Luca Maddalena

Luca Maddalena is a Full Professor of Aerospace Engineering and the Director of the Aerodynamics Research Center (ARC) at The University of Texas at Arlington. He leads research operations in multiple advanced wind tunnel facilities including a low-speed wind tunnel, transonic Ludwieg tube tunnel (0.4<1.25), supersonic blow-down tunnel (1.5<4), detonation-driven shock tunnel (6<16), and a 1.6 MW arc jet facility, along with pulsed and continuous detonation wave engine test cells.

Dr. Maddalena earned his PhD in Aerospace & Ocean Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2007, with a dissertation titled "Investigations of Injectors for Scramjet Engines." Prior to that, he obtained his MS in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico de Milano in 2004, with a dissertation on "Transverse Liquid injection into a supersonic flow for scramjet applications."

His primary research focuses on experimental investigations of mixing and combustion in turbulent supersonic flows relevant to hypersonic airbreathing propulsion, and on reusable thermal protection systems and thermal management for sustained hypersonic flight. His work spans several key areas:

• Hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems
• Injection mixing and combustion in high-speed flows
• Compressible turbulent mixing and vortex dynamics
• Hypersonic aerothermodynamics
• Thermal protection systems and thermal management strategies
• Experimental fluid dynamics and advanced instrumentation

Dr. Maddalena's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on advanced diagnostic techniques for hypersonic flow characterization, particularly using laser-based methods like Filtered Rayleigh Scattering and FLEET velocimetry. His work shows increasing emphasis on practical applications for thermal protection systems and the development of more accurate measurement techniques for high-enthalpy flows. The research consistently addresses the fundamental fluid dynamics challenges in hypersonic propulsion while maintaining strong connections to real-world engineering applications.

Among his notable scientific achievements are:

• AIAA Ground Testing Award (2023)
• AIAA Hypersonics Best Paper Award (2020)
• Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (2020)
• Nomination for University Award of Outstanding Research Achievement at UTA (2018)
• Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2016)

Dr. Maddalena has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, including multiple PhD and Master's candidates who have gone on to positions at NASA, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and other leading aerospace organizations. His research has been generously funded by various prestigious organizations including NASA Langley Research Center, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA, and the Department of Energy. Notably, ONR and DARPA jointly funded his group for the design and construction of a National-Level Hypersonic Research Facility for High-Temperature Materials Development and Characterization.

As Director of the Aerodynamics Research Center, Dr. Maddalena oversees a comprehensive suite of experimental facilities dedicated to hypersonic research. His team focuses on both fundamental fluid dynamics investigations and practical engineering solutions for hypersonic flight challenges. Current work includes developing advanced diagnostic techniques for arc-jet facilities, studying thermal protection systems, and investigating vortex dynamics for improved scramjet combustor designs.