Mihai Burzo

Mihai Burzo is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Frances Willson Thompson Fellow at the University of Michigan-Flint, College of Innovation and Technology. His work spans multiple departments including Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics.

Dr. Burzo earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 2001. His academic career includes positions as Assistant Professor at University of North Texas (2011-2013) and multiple roles at Southern Methodist University.

His research interests focus on heat transfer in microelectronics and nanostructures, thermal properties of thin films, multimodal sensing of human behavior, and computational modeling of heat convection. His work bridges mechanical engineering with computer science through the application of machine learning techniques.

His recent publications show a clear trend toward integrating machine learning with traditional thermal engineering problems, particularly in microelectronics thermal management, human behavior modeling, and environmental systems. His work spans from fundamental thermal science to applied human-centered engineering solutions.

• 2006 Harvey Rosten Award for Excellence
• Best Paper Award at PETRA conference (2016)
• Best Paper Award at Semitherm conference (2013 and 2006)
• Young Engineer of the Year from North Texas Section of ASME (2006)
• Leadership Award from SMU (2002)
• Valedictorian Award (1995)

Dr. Burzo has secured significant research funding from diverse sources including DOD, Ford Motor Company, Toyota Research Institute, National Science Foundation, and Procter & Gamble. His projects include multimodal sensing of human behavior, thermoreflectance applications, and deception detection systems. He leads research teams working on thermal comfort detection, driver alertness monitoring, and thermal imaging applications.