Robyn Macdonald

Robyn Macdonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, affiliated with the Aerospace Mechanics Research Center (AMREC). She holds a PhD and BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2019 and 2013, respectively). Her research focuses on predictive modeling of hypersonic flows, including gas-phase chemistry modeling, turbulent flow dynamics, and laminar-to-turbulent transition predictions. She employs computational tools ranging from molecular dynamics to high-fidelity CFD simulations to study hypersonic vehicles' flowfields.

Key research interests include hypersonic flows, chemically reacting flows, chemical kinetics, and radiation modeling. Her lab develops reduced-order models and advanced simulation techniques to address challenges in non-equilibrium aerothermodynamics and high-speed aerodynamics.

• Educations:
• PhD in Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019
• BS in Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013

Dr. Macdonald has received prestigious awards such as the NASA Early Career Faculty Fellow (2023), Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program (2021), and the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Minnesota (2019–2020). Her work bridges fundamental physics and engineering applications, with contributions to hypersonic vehicle design and aerothermal environment modeling.

Her lab actively explores computational methods for hypersonic boundary layer transition, compressible LES modeling, and energy transfer processes in hypersonic flows. She collaborates on predictive tools for next-generation aerospace systems, emphasizing both academic and defense-related applications.