Douglas Hunsaker

Douglas Hunsaker is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Utah State University (USU), where he has been teaching since 2011. Prior to academia, he worked in industry for four years at Scaled Composites (Stratolaunch and SpaceShipTwo programs) and consulted for drone companies like AeroVironment and Vayu.

• Education:
  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering (2011), USU
  • MS in Mechanical Engineering (2007), Brigham Young University
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering (2005), Brigham Young University

Research Interests: Dr. Hunsaker specializes in aerodynamic design and optimization for aircraft, spanning subsonic to hypersonic regimes. His work includes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, bio-inspired morphing aircraft design, and flight dynamics analysis. He develops tools like MachLine for aerodynamic simulations and MachUp for airframe design.

Key Scientific Contributions: His research supports NASA and the Air Force Research Lab through improved aircraft efficiency and rapid design methods. He explores unsteady flows in flapping flight and applies optimization to reduce induced drag and sonic boom loudness in supersonic vehicles.

Teaching: Dr. Hunsaker teaches advanced courses in aerodynamics (MAE 5500), flight dynamics (MAE 5510), flight simulation (MAE 6510), and potential flow (MAE 6500). His teaching spans 2016–2024, with a focus on practical applications in aircraft design.

Scientific Awards: He received multiple accolades including Graduate Mentor of the Year (2024), Teacher of the Year (2022), and Young Investigator Program Recipient (2018) from the Office of Naval Research. His students have placed in AIAA competitions and pursued careers at Boeing, DARPA, and the Air Force Research Lab.

Students Mentored: Dr. Hunsaker has supervised over 35 graduate and undergraduate students, including Jeffrey Taylor (PhD, 2022), Christian Bolander (PhD, 2023), and Benjamin Moulton (PhD, 2025). His mentees have contributed to cutting-edge research in morphing wings, sonic boom analysis, and flight simulation tools.

Labs and Teams: He leads the AeroLab at USU, focusing on rigorously understanding mathematical and physical principles of flight. The lab develops open-source tools like MachLine and MachUp, and has collaborations with industry leaders such as Sandia National Labs and AeroVironment.