Mark Gragston

Mark Gragston serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) since 2020, following his Research Professor position at the UTSI-HORIZON Center (2019-2020).

His educational foundation includes a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee (2018).

Dr. Gragston pioneers experimental techniques for high-speed aerothermodynamics, developing advanced laser-based diagnostics including high-speed schlieren, PLIF, PIV, FLDI, and Raman scattering. His research encompasses transitional/turbulent boundary layers, shock-boundary layer interactions in supersonic flows, high-enthalpy testing for hypersonic real-gas effects, and combustion/plasma dynamics measurements.

His scientific contributions are recognized through:

• Tennessee Space Grant Graduate Fellowship
• Air Force Office of Scientific Research Summer Faculty Fellowship (2020)

As an active member of AIAA, APS, NSBE, and OSA, his work is supported by specialized facilities at the UTSI-HORIZON Center (411 B.H. Goethert Parkway, Tullahoma), where he advances measurement capabilities for extreme-flow regimes while mentoring graduate researchers in aerospace engineering.