Joanna Austin

Joanna Austin is a Professor of Aerospace and serves as the Graduate Option Representative for Aeronautics and Space Engineering, as well as the Undergraduate Option Representative for Aerospace at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She leads the Caltech Hypersonics Group, which operates facilities like the T5 Reflected Shock Tunnel and the Hypervelocity Expansion Tube (HET). Her research focuses on reactive, compressible flows in applications such as hypervelocity flight, planetary entry, supersonic combustion, bubble dynamics, and explosive geological events. Key projects include studying shock-boundary layer interactions, Martian atmospheric entry aerothermodynamics, and high-speed fluid-structure interactions. She advises four Ph.D. students and collaborates with a team including staff members like Liza Bradulina and research assistants such as Noel Esparza-Duran. Her work bridges experimental fluid dynamics with geophysical phenomena, leveraging advanced diagnostics like Focused Laser Differential Interferometry (FLDI) and laser spectroscopy. The group’s facilities enable studies of high-enthalpy flows and hypersonic aerodynamics critical for aerospace and planetary exploration.

Research highlights include investigations into CO₂ Martian entry conditions, boundary layer transition mechanisms, and fluid-structure coupling in high-speed flows. The Hypersonics Group’s experimental setups replicate extreme environments to advance predictive models for aerospace systems. Her contributions span both fundamental fluid mechanics and applied engineering challenges, with a focus on real-gas effects and shock dynamics. Collaborations with institutions like NASA and academic partners further her interdisciplinary impact.