served as a Professor at The Pennsylvania State University (2007–2014) and an Associate Professor there (2000–2007). Earlier roles include Research Professor and Lecturer at George Washington University (1998–2000) and Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses (1979–1998). Her education includes a PhD in Chemistry from Caltech (1979) and a BS in Chemistry from SUNY Stony Brook (1974).

Her research focuses on hypersonics, computational fluid dynamics, combustion, and molecular dynamics. Key areas include radiation modeling in hypersonic flows, direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methods, and plasma physics. She explores phenomena like shock-layer radiation, nonequilibrium flows, and ion thruster plume dynamics. Her work bridges microscale processes (e.g., molecular dynamics) with macroscale fluid dynamics, addressing challenges in aerospace propulsion and thermal protection systems.

Recent studies involve kinetic modeling of ion beam neutralization, particulate behavior in high-speed flows, and carbon sputtering in electric propulsion testing. Her publications span journals like Physics of Fluids, Journal of Propulsion and Power, and AIAA Journal, with a focus on advancing predictive capabilities for aerodynamic heating and plasma-material interactions.

Levin’s research has been presented at conferences such as the International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics and the International Electric Propulsion Conference. Her contributions include developing hybrid models for multiscale flows and advancing computational tools for rarefied gas dynamics.