Francesco Panerai

Francesco Panerai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in aerothermodynamics and hypersonic systems. His research focuses on thermal protection systems, high-temperature materials, and plasma wind tunnel testing. He has contributed to advancements in understanding ablation mechanisms, material degradation under extreme conditions, and microscale material characterization. Panerai leads experimental and computational studies in facilities like the VKI Plasmatron, investigating phenomena such as carbon fiber oxidation and plasma-material interactions.

He holds significant awards, including the 2022 Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence and the AFOSR Young Investigator Award (2019). His work spans chapters in books like Planning and Execution of Human Missions to the Moon and Mars and Hypersonic Nonequilibrium Flows. Panerai teaches courses such as AE 312 (Compressible Flow), AE 419 (Aircraft Flight Mechanics), and ME 410 (Intermediate Gas Dynamics), integrating cutting-edge research into education.

Key contributions include developing the PuMA software for porous microstructure analysis and advancing understanding of thermal protection systems for space exploration. His interdisciplinary approach combines experimental techniques (e.g., micro-tomography, in-situ imaging) with computational modeling to address challenges in hypersonic aerothermodynamics and material science.