Rajat Mittal

Rajat Mittal is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), affiliated with the Whiting School of Engineering. He holds a secondary appointment in the JHU School of Medicine. His research focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), biomedical flows, and bioinspired engineering, with applications to heart valve dynamics, digestive physiology, and drone rotor design.

Education: B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT Kanpur (1989), M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida (1991), Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from UIUC (1995). Postdoctoral research at Stanford University’s Center for Turbulence Research (1995-1996).

Research emphasizes immersed boundary methods, fluid-structure interaction, and multiphase flow modeling. Key areas include gastric digestion mechanics, bioacoustics, and biomimetic propulsion systems. His lab (Flow Physics and Computation Lab) collaborates with zoology, cardiology, and robotics experts.

Notable awards include the 2025 AIMBE Fellowship, 2022 Stanley Corrsin Award, and 2021 Freeman Scholar Award. He edits four journals and advises on projects funded by NIH, NSF, and DARPA. His work bridges engineering and medicine, with applications to surgical planning and medical device design.

Recent projects model stomach biomechanics post-bariatric surgery, optimize drone rotor noise reduction, and study fish schooling hydrodynamics. He also explores transonic flutter in wings and porous media flow control.